The Star Atlas Companion

Book excerpt: Conventional star atlases are great for locating constellations and individual stars but The Star Atlas Companion goes one step further and describes the physical properties of more than 1,100 stars. With the aid of scale diagrams, the reader can get a real sense of the sizes, shapes, distances, and surface features of many of the stars visible to the naked eye in both the Nothern and Southern Hemispheres. Information on their rotational velocities and periods is given together with their spectral type and luminosity. Binary and multiple star systems are explained in detail. Special mention is made of Barnard's, Kapteyn's, Kepler's, and Van Maanen's Stars and the properties of many open clusters are given. With its emphasis on helping the amateur astronomer gain a better understanding of what they are looking at. The Star Atlas Companion will provide a new dimension to observing the star and is an invaluable supplement to any star atlas.