Observing and measuring visual double stars

Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars
Even in these days of high-precision astrometric satellites, the observation and measurement of visual double stars is still a major contribution that amateur astronomers can make to science.
This is the definitive book for those who are serious about this fascinating aspect of astronomy. It deals with equipment (you can start quite modestly with commercial or home-made instruments), observing methods from binoculars upward, CCD camera techniques, and finally advanced instrumentation including speckle interferometry. The astronomy of double stars, including orbital calculation, is given its own section.
Bob Argyle works in the Astronomy Survey Unit of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, England.
The FREE CD-ROM provides an array of resources for observers, including the complete Washington Double Star and Tycho-2 Catalogs. There is an extensive database of astrometric, double and multiple star information including positions, orbits, separations and magnitudes. A suite of programs implements many of the equations in the book. Requires a PC running Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP, a minimum of 16MB memory (32MB recommended) and a 2x speed CD-ROM player (8x recommended).