Jupiter and How to Observe It

Book Review: Jupiter and How to Observe it

By: John W. McAnally

Published by: Springer, one of their series of “How to Observe” books.

Paperback, 9.25” x 7”, 217 pages, printed on slick paper.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007932968

This book is in the class of “everything you ever wanted to know” type books. It covers Jupiter in detail up to a very recent time. Obviously, the information coming from the Galileo Mission contributed greatly to this book.

This book would be of interest primarily to one who wants to be a serious planet observer, who wanted to know what he was seeing, and how to properly describe what he was seeing for the scientific community. It could also be of interest to the casual observer, if he were interested in the science (at least as much as we know) of Jupiter.

The book is divided into two sections. Section one, consisting of the first 6 chapters, covers what we know about Jupiter and it satellites. Section two, labeled “How to Observe the Planet Jupiter” consists of 3 chapters, for a total of 9 chapters in the book.

Chapter labels are as follows:

1. The Earliest Observations
2. Jupiter’s Place in the Solar System
3. The Physical Appearance of the Planet
4. Color, Chemical Composition of the Planet, and Vertical Structure of the Atmosphere
5. The Electromagnetic Environment Surrounding Jupiter
6. The Jovian Satellite System
7. Equipment
8. Sky Conditions
9. Making a Record

The book is profusely illustrated with excellent astro photos, and some drawings. It is well referenced, with 525 numbered references. The index, however, is only a couple of pages. I found very few editing errors, such as misspelling.

If you are a serious or even semi-serious observer, this would be a good book to consider having on your bookshelf. The writing is straightforward, almost “textbook” like. When observing Jupiter, you might find yourself reaching for it for reference.

Hubert Atkinson