Astronomy For Dummies

The fun and easy way to explore the night sky Do you know the difference between a red giant and a white dwarf? From asteroids to black holes, this easy-to-understand guide takes you on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring updated star maps, charts, and an insert with gorgeous full-color photographs, Astronomy For Dummies provides an easy-to-follow introduction to the night sky. See the light — get pointers on observing sky objects with and without optics, selecting binoculars and telescopes, and positioning yourself for optimal viewing Won't you be my neighbor? — take a tour of the collection of planets, moons, and planetary debris that orbits the Sun Meet some old sols — find the best and brightest of the sky objects and enhance your connection to the universe by getting to know the life cycle of stars Ponder this — explore thought-provoking concepts like the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the nature of dark matter and antimatter Open the book and find: The difference between planets and stars Names of stars and constellations Terrific tools for observing the skies A tour of the solar system The scoop on the Big Bang theory and the evolution of the universe Full-color photos of spiral galaxies, nebulae, asteroids, and planets The 4-1-1 on black holes and quasars Astronomy clubs, websites, apps, and more Learn to: Enjoy skywatching in your backyard Identify planets and stars Explore our solar system, the Milky Way, and beyond Understand the Big Bang, quasars, antimatter, and more

Introduction  1 Part I: Stalking the Cosmos  5 Chapter 1: Seeing the Light: The Art and Science of Astronomy 7 Chapter 2: Join the Crowd: Skywatching Activities and Resources 27 Chapter 3: The Way You Watch Tonight: Terrifi c Tools for Observing the Skies 45 Chapter 4: Just Passing Through: Meteors, Comets, and Artifi cial Satellites 65 Part II: Going Once Around the Solar System  85 Chapter 5: A Matched Pair: Earth and Its Moon 87 Chapter 6: Earth’s Near Neighbors: Mercury, Venus, and Mars 109 Chapter 7: Rock On: The Asteroid Belt and Near–Earth Objects 129 Chapter 8: Great Balls of Gas: Jupiter and Saturn 139 Chapter 9: Far Out! Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Beyond 151 Part III: Meeting Old Sol and Other Stars  161 Chapter 10: The Sun: Star of Earth 163 Chapter 11: Taking a Trip to the Stars 187 Chapter 12: Galaxies: The Milky Way and Beyond 217 Chapter 13: Digging into Black Holes and Quasars 241 Part IV: Pondering the Remarkable Universe  255 Chapter 14: Is Anybody Out There? SETI and Planets of Other Suns 257 Chapter 15: Delving into Dark Matter and Antimatter 277 Chapter 16: The Big Bang and the Evolution of the Universe 289 Part V: The Part of Tens  301 Chapter 17: Ten Strange Facts about Astronomy and Space 303 Chapter 18: Ten Common Errors about Astronomy and Space 307 Part VI: Appendixes  311 Appendix A: Star Maps 313 Appendix B: Glossary 321 Index  325

Stephen P. Maran, PhD, is the retired Assistant Director of Space Sciences for Information and Outreach at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and theformer Press Officerr of the American Astronomical Society.