Spectroscopy: The Key to the Stars: Reading the Lines in Stellar Spectra (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780387367866)

Most amateur astronomers may know about red shift, and have a general idea of the ways that stellar spectra provide insight into the atomic processes of the star, but detailed knowledge is unusual. This is because most available books are pitched at professional astronomers and college-level students, and are difficult to read. This is the first non-technical book on spectroscopy, written specifically for practical amateur astronomers. It includes all the science needed for a qualitative understanding of stellar spectra, but avoids bogging down in heavy math. It's the only book written for the amateur astronomer interested in and doing observational spectroscopy, who wants a non-technical account of the physical processes that determine the intensity and profile morphology of lines in stellar spectra. Of course, "armchair astronomers" who simply want to understand the physical processes which shape lines in stellar spectra will find this book equally fascinating.