A Spectroscopic Atlas of Bright Stars: A Pocket Field Guide - Paperback

by Jack Martin (Author)

A Spectroscopic Atlas of the Stars: A Pocket Field Guide is a standard reference book for all amateur astronomers interested in practical spectroscopy or spectrography. For the first time in one place, it identifies more than 70 (northern hemisphere) bright stars that are suitable observational targets for both amateurs and astronomy students.

Finder charts are provided for locating these sometimes-familiar stars. Data for each star includes labelled stellar spectra, a spectral profile with spectral lines identified. These are conveniently laid out on a single page, opposite tables of spectroscopic properties, and lines and wavelengths identified.

This is the first Spectral Atlas designed for amateur astronomers. It is equally relevant to college undergraduates, being intended to familiarize astronomers of any age and level of knowledge with labelled stellar spectra and their different properties. It contains much information about stars which is hard to find or inaccessible to most people.

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Are you ready for a different way of looking at the stars? Do you want to understand more about what you are seeing through your telescope?

Painstakingly researched, with the data compiled over many years by the author (an amateur astronomer for 45 years), this handy user-friendly pocket-sized field atlas contains the spectra (spectral diagrams) of over 73 bright stars in the northern hemisphere and is intended for use by other amateurs, students, and educational institutions as an introduction to the fascinating and important science of stellar spectroscopy.

Professional atlases are far more complex. Until now, nothing was available at an amateur level. This book fills an important gap as the first amateur spectroscopic atlas to be published. The reader will not need to have any prior knowledge of the subject or understanding of complex mathematics in order to use this book. Written in plain English and without difficult equations, it can make the subject accessible to anyone. It can even serve as a guide to the stars at astronomy club meetings or star parties.