|
The graph of times of rising and setting of the Sun, planets and selected bright stars has been enhanced by the addition of an extensive table of corrections for places throughout Southern Africa. Several tables of solar system data were added to this edition: discovery of planetary satellites, the Cassini space craft mission to Saturn, and physical & orbital data for the planets.
The sections dealing with comets and double stars have been expanded. The Directors of these Observing Sections have prepared introductory observing guides to these fields of study.
First-time star gazers may find the simple star charts on pages 76-81 useful for identifying the brightest stars, constellations and deep-sky objects.
The final section contains a list of useful websites and a glossary, defining commonly used terminology.
A 2006 lunar calendar, showing the phase of the Moon for each day of the year, is given on page 113. This lunar calendar can also be downloaded for free in various formats, suitable for high-quality printing. Also look out for the free download of a "Best of 2006" colour poster, showing the highlights for the year.
Price
With book prices typically in the three-digits, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the 2006 SkyGuide sells for only R50!
How to get your copy
Available mid-November 2005! Avoid disappointment and place an order now.
If you are a book seller, enquire from our Business Manager about the special discounts available to bookshops. Placing a bulk order early will avoid disappoinment! The ISSN Number for the SkyGuide is 0571-7191 and the barcode no. is 9 770571 719038.
Contact the ASSA Business Manager, PO Box 9, Observatory, 7935 e-mail [cliffturk@absamail.co.za] to secure your copies.
What others have said...
"Whether you are a never-looked-up-at-the-night-sky novice or experienced professional, this Guide is packed with everything you need to know. Dont go out in the dark without one!"
-- Prof. TONY FAIRALL, Astronomy Dept., UCT and Iziko Planetarium
"A valuable resource for anyone needing information about astronomy, be they professional astronomers, dedicated amateurs, casual skygazers or concerned teachers.I keep a copy next to my telephone so I have quick access to all the necessary information I need to answer queries."
-- Prof. DERCK P. SMITS, Dept. Maths, Applied Maths & Astronomy, UNISA
About the cover photos
Front Cover: The Great Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda. Also known as M31 and NGC 224, it is 2.2 million light years (21 billion billion kilometres) away from Earth, and is visible from Southern Africa with binoculars or even the naked eye above the northern horizon in mid-summer. Also appearing in the photograph are the elliptical galaxies M110 (bottom left) and M32 (the large 'fuzzy' circular object close to M31). The 2.5° by 1.8° image is by Robert Gendler, and is a digitally processed mosaic of 40 separate images, using two different telescopes and with a total exposure time of 50 hours. The image is © Robert Gendler 2003 http://www.robgendlerastropics.com and is reproduced with permission.
Back cover: Saturn. The largest, most detailed, global natural colour view of Saturn and its rings ever made was assembled from 126 images taken by the spacecraft Cassini over a two hour period on 2004 October 06, while Cassini was 6.3 million kilometres from Saturn. Many of Saturn's splendid features are visible in this one detailed, all-encompassing view: subtle colour variations across the rings, the thread-like F ring, ring shadows cast against the blue northern hemisphere, the planet's shadow making its way across the rings to the left, and blue-grey storms in Saturn's southern hemisphere to the right. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.
|
|
Table of contents
Preface
Using the SkyGuide
Must-see events for 2006
Monthly sky diary (pp 2 - 49)
Sun (pp 50 - 53)
Eclipses
Observing the Sun
Moon (pp 54 - 59)
Phases
Eclipses
Lunar occultations
Ramadan and Shawwal
Moon maps
Planets (pp 60 - 69)
Planetary occultations
Close planetary pairings
Rise-set times
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Minor planets (pp 70 - 71)
Close approaches during 2006
Minor planet occultations
Comets (pp 72 - 73)
Observing comets
Meteors (pp 74 - 75)
Meteor showers
Meteorites & craters
Stars (pp 76 - 81)
Constellations
Double stars
Variable stars
Deep-sky observing (pp 82 - 83)
Discover! workbook
Basic observing skills (pp 84 - 87)
Light pollution
Time
Astrophotography
Star charts (pp 88 - 97)
Brightest stars and constellations
Circumpolar stars
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Spring
Astronomy in S.Africa (pp 98 - 104)
A heritage to be proud of
Contemporary astronomy
Professional observatories
Private & amateur observatories
Planetaria
Other sites of interest
Education in astronomy
Astronomical societies
ASSA (pp 105 - 108)
Office bearers 2005 – 2006
Sections
Centres
Officers and Award Recipients
Reference (pp 109 - 110)
Useful websites
Glossary
|
updates & additional material - 
The first section is the monthly sky diary, giving a summary of events for each month, such as phenomena relating to the Sun, Moon, planets, comets and meteor showers. 