Cosmic Challenge: The Ultimate Observing List for Amateurs

483 Pages·2010·8.46 MB·English

by  Harrington P.S.

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Cosmic Challenge
Listingmorethan500skytargets,bothnearandfar,
in187challenges,thisobservingguidewilltest
noviceastronomersandadvancedveteransalike.Its
uniquemixofSolarSystemanddeep-skytargets
willhaveobservershuntingfortheApollolunar
landingsites,searchingforsatellitesorbitingthe
outermostplanets,andexploringhundredsofstar
clusters,nebulae,distantgalaxies,andquasars.
Eachtargetobjectisaccompaniedbyarating
indicatinghowdifficulttheobjectistofind,an
in-depthvisualdescription,anillustrationshowing
howtheobjectrealisticallylooks,andadetailed
findercharttohelpyoufindeachchallengequickly
andeffectively.Theguideintroducesobjectsoften
overlookedinotherobservingguidesandfeatures
targetsvisibleinavarietyofconditions,fromthe
innercitytothedarkcountryside.Challengesare
providedforviewingbythenakedeye,through
binoculars,tothelargestbackyardtelescopes.
PhilipS.Harringtonistheauthorofeightprevious
booksfortheamateurastronomer,including
TouringtheUniversethroughBinoculars,StarWare,
andStarWatch.Heisalsoacontributingeditorfor
Astronomymagazine,wherehehasauthoredthe
magazine’smonthly“BinocularUniverse”column
and“PhilHarrington’sChallengeObjects,”a
quarterlyonlinecolumnonAstronomy.com.Heis
anAdjunctProfessoratDowlingCollegeand
SuffolkCountyCommunityCollege,NewYork,
whereheteachescoursesinstellarandplanetary
astronomy.

Cosmic Challenge
The Ultimate Observing List for Amateurs
PHILIP S. HARRINGTON
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
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CambridgeUniversityPress
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PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521899369
(cid:1)C P.Harrington2011
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permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2011
PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge
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ISBN9780521899369Hardback
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FormywifeWendy,thecenterofmyuniverse

Contents
Preface pageix
Acknowledgments x
Photocredits xi
1 Meetingthechallenge 1
2 Naked-eyechallenges 27
3 Binocularchallenges 78
4 Small-scopechallenges:
Giantbinoculars,3-to5-inchtelescopes 130
5 Medium-scopechallenges:
6-to9.25-inchtelescopes 223
6 Large-scopechallenges:
10-to14-inchtelescopes 307
7 Monster-scopechallenges:
15-inchandlargertelescopes 367
Epilogue:Theedgeofimagination 448
AppendixA Thecosmicchallenge 450
AppendixB Suggestedfurtherreading 461
AppendixC 100challengingdoublestars 463
Index 467
vii