Once again, I would like to remind my fellow Zoners of a convenient and frequently updated source of astronomical information of great value to students of SETI and related topics: The “Observer’s Handbook” of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. This handy pocket almanac is crammed full of useful astronomical data. Ephemeral tables for solar system objects are provided, as well as observing lists, stellar and DSO catalogues, the year’s astronomical events such as occultations, eclipses, oppositions, conjunctions, meteor showers, comets, and objects favorably placed for observation, like asteroids.

Also included are informative articles that are frequently updated. One of the many items I consult frequently is the “catalog of nearby stars”, listing every stellar system within 5 parsecs, along with every one of the multiple star members, brown dwarfs, and all major exoplanetary discoveries up to the time of publication. The list is kept up to date and is revised every year. It gives a valuable glimpse at our nearest stellar neighbors and is a useful sampler of our corner of the galaxy. Information such as m and M magnitudes, name, coordinates, spectral class, proper motion, radial velocity, parallax, color index and so forth are provided for both the nearest stars as well as the brightest, and observing lists for the special objects, such as binaries and variables..

This data is all available in the literature, and can be tracked down on the internet, but its nice to have it all in one compact volume that easily fits in your observing kit. It is invaluable for amateur astronomers, but written at a level of technical detail sufficient to satisfy any professional. Older copies can be given away to your friends, or kept in the bathroom for emergency reading material!

I logged on to the RASC website last night and ordered the 2024 edition. Highly recommended, eh?