This book presents experiments which will teach physics relevant to astronomy. The astronomer, as instructor, frequently faces this need when his college or university has no astronomy department and any astronomy course is taught in the physics department. The physicist, as instructor, will find this intellectually appealing when faced with teaching an introductory astronomy course. From these experiments, the student will acquire important analytical tools, learn physics appropriate to astronomy, and experience instrument calibration and the direct gathering and analysis of data. Experiments that can be performed in one laboratory session as well as semester-long observation projects are included.

Offering a series of well-defined problems supplemented by solutions, Exercises in Practical Astronomy: Using Photographs presents meaningful practical work in elementary astronomy and astrophysics. The book provides authentic astronomical photographs of very high quality on which different types of objects can be studied with equipment as simple as rulers and protractors. In addition to photographs and a set of exercises that cover 12 topics, the coverage includes ample hints and worked solutions that are designed to enable students to work independently. SI units are used for physical data and in conversions of astronomical quantities. This book is one of the few to use real rather than idealized or simplified data in the problems.

Galactic Astronomy is, and for some time to come will certainly remain, one of the more important items in the astronomy curricula. There are at present a number of excellent text-books and monographs covering the whole subject or certain of its aspects. It seems however that there is not a single book where at least some of the more important problems dealt with in text-books and university courses would be presented in the form of laboratory exercises. This short series of exercises represents an attempt to fill this gap. What is, in general, the aim of such exercises? As to this point, the author fully agrees with Prof. Minnaert's opinion that "No natural science should ever be taught without practical work. Students in astronomy should have regular exercises, not so much to teach them observing skill, but mainly to bring before their eyes the reality of the concepts introduced during the lectures." This applies to Galactic Astronomy as well as to any other branch of our science.

One of the biggest difficulties in astronomy is establishing the limits of observational errors in order to avoid inadequate or incorrect interpretation of data. This requires a thorough understanding of the methods used by astronomers used to calculate distances, diameters, temperatures ages and other parameters and an ability to assess their reliability. Such methods range from the simplest techniques, which have been used since ancient times, to extremely sophisticated computer based techniques. Both have their uses, and the simple methods are still used today to give a first approximation.