Computers and Astronomy Perhaps every generation of astronomers believes that their telescopes are the best that have ever been. They are surely all correct! The great leap of our time is that computer-designed and machined parts have led to more accurately made com- nents that give the astronomer ever better views. The manual skills of the craftsman mirror grinder have been transformed into the new-age skills of the programmer and the machine maker. (The new products did not end the work of craftsman te- scope makers, though. Many highly skilled amateur/professional opticians cont- ued to produce good-quality mirrors that are still seen today. ) Amateur-priced telescopes are now capable of highly accurate tracking and computer control that were once only the province of professionals. This has greatly increased the p- sibilities of serious astronomy projects for which tailor-made software has been developed. Add a CCD camera to these improved telescopes (see Chap. 3), and you bring a whole new dimension to your astronomy (see Fig. 1. 1). Look Before You Leap! But first, a word of caution. Unless you are already familiar with astronomy and basic telescopes, it is not wise to start spending large amounts of money on a we- featured telescope. Such an instrument might otherwise be subsequently abandoned due to a perceived overcomplexity coupled with a waning interest.

"Era tempo che un’opera in italiano fosse consacrata interamente alle galassie, spiegando in modo semplice e accessibile a tutti ciò che conosciamo. È quello che è riuscito ad Alessandro Boselli, specialista di formazione stellare nelle galassie, il quale utilizza, oltre alle sue proprie osservazioni, i dati dei satelliti astronomici.

In celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope's 25th anniversary, explore 25 of Hubble’s breathtaking and significant images. From planets in our own solar system to snapshots from a time when our universe was very young, these images are presented according to their distance from Earth, from near to far. Along with companion descriptions and videos, the 25 images highlight the telescope's amazing capabilities.

The Hubble Space Telescope has become a household word since its launch in 1990, famed for bringing the world unique and spectacular views of the cosmos. In its image-filled pages, Hubble: An Overview of the Space Telescope tells the story of the telescope’s history, design, operation, science, and more.

This book tells the comprehensive history of cosmography from the 15th Century Age of Discovery onward. During this time, cosmography—a science that combined geography and astronomy to inform us about our place in the universe—was deeply tied to ongoing developments in politics, exploration, culture, and technology.

This book introduces the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), also known as the "The Sky Eye", one of the China’s big science facilities. Using easy-to-understand language, the book covers the scientific background, construction process, achievements, and effects of FAST on the development of the national economy. With a large number of intuitive and vivid images and videos, the book presents basic information on FAST for general readers who are interested in astronomy.

Galaxies are perhaps the most popular of all visual targets that are sought after by visual observers. At present the only way to get up-to-date information, is to query various (often highly technical) speciality books or digging deeply into the Internet.

The astronomy lecturing trade in Britain experienced a theatrical turn in the early 1800s, as practitioners relied on larger and more elaborate visual aids to enhance the scenic and dramatic effects of their traveling spectacles.

Galaxy collisions are the key process in building galaxies, triggering the formation of stars and the build-up of heavy elements that allow the formation of planets and solar systems. This book presents the revolutionary research advances achieved in the last decade and lucidly explains the underlying dynamical processes.
Galaxy Collisions

This book offers an exercise in theoretical planetology, presenting five different scenarios to assess the evolution of habitable conditions on Mars to assess planetary terraforming potential and to give insight into the ongoing search for habitable exoplanets.