“Observing the Sun” is for amateur astronomers at all three levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. The beginning observer is often trying to find a niche or define a specific interest in his hobby, and the content of this book will spark that interest in solar observing because of the focus on the dynamics of the Sun. Intermediate and advanced observers will find the book invaluable in identifying features (through photos, charts, diagrams) in a logical, orderly fashion and then guiding the observer to interpret the observations. Because the Sun is a dynamic celestial body in constant flux, astronomers rarely know for certain what awaits them at the eyepiece. All features of the Sun are transient and sometimes rather fleeting. Given the number of features and the complex life cycles of some, it can be a challenging hobby. “Observing the Sun” provides essential illustrations, charts, and diagrams that depict the forms and life cycles of the numerous features visible on the Sun.

Observing the Sun is one of the most interesting and rewarding facets of astronomy to which amateurs can contribute. Few areas of science offer as many opportunities to contribute meaningful data. It is the one branch of astronomy that requires only modest equipment and can be pursued during the day. Peter Taylor is a keen and highly experienced observer of the Sun. In this book he explains in a clear and practical way everything that a telescope user needs to know in order to make solar observations. The author draws on his many years of personal experience as a contributor to the Solar Division of the American Association of Variable Star Observers and to the American Sunspot Program. The book deals with the following topics: historical background, choice of equipment for the safe conduct of solar observations, observations of sunspots, and reporting observations. New techniques, such as electronic recording and the operations of radio telescopes, are included. The level of presentation is understandable to anyone with basic astronomical knowledge and some experience in handling a small telescope.

The Sun is the brightest and most accessible object in the sky, and it has much to offer the amateur astronom er with modest equipment. On most days it shows sunspots and other features that displaya wealth of fine detail and change their appearance strikingly from day to day. But observing the Sun can be dangerous. NEVER look at the Sun through a telescope or other optical aid, even for a brief instant. The Sun's intense radiation, amplified and focused by a telescope, will almost certainly cause eye injury and could weIl lead to complete blindness. Do not attempt any solar observing until you have read and understood the safety precautions and observing advice set out in Chapter 2 of this book - even if you think you have the correct equipment. Be especially wary about using filters to observe the Sun. If you have a filter that makes the Sun look dark, it is not necessarily safe, as it is largely the Sun's invisible radiation that is harmful to the eye. But provided you use the correct techniques, such as projecting the solar image onto a screen or using a specially designed, quality solar filter that fits over the telescope aperture, it is quite easy to observe the Sun safely.

" ... Concise explanations and descriptions - easily read and readily understood - of what we know of the chain of events and processes that connect the Sun to the Earth, with special emphasis on space weather and Sun-Climate."--Dear Reader.

"How to Observe the Sun Safely, 2nd Edition" gives all the basic information and advice the amateur astronomer needs to get started in observing our own ever-fascinating star. Unlike many other astronomical objects, you do not need a large telescope or expensive equipment to observe the Sun. And it is possible to take excellent pictures of the Sun with today's low-cost digital cameras! This title concentrates on providing practical, on-the-spot advice to the amateur astronomer who is interested in observing the Sun, using commercially available equipment. This book surveys what is visible on the Sun, before describing how to record solar features and measure solar activity levels. There is also an account of how to use H-alpha and Calcium-K filters to observe and record prominences and other features of the solar chromosphere, the Sun's inner atmosphere. Because we are just entering a period of high activity on the Sun, following a long, quiet period, many more amateur astronomers will become interested in observing it. The second edition includes an update of Chapter 2 to reflect advances in solar observing equipment since 2002, and a section on building a solar projection box, originally included in the main body of this chapter has been moved to Appendix A. Also Chapter 6 thru 8 have been completely revised to give amateur astronomers advice on how to use film to photograph the Sun, and how to use digital cameras. This new edition also includes more than twice as many illustrations as the first and almost half of them new images.

"Animals rebel. Our senses rebel. The syllables of outcry are in open rebellion against our words. All this Sieczkowski documents with prophetic rigor and then, in poems of the damnedest, dearest insouciance I have ever encountered, begins to play."-Donald Revell From "Exhume": Pale children in nightscape, heads cocked, burying toys. This is the way we hide our toys, hide our toys-Smudge of dirty moon when you bend to kiss me-so early in the morning-on the neighbor's porch. Blue flames waver over the giant refinery. The hollow-eyed children titter and clap dirt from their kid gloves.

In a timely, even prophetic, portrait of Asia's rise and the magnitude of its challenge to the West, Fallows demolishes the myth that Japan is a capitalist country built on the Western model. He demonstrates instead how Japan's economic system treats business as an instrument of national interest while casting aside the traditional Western values of individual enterprise and human rights.