Astronomy

Author: Theodore Mehlin

A textbook for an introductory university course on astronomy.  Written in the later 1950’s, this edition published in 1961.

Contents covers:

  • Telescope of the era
  • Star evolution
  • Stellar distances
  • The Sun
  • Binary Stars
  • Variable stars
  • Galaxies
  • The Milky Way
  • The planers
  • The Earth
  • Earth satellites
  • Comets and meteors
  • Origin if the Solar System.

The contents is dated but still interesting and useful.

Countdown – A History of Space Flight

Author: T.A. Heppenheimer

This book comprehensively covers the history of space flight up to the 1990s (it was first published in 1997). It extends from Oberth’s and Goddard’s early thoughts on space flight, through World War II and the military development of rocketry, then on through the Cold War and beyond.  Chapters cover the 1960’s space race and subsequent missions and exploration.

The Whole Shebang

Author: Timothy Ferris

This is a guide to the central issues in cosmology and the breakthroughs made in recent years: the inflationary universe immediately subsequent to the Big Bang; the discovery and significance of large-scale galactic structure; and the evolution of the many-worlds hypothesis.

The book delves into the big bang; expansion of the Universe; geometry of space; element synthesis; dark matter; cosmic evolution; and aspects of quantum physics as they relate to origin of the Universe and its evolution.

Astrophotography

Author:  Thierry Legault

Author and world-renowned astrophotographer Thierry Legault teaches the art and techniques of astrophotography-from simple camera-on-tripod night-scene ..Written for digital camera astrophotography, the book provides an abundance of detail on equipment, imaging the planets, Sun, Moon and deep-sky objects.

The Solar System in Close-Up

Author:  John Wilkinson

John Wilkinson presents the state-of-the art knowledge on the Sun, solar system planets and small solar system objects like comets and asteroids.  Detailed information is provided on dozens of solar system bodies.

An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth

Author:  Chris Hadfield

Hadfield’s success-and survival-is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst- and enjoy every moment of it. In An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, Col. Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible.

An inspirational memoir of space exploration and hard-won wisdom, from an astronaut who has spent a lifetime making the impossible a reality.

Pocket Star Atlas

Author:  John Cox

A simple guide to the night sky, comprising 11 maps and text describing hundreds of star clusters and deep-sky objects.

Imaging the Southern Sky

Authors: Stephen Chadwick and Ian Cooper

Imaging the Southern Sky discusses over 150 of the best southern objects to image, including nebulae, galaxies, and planetaries, each one accompanied by a spectacular colour image. This book also includes sections on both image capturing and processing techniques and so makes an ideal all-in-one introduction.

An excellent reference for both wide-field and telescopic astrophotography of the best targets in the southern sky.

The NexStar User’s Guide

Author:  Michael Swanson

The NexStar User’s Guide is the first book dedicated to Celestron’s very popular line of NexStar GoTo telescopes. This book caters to the needs of both the beginning and more advanced amateur astronomer.  It provides an abundance of background and explanation of how to setup and use a Nexstar go-to telescope and get the most out of the equipment.