Product Description
An accessible guide to the wonders of the night sky, now updated
From asteroids to black holes, from quasars to white dwarfs, this new edition of Astronomy For Dummies takes backyard stargazers on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring star maps, charts, gorgeous full-color photographs, and easy-to-follow explanations, this fact-filled guide gives readers a leg up on the basic principles of astronomy and shows how to get the most out of binoculars, telescopes, planetarium visits, and other fun astronomical activities. This updated edition includes an updated color signature and covers the many discoveries made in recent years, as well as new astronomy Web sites. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Liked the book, pleasantly surprised
Used this book to pass a college course on astronomy, was pleasantly surprised with the information. Would recommend it for the not very very serious student. Good for parents: Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook World Poetry: Dawn of a New Discovery: Poems of Life, Wonder, Conflict, and Far Away Places

Stargazing through Amazon
This is a great book for beginners in the field of Astronomy. Unlike some of the other books I considered purchasing, it is clear cut and easy to understand. Enough content to keep you interested, but not so much it will bog down a beginner.I do wish it had information on astrophotography. If it is there, I have not come across it yet. There are only eight pages of color photos,and more color photos of what you might see would be very helpful. I am planning on using this book in conjunction with a new telescope and the information it provides will certainly get me around the Universe in an informative and fun manner. I am looking forward to getting into this book more as our Missouri sky warms this spring.
I was also fortunate to come across this book in a hard back version which I feel is much more practical due to the use this book will get! Amazon was the only source I found that offered a hard back version.

Not just for Dummies !!
Got it to help get back into a hobby I had many years ago.Found it easy to read, follow and at times funny while still learning.Great links included .

Gary,
Florida

Introductory Material but no math
I originally read this book for Science Olympiad to learn about the different types of galaxies and the math that went along with it. It was not very helpful in helping me identify the Deep-sky objects but instead only introduced the most general topics (such as black hole, planets, etc.) it also didn't have any math, which was essential for Science Olympiad. I was looking for something beyond this. However, it is an overall a good introductory material.

Thought the topics covered were very good!
For someone who is just entering this fascinating field, this is a great beginning place. The price is reasonable and topics are covered in a way that both keeps your attention and adds a little humor. Would advise anyone to start with this book.

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Product Description
"Fred Schaaf is one of the most experienced astronomical observers of our time. For more than two decades, his view of the sky--what will be visible, when it will be visible, and what it will look like--has encouraged tens of thousands of people to turn their eyes skyward."
--David H. Levy, Science Editor, Parade magazine, discoverer of twenty-one comets, and author of Starry Night and Cosmic Discoveries

"Fred Schaaf is a poet of the stars. He brings the sky into people's lives in a way that is compelling, and his descriptions have all the impact of witnessing the stars on a crystal clear dark night."
--William Sheehan, coauthor of Mars: The Lure of the Red Planet and The Transits of Venus

The night sky holds endless fascination for anyone who chooses simply to look up and observe, but with so much to see, it can be difficult to know where to start. This remarkable book introduces you to the fifty best sights in astronomy and tells you exactly how to see them. In no time at all, you will learn how to find and appreciate the Orion group of constellations; the Summer Triangle; Venus, Jupiter, and Mars; the best meteor showers; man-made satellites; star clusters; novae; variable stars; and more.

The sights are presented according to the field of view necessary to see them. Your eyes and a clear night sky are all you need to view the sights in the first part of the book, before moving on to those that can be observed through binoculars and, finally, a telescope. Concise descriptions and explanations of these spectacular visual wonders will deepen your appreciation of them and spur further exploration. You will also find the essential basic information on astronomical observation you need to get started, including observing conditions, techniques, telescopes, and astronomical measurements.

Once you start gazing, you'll see that the sky really is the limit--and discovering its amazing treasures will become your lifetime passion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Joy of "Just Looking"
I was introduced to amateur astronomy about six years ago, and have recently realized that "I just enjoy looking." I didn't enjoy trying to take astro-photographs or much of the science, certainly not the chemistry! I just want the "WOW" factor, as Dean Koenig describes it.I think Fred Schaaf's recent book, 50 Best Sights in Astronomy and How to See Them, was written just for me (ISBN: 978-0-471-69657-5, $19.95 MSR in paper, available on Amazon).

