Find Your Way Home--Bestselling Sat Navs
Plan ahead and avoid traffic jams with one of our bestselling sat navs from top brands including TomTom and Garmin. We also stock a great range of up-to-date and fully-routable maps for your device, including popular destinations such as France, Portugal, North America and Scotland.- Interested in Astronomy? Explore the sky at night with our range of Telescopes by top brands such as Celestron, Bresser and Saxon.
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'… as a simple guide for the novice observer, this volume has no rival.' Astronomy Magazine
'A well-written guide, by one of this country's most enthusiatic amateur astronomers …' Andrew Fraknoi, Mercury
'If you think variable star observing is boring, this book will convince you otherwise. Most importantly, Observing Variable Stars will get you outside looking at the sky.' Deep Sky
'This new book is delightful … The work is well researched, thought out, and executed … For those of you who have not yet been introduced to variable stars, enjoy this introduction. For those already acquainted with 'variables', give yourself a few cloudy nights with this delightful book!' The Strolling Astronomer
'This is a quality book throughout. I recommend it highly to amateurs everywhere who feel that they have passed the 'star gazing' stage and now wish to make their own personal contribution to human knowledge. The publishers are to be commended for giving David Levy the chance to make it available to a wide audience …' The Reflector
'The text is very anecdotal and easy to read, with many lessons for us all in the process.' Gnoman
'… there is always the promise that the observer will make a truly important astronomical discovery. … this book provides all the necessary advice and instructions for the variable star novice … also offering some interesting reading for those already acquainted with this topic. … here is a real opportunity to leave your mark in the heavens.' Astronomy & Space
'This is by far the most accessible book for beginning variable star observers in print. Everything you need to know to get started in variable star observing is laid out in an easy to follow, logical progression. Levy describes things in a non technical manner that makes it understandable to everyone. More importantly, his enthusiasm for the subject is infectious and his personal stories and experience make the book that much more readable. …If you are just getting started, or contemplating observing variable stars, buy this book first. By the end you will be hooked … and well on you way to enjoying a hobby that will keep you busy and happy for years to come.' American Association of Variable Star Observers Bookstore
'A well-written guide, by one of this country's most enthusiatic amateur astronomers …' Andrew Fraknoi, Mercury
'If you think variable star observing is boring, this book will convince you otherwise. Most importantly, Observing Variable Stars will get you outside looking at the sky.' Deep Sky
'This new book is delightful … The work is well researched, thought out, and executed … For those of you who have not yet been introduced to variable stars, enjoy this introduction. For those already acquainted with 'variables', give yourself a few cloudy nights with this delightful book!' The Strolling Astronomer
'This is a quality book throughout. I recommend it highly to amateurs everywhere who feel that they have passed the 'star gazing' stage and now wish to make their own personal contribution to human knowledge. The publishers are to be commended for giving David Levy the chance to make it available to a wide audience …' The Reflector
'The text is very anecdotal and easy to read, with many lessons for us all in the process.' Gnoman
'… there is always the promise that the observer will make a truly important astronomical discovery. … this book provides all the necessary advice and instructions for the variable star novice … also offering some interesting reading for those already acquainted with this topic. … here is a real opportunity to leave your mark in the heavens.' Astronomy & Space
'This is by far the most accessible book for beginning variable star observers in print. Everything you need to know to get started in variable star observing is laid out in an easy to follow, logical progression. Levy describes things in a non technical manner that makes it understandable to everyone. More importantly, his enthusiasm for the subject is infectious and his personal stories and experience make the book that much more readable. …If you are just getting started, or contemplating observing variable stars, buy this book first. By the end you will be hooked … and well on you way to enjoying a hobby that will keep you busy and happy for years to come.' American Association of Variable Star Observers Bookstore
Product Description
Variable stars are fascinating objects to observe; found all over the sky, they change in brightness over time and can be seen with even the most basic of equipment. Variable star astronomy is one field in which amateur astronomers can still make significant contributions to science and in this highly accessible book David Levy teaches the reader how variable stars work, and how to observe them. Using simple, non-technical terms he explains how to get started with electronic (or CCD) observing, as well as how to observe variable stars through a small telescope or binoculars. Including a section on Southern hemisphere stars, the book covers various types of object that can be observed by amateur astronomers, including more exotic phenomena like gamma ray bursts, blazars, and polars. This book will serve to motivate anyone with even a basic interest in astronomy to begin observing these fascinating objects.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The best way to get a good start on observing is to discover the stars for yourself. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The best way to get a good start on observing is to discover the stars for yourself. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, readable and just the right depth,
By thoughtfulcamera (Gatwick, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars (Paperback)
If you become interested in variable stars and observing them, this is definitely the book to start with. Clear, friendly text with good examples. It looks a little too simple when you "look inside" but there is enough to orientate you, help you to start and then to keep you going for a long while.
