Provides a look at Lewis Swift's life, career, and scientific accomplishments as an astronomer, including his discovery of the Swift-Tuttle comet named after him

Discusses Swift's influence on the lives of others, including amateur astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard, who turned professional during the late 19th century 

Equips readers with a complete list of Swift's deep sky objects

Includes extensive quotes from Swift that provide details about his life, astronomy, and other topics 

Gary W. Kronk received his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He has been employed at Washington University at St. Louis since 1985, where he is a programmer analyst, and occasionally teaches classes on software programs. 

Observing, researching, and writing about comets is an activity the author has participated in for most of his life, with over 2,000 observations of over 130 comets. He is the author of seven titles, and has been published in “Sky & Telescope,” “Astronomy,” “Icarus,” “the Journal of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers” and more. His books include “Comets: A Descriptive Catalog” (Enslow Publishers, 1984), “Meteor Showers” (Enslow, 1988), and a six volume series title “Cometography” with Cambridge University Press. The 5th volume was published in 2010. In 2004, the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center announced that minor planet number 48300 was being giventhe name “Kronk” in honor of the author’s extensive research for his Cometography series.