My library has some 18 other books on astronomy, and I've used many - some have a large number of tables (even the chemical composition of stars, asteroids, and the like) and most have star charts, many have diagrams of both telescopes and azimuth and equatorial systems and even graphs of comparative radiations - after all, science is important. I use some of them occasionally to determine a particular fact and to confirm what I have in my telescope, but few of them (other than those with color pictures) qualify as "enjoyment reading." But Schaaf is truly the "poet of the stars" that William Sheehan has called him, and has written a book that is as enjoyable to read on a cloudy night as a rainy afternoon.

Consider his Sight 13 - Bright Comet with Long Tail:"Of all the wonders in the heavens, there are two that have inspired fear and awe more often than any others: eclipses and comets. ... There is a central reason that comets were feared by our ancestors: of all the heavens' major kinds of sights, comets seemed to be the only ones that were spectacularly unpredictable and variable." Or, his Sight 26 - The Pleiades: "Everyone is first awed b y the strangeness and splendor, then moved to affection by the gentle loveliness of the Pleiades. Almost every culture in the world and throughout history has imagined the cluster as something gentle and delicate - a group of maidens, a flock of doves, or a mother hen and its chicks."

Schaaf has organized his book by Sights from the widest to narrowest view - starting, justly, with the entire night sky, 180, as Astronomy's Greatest Sight, and moving to 100, naked-eye scans, to 50 to 15 groupings, and then to 15 to 1 and finally less than 1. For the novice he quickly explains what is necessary, telescopes or binoculars, for enjoyable viewing and relates personal stories as to his own viewings. I think those personal stories are some of the best parts of his book (although he does include a few spectacular color plates for the truly visual of us). The method of organizing by size of the Sight works very well.

If you've forgotten the joy that can come from "just looking" at the heavens, 50 Best Sights is a wonderful way to recover the awe and appreciation for their beauty. A good pair of binoculars and a planisphere,are all that is necessary to enjoy most of Schaaf's Sights; a small quality rich field scope works for many of the rest. A "big" scope isn't necessary to "just look." ... Read more

Product Description
This handbook for beginner as well as advanced amateur astronomers, attempts to cover the most important galaxies and nebulas that telescope users observe. The core of the book is a visual atlas of deep sky objects. Drawings and photographs on the same scale are presented to aid identification. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Worth the read
This book has become a collectors item, prices range from $195-$400. It's an excellent book but I would suggest borrowing it from a library, like I did, before making a decision to buy it. There is about 64 pages of technical information on issues associated with viewing DSO. I found the technical information interesting but difficult to follow at times, it took me a number of readings to absorb the material. The rest of the book is a compilation of Dr. Clark's observation logs and several appendices. For the most part he uses a homemade 8-inch f/11.5 Cassegrain. Glancing through the observational logs I noticed that Dr, Clark used either a 38mm (1), 28mm Erfle (9), 20mm Erfle (48), 12.5mm Orthoscopic (5), 12.4mm Erfle (48), 9mm Kellner (5), 7mm Erfle (9) and 6mm Orthoscopic (1), numbers in brackets are the number of times he used the eyepiece. There were about 68 observational drawings with the 20mm and 12.4mm eyepieces being used 48 times each, therefore dominating his observing. If Dr. Clark used more than 1 eyepiece for the observation he would sometimes label the eyepiece that yielded the best view. It is clear to me from Dr. Clark's book that a lot of DSOs and their details can be seen from a dark site by a visual observer with good averted vision skills, a few carefully choosen good eyepieces, such as a 20mm and 12mm for example, and a reasonably sized telescope ~ f/10, 8-inch SCT.

Not for the casual reader, but very informative
Want to see spiral arms of M33, M51 or M101... in a 10 inch scope? Confused about why certain not-too-dim "faint fuzzies" cannot be seen at all- even at low power under clear, dark conditions? Do you enjoy lots of graphs, charts, equations and technical writing?Then this book is for you.

Roger Nelson Clark's book gives the Serious observer of the deep sky the skills necessary to milk the most information outof every last photon of light when observing visually. He gives an extremely complete recounting of studies of the human visual system, most specifically in terms of its ability to adapt to dark conditions and perceive subtle differences in contrast, and its acuity under low-light conditions.

He asserts that there is, statistically, not a very wide range of light perception ability in the human population (amounsgt those without obvious visual disease) and that techniques he outlines in the book will help any committed student of the sky see more details.

