{"product_id":"guide-to-comets-patrick-moore-9780718823153","title":"Guide to Comets","description":"A highly informative account of those elusive visitors from space that have mystified man for many centuries. Past civilisations considered comets to be harbingers of disaster or omens of divine intent; military successes and failures were often attributed to the appearance of a comet over the battle field. And in 1456, Pope Calistus III was said to have excommunicated a comet (later charted by and named after Edmond Halley) as an agent of the devil! Patrick Moore sets out by explaining the basic structure of a comet and its relation to the rest of the solar system, describing the effects that the planets - especially Jupiter - can have on comets' orbits. The author indicates that anyone with keen eyesight can become a comet hunter, and may be able to contribute information about position, orbit, brightness and periodicity. The book also describes the famous comets of the past: Halley's comet, the first comet to be recognised as periodical; Biela's comet, which split in two and dissolved into a shower of shooting stars; and the recent crop of comets such as Bennett's, Arend-Roland, Ikeyi-Seki, West's, and the great comet disappointment of 1973-4 - Kohoutek. The book is illustrated with explanatory diagrams and photographs, and includes tables of the known periodic comets and a glossary of terms. It will be invaluable for both the amateur astronomer and the casual viewer of the night sky.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Patrick Moore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 071882315X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780718823153\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Lutterworth Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/01\/1977\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 112\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.70lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.78h x 5.66w x 0.64d","brand":"Patrick Moore","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48448908329215,"sku":"9780718823153","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_50701302-3a7b-4894-a46a-ef3cc33fcdcc.jpg?v=1777261108","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/guide-to-comets-patrick-moore-9780718823153","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}