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Observing
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Here are a number of book reviews from
the Astronomical League's Reflector. If you find
these books interesting, you may want to order some
of these books through the Book Service. We also invite
you to submit book reviews to the e-mail address below
of any currently available book you have read. We will
include them where possible.
Observing Guides
Astronomical Calendar
2000 by Guy Ottwell, Universal Workshop, Furman
University.
In short...
An atlas-sized annual book, this is
a most attractive guide to what will happen in the sky
throughout the year. The big pages allow for large spreads
of diagrams and text that are useful to both beginners
and seasoned amateurs alike. For each month, there is
a large map of the evening sky. Facing it is a diary
of the events happening that month as well as many monthly
diagrams and sketches of sky scenes. There are also
a number of supplementary sections that give the highlights
of the year. (Reviewed Feb. 2000)
Atlas
of Compact Groups of Galaxies by Paul Hickson.
In short...
This is not your standard "coffee table
book." The format is more like that of a text book,
and yet somehow appealing. There is abundant information
about each group covered, with the data on the left-hand
page and the images on the right. Some effort would
be required to decipher all this information. But if
you are a galaxy nut, this is a book for you. (Reviewed
Feb. 1995 by Edward Flaspoehler)
The Cambridge Deep-Sky
Album by Jack Newton and Philip Teece.
In short...
The Cambridge Deep-Sky Album
is over ten years old, but it is still one of the most
useful books available to amateur astronomers. Published
in 1983, it fills a necessary gap for budding deep-sky
observers. While the book contains some of the best
astrophotos ever taken, its intent is "..to serve as
a practical observer's handbook," and it fits that description
well. Order a copy of the Cambridge Deep-Sky Album
for yourself. I am sure it will make deep-sky observing
more fun, and at times less frustrating. (Reviewed Feb.
1995 by Matthew Mazurek)
Chasing the Shadow:
An Observer's Guide to Solar Eclipses by Joel Harris
and Richard Talcott.
In short...
This book is aimed at the novice eclipse
observer. As the authors state in their introduction,
the purpose of this book is to answer the basic questions,
"Why go?", "What will I see?", and "When can I see it?"
If you are interested in solar eclipses, or plan to
travel to one this book is a good way to enhance your
enjoyment and understanding of the experience. (Reviewed
Aug. 1994 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Collected Works on
Double Stars, Third Edition compiled by Paul R.
Castle.
In short...
This is a detailed listing of 596 double
and multiple stars visible from mid-northern latitudes.
The stars are arranged by constellation, and then by
page number in the Uranometria Star Atlas, to help you
in precise location of each group. If you are interested
in double stars, and are working on the Double Star
Certificate, or just thinking of doing so, this booklet
will be of great value to you. And when you have finished
the 100 on that list, and gotten your certificate, you
still have 496 others in this list to observe! (Reviewed
May 1999 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Deep Sky Companions:
The Messier Objects by Steven James O'Meara.
In short...
Think of an updated The Messier
Album by Mallas and Kreimer, with a splash of Burnham's
detail, and observing hints and techniques from a master
observer. Then add a dash of personality and poetry
from a true lover of the night sky. The bulk of the
book is detailed information on each of the Messier
objects. Each object has a photo, drawing, finder chart,
Messier's notes (newly translated), and written discussion
of the observations. The equinox 2000.0 maps are small
but functional and surprisingly useful when combined
with the new Wil Tirion wide-field map at the back of
the book. This book is truly a worthy successor to the
venerable Mallas and Kreimer.
Deep
Sky Wonders by Walter Scott Houston, edited by Steven
James O'Meara.
In short...
Walter Scott “Scotty” Houston is a
name many astronomers know well. Author of the Sky
& Telescope's Deep Sky Wonders column from 1946
until his death in December of 1993, he was a passionate
amateur astronomer to the end of his long life. O’Meara
began the compilation by working with photocopies of
the nearly 550 individual columns spanning Houston’s
career. He sorted, organized, and collated each of the
works and produced a chapter for each month of the year,
into which he inserted Houston’s colorful prose, descriptive
history, and observational commentary. (Reviewed May
2000 by Ed Flasphoeler)
Everybody's Comet:
A Layman's Guide to Comet Hale-Bopp by Alan Hale.