His conclusions?The bottom line is: most of us aren't using enough magnification. Many assume that the "richest field" view of a scope, providing the brightest image per unit area, will also allow the for the greatest amount of observed detail.Clark, however, shows that this is not the case.Indeed, at low light levels, the human visual system is not very acute, (unlike daytime vision) and that many of the details in our favorite "faint fuzzies" simply cannot be seen unless they are magnfied enough for their light to spread out over a larger portion of our retinae.

Also, magnifying has the added effect of dimming the background around an object as well as the object itself.The human eye is excellent, it turns out, in perceiving subtle differences in contrast, and that an overall reduction in light per unit area does not affect this as much as one would think. What's more, when reducing the overall amount of light entering the eye, dark adapation improves.Clark outlines the results of studies that show that in complete darkness, the dark adapted human eye can detect points of light equivilant to an 8.5 mag star!So, in looking trough an eyepiece, one's eye can, in fact, become more dark adapted than it would be under the ambient light of the sky.

He demonstrates how to compute the "optimum detection magnification"- not too high not too low- for a given object, given its brightness per unit area and its size.

An excellent feature of the book are Clark's drawings of a host of astronomical objects through scopes of various sizes.This gives an excellent indication of what one should be able to see under decent atmospheric conditions.

One weakness in the book, I find, is the charts of "recommended optimum detection magnifications".While the concept that such a magification exists is a good one to know, and its exposition in this book complete and useful, the execution of this chart is full of glitches.While the overall gist of the book suggests that many of us aren't "cranking it up enough", many of suggested optimum magnifications are absurdly high.Many are useful, however.You'll just have to find out which is which for yourself.I chalk this up to sloppy editing.

Don't, however, let this dissuade you from getting this book.If you fit the desciption above, then this book will change the way you useyour scope.

DEEPLY informative and teaching.
I found this book a must for anyone wanting to exploit visual limits in skygazing with a telescope. It analyses in depth the average visual acuity and translates the priorly published results ino a guide to get the best possible power to observe anything through a telescope. Then suggest (with lots of examples) a very usseful way of making a observing log. It includes a catalogue with more than 600 deep sky objects, a table wich can be used as a guide to observe them with a telescope an example computer program in Basic and Fortran to be used as a basis to get the best possible conditions to study any object. It helped me to find M1, M81 and M101 in the light poluted place un northwestern Mexico City were I use my 78mm telescope. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Review of "An Amateur Radio Telescope"
Well if you're a Amateur Radio Astronomer like me then this little book is ripe with general information to be able to get you setup and ready to go. First Published in 1980 it is only 58 pages measuring 153mm x 227mm almost a pocket book!
Six Chapters are well written and detail the Project of setting up a Working Radio Telescope which will reward you with success. A must have if you are also a collector of rare books on this subject matter as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Must for the Amateur Astronomer

This is one of the classics. It explains the basics of optics, telescopes and the sky as well as any book out there. Yes, the imaging info is very dated, but that field is changing rapidly and nothing published before yesterday is up to date.

The information about the relationship between optics and vision is hard to find anywhere and a revelation. It explains how certain aberrations appear and change because of the way the eye works with telescopes and eyepieces.

I have recently decided that I want to make a mirror scope, valuable basic information here, as well. The techniques have not changed much in 25 years.

Many more topics are covered, the book is quite comprehensive and the author writes clearly and plainly.

Highly recommended and a bargain here at Amazon.
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Product Description

This is a book about the physics of stars and starlight. The story of starlight is truly fascinating. Astronomers analyze and interpret the light from stars using photometry and spectroscopy, then inspirational detective work combines with the laws of physics to reveal the temperatures, masses, luminosities and outer structure of these far away points of light. The laws of physics themselves enable us to journey to the very center of a star and to understand its inner structure and source of energy!

Starlight provides an in-depth study of stellar astrophysics that requires only basic high school mathematics and physics, making it accessible to all amateur astronomers. Starlight teaches amateur astronomers about the physics of stars and starlight in a friendly, easy-to-read way. The reader will take away a profoundly deeper understanding of this truly fascinating subject – and find his practical observations more rewarding and fulfilling as a result.

Product Description
This collection of fifty-one fascinating and engagingactivities opens up the gateway to outer space for stargazers youngand old. Emphasizing group and family interaction, authors PhilipHarrington and Edward Pascuzzi provide innovative activities that willhelp children identify, understand, and appreciate the objects in theMilky Way and galaxies beyond.

