Visual Lunar and Planetary Astronomy

233 Pages·2013·6.1 MB·English

by  Paul G. Abel (auth.)

Paul G. Abel
Visual Lunar
and Planetary
Astronomy
The Patrick Moore
The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
For further volumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/3192

Visual Lunar

and Planetary
Astronomy
Paul G. Abel
Paul G. Abel
Leicester , UK
ISSN 1431-9756
ISBN 978-1-4614-7018-2 ISBN 978-1-4614-7019-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-7019-9
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013941661
© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, speci fi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on micro fi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection
with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied speci fi cally for the purpose of being entered and
executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this
publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s
location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions
for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to
prosecution under the respective Copyright Law.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a speci fi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of
publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for
any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with
respect to the material contained herein.
Printed on acid-free paper
Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
This illustration by James Westerman is based on a drawing of the Solar System done by
Copernicus

Foreword
There was a time, decades ago now, when astronomers – both professional and
amateur – used to depend upon drawing the objects under observation. Then came
photography. Professionals soon depended entirely upon their cameras, and ama-
teurs followed suit. There were a few professional lunar and planetary observers
who continued to rely upon their artistic skill, but even in the amateur ranks these
“sketchers” were rare, and when digital cameras replaced fi lm only a few were left.
The art did not vanish entirely, and there were a few who kept it alive, led by David
Hardy and the late Paul Doherty, followed at a respectful distance by others (includ-
ing me), but there were many observers who abandoned direct viewing entirely.
This was a pity in several ways. First, it is claimed that “the camera cannot lie.”
Wrong; it can, and an image easily be modi fi ed, either accidentally or by intent.
Also, the human observer can take advantage of the few fl e eting moments of per-
fect seeing conditions, which the camera cannot yet do so well. Thirdly, the expe-
rienced visual observer will be able to detect anything unusual, and lose no time
in recording it.
Today there is a marked revival of sketching, particularly for Solar System work.
It is not so easy as might be thought; materials have to be chosen and tested, tech-
niques learned, and dif fi cult problems solved. Accuracy is absolutely essential.
All this is why Paul Abel`s book comes just at the right moment. Artistically he
has now few equals and no superiors, and he is moreover a highly qualified profes-
sional astronomer at Leicester University, so that he is in an excellent position to
advise and instruct. Read what he has to say, and you will realise that despite all the
wonders of modern electronic techniques the rôle of the visual observer is as impor-
tant as ever.
Sir Patrick Moore
vii

Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the following people for their help in preparing this book.
First to Sir Patrick Moore for helping me to become a consistent visual observer!
I spent many years pouring over Patrick’s log books, and my own are a template of
his. I have his enthusiasm for visual work and his urging me to write this book to
thank for bringing the book to life.
I must also extend great thanks to Richard Baum, a veteran visual observer and
an excellent science historian. Richard kindly proofread every single chapter here
and took the time to give me some excellent and honest feedback. Without his
contribution I feel the book would have been another “standard text.”
I would also like to thank Martin Mobberly, who went through the chapter on
instruments and techniques, Dr. Matthew Forman for checking the chapter on the
human visual system, and Professor Bill Leatherbarrow for reading through the
Jupiter chapter.
My thanks must also go to the late Peter Hingley. Peter was the librarian of the
Royal Astronomical Society and of great assistance to me when I needed access to
observational materials and books from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centu-
ries. Very sadly, Peter passed away in 2012. I am sure he had been a great asset to
the RAS.
Finally, I would like to thank all those observers who contributed their wonder-
ful drawings to this book: Sir Patrick Moore, Dr. Richard McKim, David Gray,
Mario Frassati, and Dr. Carlos Hernandez. Their drawings have made the pages of
this book come alive.
Many thanks also to James Westerman for producing the Frontispiece for this
book.
ix