Table of Contents

INTRODUCTORY SECTION CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION Amateur Astronomy - A Personal View The Idea Behind the Celestial Handbook CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCING THE UNIVERSE A Celestial Survey The Distance Scale of the Universe CHAPTER 3 - FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE FOR THE OBSERVER "Gaining a "Working Knowledge" of the Heavens. " The Constellations; Apparent Motions and Seasonal Changes. The Celestial Sphere. Celestial Coordinates. Precession. Directions in the Sky. Sidereal Time. Angular Measurement. The Magnitude System; Apparent and Absolute Magnitudes. Color Indices. Star Names and Designations. Star Atlases. Stellar Spectral Classes. "Star Motions; Proper Motion, Radial Velocity. Stellar temperatures. " The H-R Diagram. Star Distances. Distance Units. "Double Stars, Variable Stars. " Classification of Nebulae and Galaxies. CHAPTER 4 - HOW TO USE THIS BOOK The Arrangement of the Celestial Handbook "Terms, Symbols, and Abbreviations Used. " THE CELESTIAL HANDBOOK "CONSTELLATION INDEX, VOLUME I "