With this book, you will become familiar with the constellations,planets, and phases of the moon. You will learn how sundials andtelescopes work and even how to build your own. You'll also discoverwhat causes shooting starts, auroras, nebulae, and other galacticphenomena.

Charts of lunar-eclipse and meteor-shower dates will help you planyour viewing schedules. Clear, helpful diagrams, star charts, andphotographs will guide you through the world of astronomy and makethis book a delight to use. ... Read more

Product Description
How would you like to get started today in the fascinating hobby of astronomy?

Let The beginners guide to astronomy take you by the hand and guide you on your memorable journey through the universe around us.

From our small world we have gazed upon the cosmic ocean for thousands of years. Ancient astronomers observed points of light that appeared to move among the stars. They called these objects planets, meaning wanderers, and named them after Roman deities - Jupiter, king of the gods; Mars, the god of war; Mercury, messenger of the gods; Venus, the god of love and beauty, and Saturn, father of Jupiter and god of agriculture.

The stargazers also observed comets with sparkling tails, and meteors or shooting stars apparently falling from the sky. Since the invention of the telescope, three more planets have been discovered in our solar system. The science of astronomy is ever expanding.

The beginners guide to astronomy will provide you with an understanding of astronomy and the universe around us. From our closest neighbors, the moon, sun and planets to the distant reaches of the universe, the stars and constellations,The beginners guide to astronomy is your ultimate guide.The beginners guide to astronomy begins with a basic understanding of light and color. In the first three chapters you will learn the important role these forces play in astronomy and an understanding of the universe. Exciting experiments will help you in your learning.

Next we will examine the instruments used in astronomy and you will learn how to build a simple spectroscope from low cost materials.

Then it's on to our sun, moon and planets, where you will learn there distance from us and amazing facts about each of these bodies, and then beyond to study the meteoroids, asteroids and comets and ending up at the stars and constellations with star maps for observing the night sky. The beginners guide to astronomy is the complete manual for beginning this exciting new hobby.

Astronomy is a hobby that will give you years of enjoyment and learning. Order The beginners guide to astronomy for you and your family now and get immediate delivery!

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Customer Reviews (1)

too basic
very basic. it seems to me just a collection of data without much sense. Cheap but not worth even that little ... Read more

Product Description
Many of the most spectacular astronomical objects are found in the southern skies. With this up-to-date, superbly illustrated handbook, both the amateur with binoculars and the expert with a telescope can make discoveries about new and interesting objects. Professor E. J. Hartung first produced his comprehensive and highly respected guide in 1968. Now the book has been greatly expanded and thoroughly revised, enhancing its character as an indispensable information source. With over 150 illustrations, new material is included on constellations and celestial coordinate systems as well as more modern descriptions of stars, nebulae and galaxies. The authors have included a new "southern Messier" list of objects. The authors' passion for their subject make this a unique and inspirational book. Many of the beautiful photographs were taken by David Malin, the world's leading astronomical photographer. The result will fascinate active and armchair astronomers alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Southern Sky Handbook
This book is expensive, but if you want a really good coverage of the southern skies for obssrving and what you can see and where, this is a good book for that. Covers every area and has lots of good photos and great list of deep sky objects.I strongly recommend it .

A great by-the-telescope companion to Southern observers
I love this book. It has been my sole companion during long nights of telescope observation.

Most amateur astronomy guides have been written by people living in the Northern Hemisphere, thus neglecting the wonderful objects available to Southern observers. We have access to the MagellanicClouds, Carina, the best globular clusters, the center of the Milky Way,etc. I have known amateurs that, misled by Northern guides (which are a lotcheaper), venerated the Orion nebula but knew nothing about Eta Carinae ! Or the Magellanic Clouds. What a shame !

The book begins with a veryconcise and to the point theoretical exposition of the main objects ofobservation for amateur astronomers. Although I had already read quite afew astronomy books before this one, this section proved insightful anduseful.

The guide then presents a large list of astronomical objetsavailable from the Southern Hemisphere, with the usual characterizarion bypopular and catalogue names, kind, visual magnitude, etc. and giving theexact RA-DEC coordinates for epoch 2000 (my other guide, the venerableBurnham's Celestial Handbook is based on epoch 1950 coordintes).

