Provides a complete re-examination of Herschel's entire catalogue; a must-have for amateur astronomers seeking new and exciting observing challenges.

This book reviews the importance of massive stars in several areas of astrophysics. Massive stars are objects that are 10-100 times the mass of our Sun. Above ten solar masses, loss through stellar winds begins to have a major impact on the evolution of a star. The upper limit of 100 solar masses is derived from observations. Significant progress has now been achieved in massive star research. New models, along with high quality observations, have improved our understanding of the formation, structure, atmosphere, and evolution of these massive objects. They are formed in violent bursts of star formation and are probably related to the phenomena observed in active galactic nuclei. The workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute examined the interplay between the astrophysics of massive stars and their location in extragalactic starburst regions. There are eighteen chapters by leading researchers. Each has been carefully edited to ensure that the book is a comprehensive introduction to the theory and observation of massive stars in starburst regions.

The Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy organizes each year in the late winter or early spring an advanced course. The format of the school is always iden tical: three leading lecturers are invited to cover the subject in nine or ten lectures each and to deliver a written version of their lecture notes. Lectures are held in the morning and late afternoon, thus leaving ample time for discussion and skiing. These arrangements prove very convivial and lead to an excellent atmosphere in which to learn exciting new subjects and establish contacts with colleagues. A wide variety of people attend the school, including many young students, mostly from Europe, and some experienced researchers. The 20th Advanced Course of the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy took place in Les Diablerets from 1 to 6 April 1990. It was devoted to observational and theoretical aspects of active galactic nuclei. The previous advanced courses of the Swiss Society for Astrophysics and Astronomy have regularly taken place in Saas-Fee, a small resort in the Swiss Alps, hence the name "Saas-Fee" used to de scribe the courses and lecture notes. In the last three years, however, the course was organized in Leysin and in Les Diablerets, both also situated in the Swiss Alps.

The most detailed guide to observing the deep sky in one volume, now available in paperback.

Review of recent research in the field of quasar absorption line systems.

This book acknowledges the importance of identifying the most crucial science to be performed by the superb Hubble Telescope. With this goal in mind, the book presents a review of some of the most important open questions in astronomy. World experts examine topics ranging from extrasolar planets and star formation to supermassive black holes and the reionization of the universe. Special emphasis is placed on what astronomical observations should be carried out during the next few years to enable breakthroughs in our understanding of a complex and dynamic universe. In particular, the reviewers attempt to identify those topics to which the Hubble Space Telescope can uniquely contribute. The special emphasis on future research makes this book an essential resource for both professional researchers and graduate students in astronomy and astrophysics.

Go-To Telescopes Under Suburban Skies is the first book specifically written for amateur astronomers who own, or who are about to purchase, a computer-controlled ‘go-to’ telescope. The advantage of the ‘go-to’ capability is enormous – the telescope can be aimed at any object in the sky with great speed and accuracy – which is why these instruments are so popular. Making the realistic assumption that the observer is using a relatively small telescope and is observing from a backyard in a suburban area, this book provides literally hundreds more targets beyond those offered by the built-in ‘nightly tours’ that feature on the telescope’s computer tours. And instead of wasting many pages on maps and coordinates, it leads the computer to locate the targets, and so has room to suggest many more fascinating deep-sky objects and provide detailed observing lists and information about what's being viewed.