Practical Astronomy with your Calculator or Spreadsheet Authors: Peter Duffet–Smith and Jonathan Zwart Publisher: Cambridge University Press ISBN: 978-0-5211-4654-8 Price: £24.99 (ring bound pb) 216pp
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It's not often I do longhand astronomical maths these days. With capable computers now slotted into our shirt pockets, running astro-software is a lot more attractive than clunking away manually at often complex computations. But, what if you are an aspiring astro software programmer? You'll need a reliable compendium of formulae to create your own code for, say, planetary orbits. Or maybe you are an amateur astronomer who wants to build a small application to convert UT to sidereal time, or work out a sunspot's position in heliographic coordinates.

This beautifully produced, ring-bound book, now in its fourth edition, is a real reference gem for any astronomer or student. It contains just about all the maths you'd ever need for astronomical applications, presented in an exquisitely clear manner. This is no dry book of formulae; it's all firmly aimed at hands-on, 'recipe-book' demonstration of the method of any given calculation and getting you to think about every step.

The real strength of the book is in its use of 'screen-shot' spreadsheet graphics. Used for almost every one of the calculations, large, clear images show the reader how to use a spreadsheet program to make the calculations simpler and, for those programming, automated. As is increasingly common, the book is supported by a dedicated website where all the ready-prepared spreadsheets can be downloaded for free.

The authors have very sensibly pitched their book at a general audience who could be using any of the common 'office'-type programs such as Microsoft Office or the 'Open Office' freeware, so you won't be scratching your head, trying to convert from one program's way of doing things to another!

A comprehensive glossary of astronomical terms and symbols nicely adds to the overall usefulness of this excellent book.

John Rowlands