Abeautiful collection of photographs by the magician of astronomicalphotography (David Malin) embellishes the book, but is somehow disconnectedfrom the rest of the content, in the sense that it presents astronomicalobjects as they are recorded by film and not the human eye at the eyepiece,and is thus not very hepful for finding and appreciating them.

But thecore of the book is the description of astronomical objects, organized byconstellation. This has proved to be a key resource for me in the planningof my observing sessions. A selection of "best objects" is alwayssubjective, so you have to rely on the goodjudgement of the author.Besides, you cannot base your choices just on the scientific value or theinterest to research observatories: the relative value of objects can neverbe the same to an amateur with a 10 inch telescope than it is to aprofessional astronomer with access to a 5 meter scope. A galaxy that lookswonderful on a Palomar, Keck or HST photograph, can be no more than asource of frustration for amateurs with standard equipment.

A handbookfor amateur astronomers has to be a very different thing than an Astronomyhandbook.

It is in this sense that the book excels. The advise, from thestandpoint of amateurs, on the best objects to point your scope to, and onwhat to expect at the eyepiece has proved to be right again and again. Itis like having with you a very experienced friend with your same equipment.Given the very limited dark-site time I have, I greatly appreciate thepossibility of making the best use of it.

If have a moderately largeamateur telescope and you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this book, ...is a very good investment. Especially considering thecost of all the equipment you already own! Think of it as the software foryour hardware... ... Read more

Product Description

While most amateur astronomers know about the red shift, have a general idea of the way that the emission and absorption lines in stellar spectra provide an insight into the atomic processes of the star, it is unusual to find someone who has any kind of detailed knowledge. The reason isn’t lack on interest – far from it – but is because all the books currently available are pitched at professional astronomers and degree students, and are to say the least, difficult to read.

This is the first non-technical book on this subject, written specifically for practical amateur astronomers. It includes all the science necessary for a qualitative understanding of stellar spectra, but avoids a mathematical treatment which would alienate many of its intended readers.

Any amateur astronomer who carries out (or who is interested in) observational spectroscopy and who wants a non-technical account of the physical processes which determine the intensity and profile morphology of lines in stellar spectra will find this is the only book written specially for him. And of course, "armchair astronomers" who simply want to understand the physical processes which shape lines in stellar spectra will find this book equally fascinating.

Customer Reviews (2)

One of the best books I've read
It's amazing how the author can make such difficult, complicated issues seem so easy.His explanations are clear and easy to understand even for this rather technical subject.This is one of the best scientific books I have ever read.

The dawn of a new epoch of amateur astronomy
This is the book that I was expecting for along time. As Professor of Surgery I have to read medical textbooks, and I appreciate those concise volumes dedicated to medical students that can help me, then I suppose that this book could be useful to astrophysics too, not only to amateur astronomers like me. The aims of Robinson's book have been successful: to explain the physical processes that cause the stellar spectra with a language understandable. I am very grateful to Robinson that the important concepts are showed repeatedly along the book. He teaches us how the quantum theory explains all spectral mysteries. Starting with the electromagnetic radiation, the black body concept, Robinson expounds in great detail, but very understandable, the electron transition, the energy levels (the famous Ha line), and the consequences when a photon collides with an atom (excitation, ionisation). The quantum numbers are depicted very well with clear diagrams, and how they determine the energy levels and the spectral series. Up to here, it is the atom lab information; but the stellar objects are very complexes: objects with velocity (the famous Doppler effect), and atmospheres with temperature, pressure, and turbulence..., physical processes that cause the broadening of spectral lines. Robinson details the spectral line profiles with examples useful to amateur astronomers. After to expound the absorption lines and the emission lines, Robinson explains the whys the nebulae, with gas that absorb the photons of the central star, have emission lines instead of absorption lines. Robinson use the chapter of accretion disks as pretext of to speak us that amateurs astronomers could performer astrophysical modelling. The book finishes with the exposition of the P Cygni profile, and the world of magnetic field. Robinson has been very clever with this difficult task, the magnetic field, in order to teach the important marks for the amateur. Finally my modest recommendations for those amateurs that would like to start in this field: to read the Tonkin's book "Practical Amateur Spectroscopy", and the course of Aude Peltier "Initiation a la spectographie" (tutorial of astrosurf.com).
Dr. Barneo
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Product Description
Winner of the 1987 New York Academy of Sciences Children's Science Book Award, Exploring the Night Sky is aimed at novice star gazers anxious to expand their astronomical repertorie beyond the Big and Little Dippers. Dickinson has designed a superb introduction to astonomy that is clear, concise, and very "user friendly" no matter what the child's age. 50 color photographs and illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great book for kids & adults.
We purchased this book for our grandchildren so that they can learn about & enjoy the night skies through our telescope.

