The Cambridge Guide to Astronomical Discovery

This book tells you how to become an astronomical discoverer using only modest equipment. It describes what approach to take and how to search the night skies for the unexpected. It includes 19 contributions from amateur astronomers who are world famous for the discoveries they have already made.

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Would you like to discover a comet? Or maybe you would like to be the first person on Earth - perhaps in the Universe - to recognise a celestial newcomer such as a nova or supernova. First published in 1992, this Guide tells you how to become an astronomical discoverer using only modest equipment. It describes what approaches to take in searching the night skies for the unusual and the unexpected. Included are 20 contributions from both amateur and professional astronomers who are world famous for their discoveries. This book covers all the kinds of objects that an amateur can hope to find as a result of systematic searching. Personal contributions from noted discoverers such as David Levy and Minoru Honda (comets), Bob Evans (supernovae), Eleanor Helin and Brian Manning (asteroids) and Mike Collins and Dan Kaiser (variable stars) reveal the secrets of their successful methods. The visual, photographic and electronic search techniques of the early nineties, are described as well as instructions on ways of reporting discoveries. Extensive appendices pack in a wealth of useful data for every intrepid discoverer of cosmic phenomena.