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| Introduction | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| The Amateur in Astronomy | |
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| The Amateur Tradition in Astronomy | |
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| Why Amateur Astronomy? | |
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| Contributions from the Amateur | |
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| One Amateur's Experience | |
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| Another Experience | |
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| The Eye and Astronomy | |
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| How the Eye Works | |
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| Dark Adaptation | |
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| The Limits of Vision | |
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| Light Pollution | |
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| Naked-Eye Astronomy | |
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| Binocular Astronomy | |
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| Binocular Facts | |
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| Selecting and Testing Binoculars | |
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| Observing with Binoculars | |
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| Tools of the Astronomer | |
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| Functions of a Telescope: Light Grasp | |
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| Limiting Magnitudes | |
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| Image Brightness | |
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| Functions of a Telescope: Resolution | |
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| The Resolving Power of a Telescope | |
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| Functions of a Telescope: Magnification | |
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| Optical Imperfections | |
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| Telescope Types: the Retractor | |
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| Telescope Types: the Reflector | |
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| Telescope Types: the Catadioptric | |
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| Other Factors in Selecting a Telescope | |
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| Taking Your Scope for a Test Drive | |
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| Aligning the Optics | |
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| Star Testing the Telescope | |
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| Eyepieces and Mountings | |
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| Eyepieces | |
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| Eyepiece Aberrations | |
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| Eyepiece Barrels | |
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| Types of Eyepieces | |
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| Selecting an Eyepiece | |
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| Telescope Mounts | |
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| Altazimuth Mounts | |
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| Equatorial Mounts | |
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| Aligning an Equatorial | |
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| Finding Your Way Around the Sky | |
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| Coordinates on the Sky | |
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| Right Ascension and Declination | |
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| Horizon Coordinates | |
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| Time | |
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| Road Maps to the Stars | |
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| Finding Your Target | |
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| Telescopic Images | |
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| Your First Night Out | |
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| The Atmosphere | |
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| Transparency | |
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| Seeing | |
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| Measuring Seeing and Transparency | |
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| Other Atmospheric Tricks | |
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| The Art of Seeing | |
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| Protecting Your Vision--and Yourself | |
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| Getting Technical | |
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| Tuning In | |
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| Great Expectations | |
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| Observing the Moon | |
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| The Double Planetary System | |
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| Lunar Geography | |
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| Take the Terminator Tour | |
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| The Moon and the Serious Observer | |
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| Map and Filters | |
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| Studying Lunar Domes | |
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| Making a Detailed Study | |
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| Studying Occultations | |
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| Observing the Planets | |
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| The Amateur's Solar System | |
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| Considerations for the Planetary Observer | |
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| Observing Venus | |
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| Observing Mars | |
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| A Tale of Two Orbits | |
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| Telescopes and Mars | |
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| A Martian Geography Lesson | |
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| Martian Polar Caps | |
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| Martian Weather | |
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| Martian Surface Features | |
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| Drawing Mars | |
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| Observing Jupiter | |
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| Transits of the Central Meridian | |
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| Jovian Features | |
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| Drawing Jupiter | |
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| The Satellites of Jupiter | |
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| Observing Saturn | |
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| The Rings of Saturn | |
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| The Satellites of Saturn | |
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| Sighting Asides | |
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| Observing Comets, Asteroids, and Meteors | |
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| Comets | |
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| Cometary Geography | |
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| The Role of the Amateur | |
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| When and Where to Look | |
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| Reporting Your Find | |
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| Tracking a Comet | |
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| Asteroids | |
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| History of Minor Planets | |
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| The Amateur Asteroid Hunter | |
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| Meteors | |
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| Observing Double Stars | |
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| The Language of Double Stars | |
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| Observing Double Stars | |
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| Double Star Colors | |
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| Making Measurements of Double Stars | |
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| Double Stars for the Telescope | |
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| Observing Variable Stars | |
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| Types of Variable Stars | |
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| Finding Variable Stars | |
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| Making Magnitude Estimates | |
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| Keeping Records | |
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| Telescopes for Variable Star Observing | |
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| Observing Deep-Sky Objects | |
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| Telescopes, Image Brightness, and the Deep Sky | |
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| Aids for the Deep-Sky Observer | |
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| Letters, Numbers, and Lists | |
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| Star Clusters | |
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| Star Clusters for the Telescope | |
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| Nebulae | |
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| Nebulae for the Telescope | |
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| Galaxies | |
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| Galaxies for the Telescope | |
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| Galaxies, Supernovae, and the Amateur | |
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| Drawing the Deep Sky | |
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| Observing the Sun | |
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| Telescopes, Filters, and the Sun | |
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| The Solar Landscape | |
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| Contributions from the Amateur | |
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| Solar Eclipses | |
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| The Amateur Experience | |
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| The Stars and the Solitary Observer | |
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| Your Local Astronomy Club | |
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| Sharing the Experience | |
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| Why We Try | |
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| Appendices | |
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| Internet Links of Interest | |
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| Astronomy Software and CD-ROMs | |
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| Selected Groups for the Amateur Astronomer | |
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| Upcoming Planetary Oppositions and Solar and Lunar Eclipses | |
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| The Messier Catalog | |
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| Deep-Sky Objects for the Telescope | |
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| Double Stars for the Telescope | |
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| Variable Stars for the Telescope | |
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| Constellations Visible from 40[degree] North | |
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| The Greek Alphabet | |
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| Astronomical Suppliers | |
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| Books, Magazines, and Bibliography | |
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| Index | |