An Introduction to Observational Astrophysics

Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 The Nature of Light.- Chapter 3 The Telescope.- Chapter 4 Time.- Chapter 5 Spheres and Coordinates.- Chapter 6 Catalogues and Constellations.- Chapter 7 The Astronomical Detector.- Chapter 8 Imaging.- Chapter 9 Image Reduction and Processing.- Chapter 10 Photometry.- Chapter 11 High Precision Differential Photometry.- Chapter 12 Solar Astronomy.- Chapter 13 Spectrography.- Chapter 14 Astrometry.- Glossary.- Index.

Dr. Mark Gallaway holds an undergraduate honors degree in Physical Science from the Open University and a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Hertfordshire, UK (one of the largest astrophysics research groups in the UK). He has taught observational astrophysics at the University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory (the largest such observatory in the UK and one of the largest robotic observatories in Europe) for three years, continuing to do so after he became the Observatory Manager in 2011.

During his current tenure Dr. Gallaway has overseen both a large increase in student numbers and a refocusing of the observatory to one of the UK's leading small telescope research facilities. He is currently the PI of the Bayfordbury Supernova Search program, the Bayfordbury SuperWasp CV (Cataclysmic Variable) Follow-up program and the Bayfordbury NEO (Near Earth Object) Search. Dr. Gallaway is also a lead member of the M-Dwarf transit survey.

He regularly appears onthe BBC and other UK national broadcasters both as an expert. Furthermore, Dr. Gallaway has consulted on a number of general science programs in including the BBC documentary  "How Satellites Rule Our Lives" and the series "How dangerous is....?"

"It is excellent, and its breadth of coverage is laudable. I would recommend it to undergraduate students and amateur astronomers ... ." (John Southworth, The Observatory, Vol. 141 (1282), June, 2021)