The second edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2004) is the definitive book
for those who are serious about this fascinating aspect of astronomy. It deals with equipment
(you can start modestly with commercial or even home-made instruments) observing methods using
binoculars upwards to advanced instrumentation and techniques including speckle
interferometry. The astronomy of double stars including orbital calculation is given its own
section. This second edition of this popular book contains a significant amount of completely
new material inspired by the work done by observers - particularly in the USA - since the
first edition was published. This includes the use of the Internet to carry out astrometry
(precise astronomical measurement) using existing survey plates and films. The new edition
contains an excellent guide to sketching double stars a topic not previously covered. In
addition there is information about how to image double stars of unequal brightness always a
difficult matter but now somewhat easier because of advances in hardware and image-processing
software. Nearly all of the chapters and tables have been updated. The CD-ROM that accompanied
the first edition of Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars is replaced by access to the
Springer Extras web site. The extra information includes the complete Washington Double Star
and Tycho-2 Catalogs. There is an extensive database of astrometric double-and multiple-star
formation including positions orbits separations and magnitudes and a software suite that
implements many of the calculations and equations featured in the book.