5.0 out of 5 stars
David Levy's guide to variable stars,
By
This review is from: David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars (Paperback)
Written in a way that engages the reader through Levy's personal experience; both the ups and downs. Levy gives inspiration to get the observer through those early and frustrating times in variable star observation.The perfect companion to this book is Understanding Variable Stars by John R. Percy (Cambridge) which gives a more in depth journey through the various categories of variable stars.
Levy's guide is a a recommended introduction to this topic.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Previously published as,
By urban astronomer "starbux" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars (Paperback)
Execpt for mention of the isbn, there is little indication that this is the second editon of the previously published book under a different title. Observing Variable Stars: A Guide for the Beginner See the reviews for more on this book.
What has changed with this edition is an updating of the earlier with a new chapter on CCD photometry. Also added is a section on Clyde Tombaugh and TV Corvi (a cataclysmic variable star). Missing from this new edition is an anectdote about a bet Levy made over SS Cygni (another cataclysmic variable). Otherwise, execept for a slight change in layout and smaller text size this is essentially the same book as the aforementioned "Observing Variable Stars". Those like myself who would (in my case did) purchase this believing it to be more or less different in content than Levy's earlier book might want to take note. But make no mistake, whichever edition you get, this is an excellent and inspiring guide to the newbie variable star observer. One last piece of advice. Whatever book on variable star observing you get, you should go to the official AAVSO website to obtain the latest, most accurate comparison star charts to use. http://www.aavso.org/ Some, such a the charts for the star R Leonis (which I was trying out from his book) have had the magnitudes of the comparison stars revised since the publication of even this updated edition of the book. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars,
By John A. Shaw - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars (Paperback)
This is a nice easy to read book to give to a newcomer to variable stars. The book focuses on a few stars of each type that are easy to observe with binoculars or a small telescope. The finder charts are old ones from the AAVSO and are, as one reviewer noted, a bit out of date now. The reader should go to the AAVSO web site at and use their online chart generator and other tools to get more up to date data. The AAVSO site has vastly improved in recent years. The Variable Stars of the Season articles should be explored by every novice observer. The pleasure of observing (and the occasional hardships) is communicated well in Levy's book and make this a good cloudy night read as well as an observing guide.
As a note, occasionally the AAVSO chart generator gets the data wrong for a star since it relies on the current version of the General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS) for its data and any error there gets propagated to the chart generator. I actually used an old chart from Levy's book which had the correct magnitude range from visual observations to correct my computer generated chart. One of the joys of the computer age is how bad data and a search engine can make a single error prevalent worldwide at the speed of light. Having an independent reference is a good thing. 1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Intro To Variable Stars,
By T. Gill - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: David Levy's Guide to Variable Stars (Paperback)
A nice intro to variable star observing. Levy writes in an accessible, easy to read style and his "targets" are easy to find. I've always been curious about what some people called the "cosmic antics" of variable stars so I bought the book, read a few chapters and went hunting. I've observed a few stars for a few nights and though not sure if this is for me, am glad I have the book and a little more understanding about variable stars. Exactly what I was looking for and I can rely on Levy to guide me deeper into the realm of variable star observing should I wish to pursue the practice.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