Exploring the night sky
We purchased this for our eight year old grandson. We selected this particular book for its clear text.Our grandson seemed pleased to receive it.

Little information
Childrens book, but even for that, din motivate stuff appropriately. I had to give it half heartedly to the kid having thrown money :-((

A GIFT FOR MY UNIVERSE LOVING SON
THIS GUIDE IS VERY USEFUL AND INTERESTING. WE ARE TOTALLY BEGINNERS AND FACINATED AT THAT.

Young Minds Latch onto the Stars
My eight-year-old grandson practically ate up this book, he was so excited and interested. He had gotten a telescope for Christmas and this book brought his explorations of the night sky to life. ... Read more

Product Description
With this extraordinary handbook, you, too, can frame the stars and have them hanging on your livingroom walls. Astrophotography for the Amateur provides a complete guide to taking pictures of stars, galaxies, the Moon, the Sun, comets, meteors and eclipses, using equipment and materials readily available to the hobbyist. Based on suggestions from readers of the first edition, the new edition has been completely updated and expanded to include new chapters on computer image processing and CCD imaging; expanded advice on choosing cameras and telescopes; completely updated information about films; a much larger bibliography; and hundreds of new photographs (in color and black and white) demonstrating the latest equipment and techniques. Astrophotography for the Amateur has become the standard handbook for all amateur astronomers. This new edition provides an ideal introduction for beginners and a complete handbook for advanced amateurs. It will also appeal to photography enthusiasts who will discover how to take spectacular images with only modest equipment.Michael A. Covington received his Ph.D. at Yale University. He is the author of several books, including Syntactic Theory in the High Middle Ages (Cambridge, 1984).He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and is the Associate Director of the Artificial Intelligence Center at the University of Georgia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Good but slightly outdated.
A good book but it is outdated, so it makes it kinda difficult to remember.

Great bargain
The three stars are more for the condition of the book itself, not the overall transaction experience. This is the classic case of getting what you pay for, and I think I did. The book was listed in "good" condition, but is falling apart at the binding (pages are falling out) but the print is clear despite the fact that it seems to be soaked with some kind of light oil or perfume (maybe spilled on it?). It would have helped if the seller mentioned this problem, but even at less than 1/10 the price of a new book, I might not have chosen to buy it if I knew this. There are only a few pages I needed from it anyway, and after xeroxing them I keep the book in a plastic baggie to contain the smell. I am satisfied with the amount I paid for this book.

Very good reference book for any astrophotographer
Micheal Covington's book covers all aspects of astrophotography starting from objects, from camera selection to films, exposure methods, mounts and drives, guiding of the mount & guiding accuracy/errors, and of course the CCD imaging. I also gives ideas on how to build a simple barn door mount. It does not end at taking exposures. After an exposure is taken we have to convert it into an acceptable quality print or into a computer file. Images can be greatly improved by digital processing. So it also covers image processing ideas. The only point to be noted is that one must look at his website and download the errata. The book has many printing errors, some of which are trivial though. That, of course, must not deter any user. I consider is my best field guide book on this topic. I believe his recent edition has got over these errors - not mine. I bought mine in 1999.

Great Introductory book
This book is a must in doing amateur astrophotography if you are going serious. It has lots of information which is very useful.For example it teach you to calculate the focal ratio using diferent techniques of takig pictures with the telescope, it help you calculate the exposure times in order to photograph the moon or a constelation on a tripod.
It is an excellent source but you have to do calculations(formulas).If you don't like numbers, this book is not for you, but if you do like numbers this book is very useful.

