Supernovae: And How to Observe Them Paperback – Illustrated, 5 February 2007

The Wonders of the universe never seizes to astonish me, but few are as amazing and mind boggling as Supernovae. It's reasonably evident from observations and astrophysics that all materials other than Hydrogen must have been formed inside stars; these stars lived and in many instances died with tremendous outburst releasing colossal amounts of energy and all the elements that ended forming our solar system along with billions of others and naturally in me and all of us!!. The formation, birth, life and death of stars is a fascinating field of astronomy; one which will definitely capture the interest of amateur astronomers and the curious minds at one phase or another in their quest for the truth through the heavens. This book is a guide to those stars that due to their size and other attributes which are explained in great details have ended their life in a massive and violent explosion that some even outshine their host galaxies in brightness. They emit large amounts of Gamma Rays [GRB] and X-Rays that spell doom to any living organism in their path. Its quiet comforting in astronomical terms to know that we are relatively safe down here in our little corner of the galaxy from such events; or are we? If this has grabbed your interest, then this book is for you. Well organized and superbly illustrated and explained material that is loaded with images and pictures that enrich this book and make it as enjoyable as equally as its informative. One aspect that I would like to make clear, becoming a Supernovae Hunter is a task of dedication, intense effort, and patience. The previous statements should not be looked upon as a discouragement, but rather a challenge, but regardless if your time and dedication to Astronomy is limited or endless, this book is valuable and informative and should satisfy the inquisitive mind.The book is divided into two parts:-Supernovae: Physics and statistics: These chapters discuss the theory about Stars the will possibly end up as a Supernovae. Some interesting statistics indicating that we are a bit overdue for Supernovae in our vicinity of the heavens; the most likely stars to go BOOM like Betelgeuse; risks paused by such events and if we are likely to survive them. It's a quite good and informative part of the book.-Observing and discovering Supernovae: Now that you understand what a Supernovae is, and appreciate the tremendous power involved when they go BOOM the question comes down to how to find one; observe it, image it, and Record it and maybe be one of the Elite Amateur Astronomers who will enter the annals of Astronomical Discoverers of Supernovae.Sneak a peak at the "LOOK INSIDE" option. This will give you a clear idea about the contents and style of the book. Happy Hunting!!