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Kids and adults can explore outer space from their own backyards with this handy book of unusual and engaging activities. By simply looking up at the sky- with the unaided eye- parents, camp counselors, and other group leaders can help children identify, understand, and appreciate the inhabitants of the Milky Way and galaxies beyond. With this book, amateur star-gazers will become acquainted with the constellations, planets, and phases of the moon; how compasses, sundials, and telescopes work; and what causes shooting stars and other galactic phenomena. Down-to-earth explanations of astronomical events and concepts helps readers navigate their way through the stars.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface(p. vii)
• Acknowledgments(p. ix)
• Section I The Naked-Eye Sky(p. 1)
• 1 Finding Your Way in the Sky(p. 1)
• 2 Using a Star Map to Read the Sky(p. 2)
• 3 Locating the Constellations and Bright Stars of the Circumpolar Sky(p. 5)
• 4 Locating the Constellations and Bright Stars of Spring(p. 9)
• 5 Locating the Constellations and Bright Stars of Summer(p. 12)
• 6 Locating the Constellations and Bright Stars of Autumn(p. 15)
• 7 Locating the Constellations and Bright Stars of Winter(p. 18)
• 8 Which Stars Can I See Tonight?: Building Your Own Planisphere(p. 22)
• 9 Star Brightness I: How Bright Is That Star?(p. 25)
• 10 Star Brightness II: Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover(p. 28)
• 11 Telling Time by the Stars(p. 31)
• 12 Where Am I?: Using an Astrolabe to Find Your Latitude(p. 35)
• 13 "It Was This Big!": Measuring Sizes in the Sky(p. 39)
• 14 Spotting Artificial Satellites(p. 43)
• 15 How Dark Is Your Backyard?: Understanding Light Pollution(p. 45)
• Section II The Moon(p. 49)
• 16 "Jack and Jill" and the Moon's Phases(p. 49)
• 17 Oceans on the Moon?: Looking for Lunar "Seas"(p. 54)
• 18 Potholes on the Moon?: Looking for Lunar Craters(p. 56)
• 19 Where Did the Astronauts Land on the Moon?(p. 62)
• 20 Observing the Odd Lunar Crescents of Summer and Winter(p. 66)
• 21 Observing Lunar Eclipses(p. 69)
• Section III The Sun(p. 75)
• 22 How Not to Look at the Sun(p. 75)
• 23 Estimating the Sun's Period of Rotation(p. 77)
• 24 Electricity in the Sky: The Northern Lights(p. 80)
• 25 Making a Sundial(p. 84)
• 26 Figure Eight in the Sky: Making an Analemma(p. 89)
• 27 Chasing Solar Eclipses(p. 96)
• Section IV The Solar System(p. 103)
• 28 Hide and Seek: Finding Elusive Mercury(p. 103)
• 29 Following the Phases of Venus(p. 106)
• 30 The "Dizzy" Planet: Following the Backward Motion of Mars(p. 109)
• 31 Jupiter: A Dynamic Planet(p. 113)
• 32 Jupiter's Family of Satellites(p. 116)
• 33 Ring around the Planet: Observing Saturn(p. 119)
• 34 Weighing Yourself on Other Planets(p. 122)
• 35 Looking for Meteors, Meteor Showers, and Fireballs(p. 123)
• 36 Looking for Micrometeorites(p. 128)
• 37 Dirty Snowballs?: Observing Comets(p. 129)
• 38 What Are the Planetary Paths?: Making Ellipses(p. 133)
• 39 Building a Pocket Solar System(p. 136)
• Section V Deep Space(p. 141)
• 40 Seeing Double: Observing Double Stars(p. 141)
• 41 Families of Stars: Observing Star Clusters(p. 144)
• 42 Clouds in Space: Observing Nebulae(p. 150)
• 43 Distant Islands of Stars: Observing Galaxies(p. 155)
• Section VI Telescopes and Photography(p. 161)
• 44 Fun with Optics(p. 161)
• 45 A Telescope and Binocular Primer(p. 163)
• 46 Building Your Own Reflecting Telescope(p. 169)
• 47 Discovering Roy G. BIV: Building Your Own Spectroscope(p. 178)
• 48 Understanding Your Camera: The World of Astrophotography(p. 180)
• 49 Showing That Earth Spins: Making Photographic Star Trails(p. 185)
• 50 Building a Camera-Tracking Platform(p. 187)
• 51 Shoot the Moon(p. 192)
• Appendices
• 1 Bibliography(p. 197)
• 2 Resource List and Dealers of Astronomy Equipment(p. 198)
• 3 Lunar Phase Dates (2000-2010)(p. 199)
• 4 Planet Positions (2000-2010)(p. 202)
• 5 Seasonal Star Atlas(p. 205)
• 6 Astronomy Web Sites(p. 210)
• Index(p. 213)
• About the Authors(p. 214)

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Philip Harrington is the author of Touring the Universe through Binoculars and Starware, published by John Wiley & Sons, and regularly contributes to Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines. He teaches courses in astronomy at the Vanderbilt Museum Planetarium and at Hofstra University and is a frequent lecturer at astronomy clubs and conventions worldwide. Edward Pascuzzi, a high school physics and earth science teacher, holds a bachelors degree in theoretical astrophysics and a masters degree in physics education. For the past decade he had lectured and taught astronomy at the Vanderbilt Museum Planetarium.