The Sky is Your Laboratory: Advanced Astronomy Projects for Amateurs (Springer Praxis Books)

I agree with the other reviews I've seen here: this book is excellent!Are you ready to move beyond visual observing or taking CCD pix for aesthetic appreciation? Do you want to feel like you're doing a bit of science? If you answered yes to these questions, then this is undoubtedly a good book for you. It contains a survey of a wide range of areas where YOU, with relatively inexpensive amateur gear, can do observations that go far beyond the "Oh, isn't that pretty!" (Not, though, that I have anything against "pretty!")This book is well written, and unlike many other books in our hobby, gets into the nitty-gritty details of how-to-do-it! It's well written and the author speaks with authority. Each chapter has an excellent reference at its end. Using these references allows you to do additional reading.Although it doesn't go into much depth on the topic, this book has a short and adequate introduction on spectroscopy. The overview is good and it has references on where to find further info. I've found spectroscopy very exciting. Without much work, with a simple webcam & tiny scope, in the city, without a lengthy or complicated observing program, you can be analyzing the composition of distant stars! Now THAT'S science! (The Rainbow Optics or StarAnalyser spectroscopes are a great introduction.)

Astronomy is one of the very few sciences where amateurs can make significant contributions and where amateur contributions are valued by the professional community. I returned to serious astronomy several years ago. I wanted to do more than just star gaze and taking pretty photos (which I still love). If you have felt the same way, then this book is a must read. Buchheim presents a plethora of different research programs that can be undertaken with modest (or even no) equipment. One of my particular interests is photometry, the measurement of light to study such things as variable stars and asteroid light curves. Buchheim takes the novice through all of the concepts and presents this material in a manner that allows the reader to understand the basic concepts and how to undertake a number of observing programs from differential photometry to all-sky to asteroid light curves The same is true for astrometry and the search for asteroids. And, these are just two of the areas of research discussed. In short, if you want to move from "just observing," and get into astronomical research and make valued contributions to science, this book will guide you through to success.

Had to purchase this as a replacement for another copy which had been borrowed but never returned. This is a good text to inspire amateur astronomers to explore ways of doing real science with their hobby. I sponsor an astrophysics club at a community college and have found useful; after all, I concluded it was worth the extra expense to restore a copy to my library.

If you are an advanced amaetuer astronomer who wants to get more out of your hobby and help contribute to the science of astronomy, this is your book. From exoplanet detection to spectrographic work to variable star monitoring (and so much more). Buchheim's book is a treasure trove of things to do.Some of these projects do require some potentially large cash outlays to get equipment that will work properly for the projects - larger telescopes (10" and above), chilled CCD cameras, really good tracking mounts and the like.

Most of the topics in this book will be somewhat beyond those that a casual amateur astronomer would want to pursue. However, the book is worth buying just for what you will learn about the different topics. Of course, if you want to try some of the scientific work then you are all set with the material given.Worth a read for the in depth discussion of observation, imaging with CCDs, practical issues with both, and an understanding of observational and imaging science.I recommend it.

I'm a high school physics teacher looking to start a summer research program. This book is pitched at a perfect level for me to plan projects with ambitious high school students.

This is not a good book..Way too much talk and reading. There are no worked examples from data using webcamera, ccd, camera, sldr, eos or photometry ssp1 devices to perform the data collection. Most amateurs will not under stand the equations and how to reduce the data. The book is a good over view of the topics he talks about.. but very poor in showing how to actually set up and do the lab tests.

This is a fantastic book for those amateur astronomers who would like to expand their hobby to contribute to the science of astronomy. It not only mentions the projects that are amenable to contributions from amateurs but goes in depth explaining how to accomplish each project.

I almost wonder if the 1-star reviewer read the same book as I. Not all parts of this book may be for everyone, but for those looking to move beyond "pretty picture" astrophotography and start doing some science, this is an excellent book. It assumes little prior knowledge in this particular area and explains the techniques involved and the science behind them in clear language. After reading this - and perhaps trying out several projects - the reader will have a good idea which area(s) he/she finds interesting enough to pursue further. Obviously, a 260 page book cannot get into too much depth when describing 10 different areas for possible research, but this book will get people started off well. The reader will be left with a good understanding of what is involved - and more importantly, what is possible - with amateur equipment, and how he/she can make a valuable contribution to scientific research.

Ottimo libro per chi, oltre all'osservazione visuale o alla fotografia, vuole dedicarsi all'astronomia anche in termini scientifici. Ogni argomento è trattato dettagliatamente con spiegazioni chiare di come procedere. Come da titolo: da avere nella propria biblioteca astronomica

Thank you !

I'm sorry but this book comes close to being my dud book of the decade. Perhaps when it was published it was of marginal use but now (2013) amateur astronomy has moved on.