My best book on astrophotography
I've bought a handful of books on the subject, and this one is head and shoulders above the rest. Some of the other books have lots of pretty pictures, and very little information on actually taking photos. I found the instructions easy to follow, and when I had a question, or needed to figure something out, this book always had it. Two big thumbs up! ... Read more

Product Description
Product DescriptionConcise, highly readable book discusses: selecting, setting up and maintaining a telescope; amateur studies of the sun; lunar topography and occultations; observations of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the minor planets and the stars; an introduction to photoelectric photometry; more. 1981 edition. 124 figures. 26 halftones. 37 tables. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

the sky is unlimited
the book is one that should be read before buying a telescope. easily readable, many helpful hints for novices and how to get started without the many fustrations that could take away the enjoyment possibilities. a good guide to use befor you began stargaZing and many helpful information to proceed from a novice to higher levels.

great for beginners
Got this book while I was helping my daughter work on her sky searcher badge for girl scouts. Great book for a beginner. My daughter read it cover to cover.

Secrets of Stargazing
This is an excellent and complete survey of all the little tricks and big lessons that will turn a novice stargazer into a wise observer in no time. I've been an amateur astronomer for 50 years and it took many of those years for me to learn the secrets that are painlessly shared in this book. If you are interested in astronomy and want to quickly learn more, you can't beat this book for an amazing jump-start. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The novice ATMer's first stop.
This is primarily a book about astronomical mirror fabrication, and a very good one. Although it discusses the fabrication of three different telescopes, a 5" Newtonian, a 10" Newtonian and a 12" Cassegrain in some detail, don't imagine it's like Richard Berry's classic, "Build Your Own Telescope". Berry's book is concerned principally with fabrication of the mounts and includes cautionary, almost discouraging comments on optical fabrication, but nevertheless includes a couple of very good chapters on elementary optical work near the end of the book.

A "Manual for Amateur Telescope Makers" on the other hand, is more in the tradition of Jean Texereau's classic, "How to Make a Telescope", but is a far more readable and modern format. Using the three different telescope designs mentioned above, it introduces the reader to progressively more demanding concepts and techniques. Abrasive selection, grinding and polishing technique, Foucault testing, fringe testing flat mirrors, judging acceptable tolerances, defect correction, wire test, caustic test and telescope window fabrication are just a few examples.

There are a couple of features I really liked about this book. It has little "tip" boxes in the style of computer books. Things like "A Few Essential Rules for Polishing", "Dealing with a Severe Turned Down Edge", "Blocking Pitch, How Thick" or "Advantages and Disadvantages of the Caustic Test" to give just a few examples from dozens in the book. The text is always succinct, clear and authoritative. Did you know that the thinner the wire, the more precise the wire test and that the diameter of the wire should be slightly larger than the opening of the slit? There are lots of tips and answers to questions that many ATMers have no doubt asked and not been answered in Texereau or Ingalls' books.

In this day of cheap, value for money, mass produced telescopes, why bother to make a telescope anyway? The authors give the following reasons: it enables you to understand your own telescope more fully, it's exciting and it saves you money. Somehow these explanations seems to miss the excitement felt by those who have successfully completed quality instruments. Certainly you'll understand your scope far better than buying one off the shelf. However you'll probably be able to buy a reasonable second hand or even new small aperture (8" or less) scope for about the same price as making your own.Larger telescope fabrication does offer the chance to save quite a bit of money. Mastering techniques of optical fabrication, on the other hand, opens a new world of possibilities to you. Make your own large aperture mirrors, Cassegrain or TCT optics or whatever your imagination suggests. No longer are you confined to the design ideas of the engineers at Meade, Celestron or any other telescope makers, however worthy their thoughts may be. As the authors say, "... the figuring and testing techniques used for the 300mm mirror can be applied in the making of 375- to 500-mm mirrors."

My advice to readers concerning which books to buy about telescope making is this:
If you're a half reasonable handyman and want to get a mirror and build a scope for as little as possible, buy Richard Berry's "Build Your Own Telescope".
If you're a half-reasonable handyman and want a big mirror and scope, but optical fabrication is not your interest, Berry and Kriege's "The Big Dobsonian" just can't be beat. Buy a big mirror.
If you hanker for a deeper understanding of telescope systems and might ultimately like to make larger or more sophisticated optics and instruments of your own design, "A Manual for Amateur Telescope Makers" is the best place to start. If you've got something out of it but still thirst for knowledge, you should follow up with Texereau's, "How to Make a Telescope" and Ingalls' "Amateur Telescope Making". Then if you're still enthused, Willmann-Bell and some other publishers provide a large number of books of more specialized interest.

