Amazon.com description: Product Description: This third edition of Astronomy: Principles and Practice has been updated and expanded to cover the exciting developments in the 'new' astronomies and experimental methods which are now widely used. Together with the companion volume Astronomy: The Structure of the Universe, it provides a comprehensive and systematic treatment of astronomy including the physical and mathematical groundwork so often omitted from other textbooks. They comprise an excellent foundation for a complete two-year course in astronomy, while portions of the text may be selected as the basis of a preliminary science or liberal arts course at the first year university level. Both books include many worked examples, problems with answers, and a selection of practical projects. Although primarily intended for undergraduate use, these books will also afford serious amateur astronomers a welcome opportunity to study their subject as a working science. Astronomy: Principles and Practice, 3rd edition introduces the concepts and historical development of astronomy, presents a course on positional measurement and celestial mechanics, and describes the techniques and instrumentation of astronomical observation and measurement.