One of the wonders of the universe we live in is the Milky Way. It spans the entire sky and can be seen every night of the year from anywhere on Earth. This is the first book that deals specifically with what can be seen within the Milky Way from a practical observer's point of view. Astronomy of the Milky Way covers every constellation that the Milky Way passes through, and describes in detail the many objects that can be found therein, including stars, double and multiple stars, emission nebulae, planetary nebulae, dark nebulae and supernovae remnants, open and galactic clusters, and galaxies. It also describes the one thing that is often left out of observing guides - the amazing star clouds of the Milky Way itself.
It is one of a two-volume set that deal with the entire Milky Way - this first volume looks at what can be seen predominantly from the Northern skies. In addition to the descriptive text there are many star charts and maps, as well as the latest up-to-date images made by observatories around the world and in space, as well as images taken by amateur astronomers. Equipped with this book, an amateur astronomer can go out on any clear night of the year and observe the galaxy we live in - The Milky Way.
Preface.- A Plea to the Converted - The Peril of Light Pollution.- How to use this book.- The Milky Way - July to August.- The Milky Way - September to October.- The Milky Way - November to December.- Appendices.- Astronomical Co-ordinates Systems.- Magnitudes.- Stellar Classification.- Light Filters.- Star Clusters.- Double Stars.- Star Colours.
From the reviews: "Mike Inglis is a guide well known from numerous amateur astronomers. With his two-book set on the Milky Way, he invites us to a walk along our Galaxy. ! these are truly universal books that can be used by any astronomer anywhere in the World. The text is very pleasant and illustrated both by useful charts and a lot of photographs taken from various sources. These two volumes constitute, for sure, good fellows for any amateur astronomer." (Philippe Spindel, Physicalia, Vol. 57 (3), 2005) "Inglis has taken on a big task. He rightly states that you could spend an entire career observing the Milky Way. These books could only have been successfully written by someone who is familiar with the subject. Inglis succeeds very well. ! This is a super duo of books - a well written observational reference work, recommended for all observers." (Peter Grego, Popular Astronomy, January-March, 2005)