Observing Meteors, Comets, Supernovae and other Transient Phenomena Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1999(The Patrick M
内容
In many respects the night skypresents a remarkably constant aspect, changing'only gradually with the seasons and with the movements of the Moon and planets. An orderlyUniverse, manifestedbythe fixed stars in the celestial vault, lay at the heart of many ancient philosophical and religious beliefs. From time to time, however, for as long as people have watched the skies, short-lived events - on timescales from a few seconds to a matter ofweeks - have been witnessed whichbear testimonyto the sky's inconstancy. "Guest stars" - novae - or "hairy stars" - comets - have in their turn terrified and fascinated generations ofsky watchers. In ancient times, such interlopers were often regarded as portentsofill-fortune. Other celestial dis plays, such as brilliant auroral storms, fireballs or active meteor showers, also found their way into his torical records from pre-telescopic times. For the modern amateur astronomer, the skynatu rally retains its fascination. Manyobservers are happy to tickoffthe various nebulae and clusters ofthe "deep sky", verymuch partofthe unchanging firmament as perceivedbythe ancients. Manyothers, however, gain the most enjoyment from the pursuit of the unex pected: the transient phenomenaofmy title. The deep sky will always be there another night, but only the alert and aware will be able to make the most of a short-lived comet apparition -like the glorious week in the springof1996when Hyakutake was at its best - or be readyfor the perhaps once-in-a-lifetime occurrence ofa 3D-minute meteor storm, as mightbe delivered by the Leonidsas the 20th centurydraws to its close.