I have to give "A Manual for Telescope Makers" five stars although it does have some shortcomings. On many occasions it states how to do things without detailed explanations of why. It doesn't say why the authors chose a Coude type arrangement for the 300mm scope, for example, although the experienced ATMer will understand the advantages and disadvantages. Generally the book, although having a pervading tone of authority, is somewhat dogmatic and doesn't state any alternative views or areas of controversy, and it's also a little too brief in some places in order to achieve succinctness. The mount designs are briefly described, seem to be quite functional, but won't win awards for aesthetics, although they're a step up from Richard Berry's designs in "Build Your Own Telescope", which look about as boxy as a 1975 Volvo. Overall I'd say that a book like "A Manual for Telescope Makers" has been overdue and should be the first choice of novice ATMers in the decades to come. The big financial advantage of ATMing in the future will be in the fabrication of large mirrors and this book introduces the techniques involved. I love it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Patterns in the Sky: An Introduction to Stargazing (Night Sky Astronomy for Everybody)
Patterns in the Sky: An Introduction to Stargazing (Night Sky Astronomy for Everybody)

This book is filled with very useful information in a clear and concise format. I think it is a terrific book for beginners to the night sky landscape. I was a bit disappointed with the size of the book.

Well chosen title -- get the big picture with this book
It has been nearly 40 years since I dabbled in astronomy, and 50 since I was a boy scout. Back then, astronomy seemed to be more popular which made it easier to look skyward and identify major star constelations. Now, in my 60's, and thanks to a pair of Canon 12x36 IS binoculars, my wife and I are becoming re-introduced to the hobby/science. I still have my old books, but acutally felt a bit intimidated by them as I dusted them off. I wanted something simpler, something that a beginner might grab to refresh my faded memory. This book did quite well at that. Because star gazing is not completely new to me, I might not be able to fully put myself in the shoes of a beginner, but I will try.

The book is definately not intimidating, neither is it comprehensive. It takes you out to your backyard and helps you make sense of what you can easily see without optics, understand why things move the way they do. It helps you position yourself in our immensely large universe and, with a little effort on your part, imagine how things would look from space, or even another hemishpere on earth.

Divided into four main parts, based on the seasons of the year, it provides a decent star chart for each season, and short stories that have attached themselves to some constelations and prominent stars. I found the stories helpful in locating and remembering their subjects. I was pleased that the book does not talk down to the reader, as though a child, nor like a stuffy professor who wants to show you how smart he is.

I doubt that I could give 5 stars for any introductory astronomy book because it must necessarily be short enough to invite reading, but that means it cannot answer all the questions that will arise as one becomes involved in star gazing. This book did not disappoint us and my wife and I are glad we purchased it. We are likely to continue to carry the poor dogeared thing around with us until we can identify the points of interest in it for all four seasons, then maybe I can go back to my dusty library and go deeper.

Great Service and fast !
I have ordered numerous books and other items from AMAZON and have had great service 5 star ! I can recommend using this site! I have used Amazon from the beginning and it gets better each year.

Great for beginners
Got this book while I was helping my daughter work on her sky searcher badge for girl scouts. Great book for a beginner. My daughter read it cover to cover.

Patterns in the Sky
Patterns in the Sky by Ken Hewitt-White
Sky Publishing, 2006, soft cover, 6" x 9", 98 pages

I've been having fun with astronomy for the past 17 years and still consider myself a novice.That is why I get excited about new books written for the astronomy-challenged person that I am.Patterns in the Sky by Ken Hewitt-White
Is just such a book.It is one of the first in the series of books by NightSky written especially for the readers of that excellent magazine. The book is targeted for the beginner and intermediate level student.

The introduction gives the reader a concise overview of basic astronomy with terms to be found in the text and colorful illustrations to make it easy to understand.It contains a list of constellations and stars you will be viewing throughout the year and two fold-out star charts covering all four seasons.
The book is organized by seasons with the best objects visible showcased.
Each season chapter contains interesting astro facts, mythology, charts, photos and diagrams to help the student find those objects in the sky. The book concludes with a helpful glossary and resource information.

You don't need a large telescope or huge binoculars or vast knowledge of the sky to use this book to find these celestial wonders. This is entry level astronomy directed to the masses that can be a stepping stone to a greater understanding of the stars.

Jack Fox, Richmond Astronomical Society
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