Comets have inspired wonder, excitement and even fear ever since they were first observed. But they are
important members of the solar system, that contain material from early in the life of the system, held
in deep-freeze. This makes them key in our understanding of the formation and evolution of many Solar
System bodies.

Recent ground- and space-based observations have changed much in our understanding of comets. Comets,
and How to Observe Them gives a summary of our current knowledge and describes how amateur astronomers
can contribute to the body of scientific knowledge of comets. This book contains many practical examples
of how to construct comet light-curves, measure how fast a comet.s coma expands, and determine the
rotation period of the nucleus. All these examples are illustrated with drawings and photographs.

Because of their unpredictable nature comets are always interesting and sometime spectacular objects
to observe and image. The second part of the book therefore takes the reader through the key observing
techniques that can be used with commercially available modern observing equipment, from basic
observations to more scientific measurements.

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