Table of Contents

1. The Solar System; 2. The Sun; 3. The Moon; 4. Mercury; 5. Venus; 6. Earth; 7. Mars; 8. The asteroid belt; 9. Jupiter; 10. Saturn; 11. Uranus; 12. Neptune; 13. Beyond Neptune: the Kuiper Belt; 14. Comets; 15. Meteors; 16. Meteorites; 17. Glows and atmospheric effects; 18. The stars; 19. Stellar spectra and evolution; 20. Extrasolar planets; 21. Double stars; 22. Variable stars; 23. Stellar clusters; 24. Nebulae; 25. The Galaxy; 26. The evolution of the Universe; 27. The constellations; 28. The star catalogue; 29. Telescopes and observatories; 30. Non-optical astronomy; 31. The history of astronomy; 32. Astronomers; 33. Glossary; Index.

Promotional Information

Full of data about the Solar System, our Galaxy and the Universe, this is a one-stop reference for all astronomers.

About the Author

Patrick Moore CBE, FRS, was a famous astronomer and author. Over his lifetime, he received numerous awards and prizes in recognition of his work, including a CBE in 1988 and knighthood in 2001 'for services to popularization of science and to broadcasting'. A former President of the British Astronomical Association, progressing to honorary Life Vice President, he was the only amateur ever to have held an official post at the International Astronomical Union. Robin Rees, Minst Phys, CPhys, FRAS, is Director of Canopus Publishing and has produced a number of best-selling astronomy books for a wide variety of imprints, and now also publishes books for the London Stereoscopic Company and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Reviews

'… will be an invaluable reference work for serious observers - but it is equally suitable for armchair browsers, and indeed for anyone who is curious about what lies beyond the Earth.' Martin Rees, University of Cambridge, from the Foreword

'… a wonderful compendium. It is an invaluable reference work for serious observers and is equally suitable for armchair browsers, and indeed for anyone who is curious about what lies beyond the Earth … a one-stop reference for astronomers of all levels.' Spaceflight

'Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy holds … [an] allure for the armchair traveller, a compendium of the far-away and strange destinations in the heavens. The diverse offerings of the night sky - nebulae, galaxies, constellations, clusters, comets, asteroids, double stars, variable stars, meteor storms, supernovae, planets and moons - are all here, neatly organised, catalogued and enumerated. Readers with no prior interest in amateur astronomy will find a lot to captivate here. It also contains clearly written, up-to-date sections explaining what all these various celestial objects are, and how we've come to know them. This work offers so much more than a handbook for backyard telescopes; it is an atlas for the Universe around us that will surprise every time you dip in.' Lewis Dartnell, The Times Higher Education Supplement

'… a tremendously useful text to dip into.' The Observatory