Planetary nebulae : a practical guide and handbook for amateur astronomers ; includes 253 finder charts and a catalog of 1340 objects

What is the Universe made of? How old is it? How does a supernova explode? Can we detect black holes? And where do cosmic rays originate? This volume provides a comprehensive and pedagogical introduction to modern ideas and challenging problems in nuclear and particle astrophysics. Articles written by eight leading experts cover a wealth of exciting topics. Together, they present the Universe as a laboratory for testing cutting-edge physics. This timely volume successfully bridges the gap between conference proceedings and specialized monographs. It provides an invaluable resource for graduate students and active researchers in nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology This book describes, for the amateur astronomer, the scientific processes by which our understanding of planetary nebulae has been derived and explores the way in which the threads of observation and theoretical research have been drawn together to produce our present day picture. Steven J. Hynes. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.