In short...
This is a very personal book. It is
as much about Dr. Hale and his views on astronomy and
science as about itself. But in a world of homogenized
popular science books, this not a bad thing. In fact,
it is the personal nature of the text that keeps one
interested. I enjoyed this book, and find it a welcome
addition to my astronomy bookshelf. I even got it autographed
at the star party by Alan Hale, himself! (Reviewed Nov.
1996 by Edward Flaspoehler)
The Herald-Bobroff
AstroAtlas by David Harold and Peter Beroff.
In short...
The new atlas by David Herald and Peter
Bobroff, both residents of Australia, is an observer's
atlas with no comparison. What makes the atlas so valuable
is the way information has been compressed into easy
to understand symbols, making it unnecessary to go elsewhere
to find more details on an object while in the midst
of an observing run. There is so much information provided
that it will take a while to get a thorough understanding
of the symbols used in order to gain the maximum utility
from the charts. In addition, the layout of the atlas
makes it very easy to use. Bravo to David and Peter!
Well done, gentlemen. (Reviewed Aug. 1998 by Larry Robinson)
Millenium
Star Atlas by Roger W. Sinnott and Michael A.C.
Perryman.
In short...
This atlas has 25 times as many stars
as Tirion's Sky Atlas 2000.0 and three times as many
stars as Uranometria 2000.0. It is the first atlas to
include orientations of all plotted galaxies, and the
first atlas to include galaxy clusters. The Atlas contains
all newly discovered Hipparcos variables and binaries
and shows bright and dark nebulae delineated in greater
detail. The atlas is published in three volumes, hardcover,
9.25 by 13 inches with 1,548 charts. In its slipcase,
it weighs 19.3 pounds. This makes it large and bulky
to use as a field atlas. Each volume includes a small
"finder-atlas" like the one at the back of Uranometria
2000.0 so you can tell at a glance which charts cover
which parts of the sky. (Reviewed Feb. 1998 by Edward
Flaspoehler)
Messier
Objects: A Beginner's Guide by Kathy Machin and
Sue Wheatley.
In short...
The Astronomical League has revised
and re-issued one of its classic OBSERVE manuals under
a new title: MESSIER OBJECTS, A Beginners Guide. The
new book, revised and updated by former A.L. Messier
Coordinator Kathy Machin, and League Publications Chairman
Sue Wheatley, it the quintessential beginner’s
observation book. The descriptions were written by Kathy,
who has been observing Messier objects for years. For
this book, she has analyzed all her own descriptions,
published descriptions, and those of Astronomical League
members who have sent in their observations to her as
the Observing Awards Coordinator. Thus, these are probably
the clearest, most concise descriptions of the Messier
objects available. (Reviewed Aug. 1997 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Night Navigator
by Samuel Lee.
In short...
Night Navigator is billed as
an easy and fool-proof system designed to help the novice
locate and identify constellations, bright stars, planets,
and deep-sky objects quickly. Perhaps the best thing
we can say about it is that within a very short time
we learned the location of many constellations, stars,
and other night sky objects, and that our interest in
the night sky was enhanced by the experience. (Reviewed
Nov. 1996 by Paul R. Castle)
OBSERVE The Herschel
II Objects: A Guide to 400 Deep-Sky Objects by Carol
Cole and Candace Pratt.
In short...
The Herschel II manual includes the
descriptions of the selected 400 Herschel objects in
NGC ascending order. It also includes a planning guide
with NGC numbers listed in RA order, to help in planning
an evening s viewing session. The manual itself is one
of the most attractive and well laid out books that
the AL has offered. The best feature, aside from accurate
descriptions of each object, is a selection of observing
forms. The price is very attractive, and the observing
hints inside more than justify the cost of the manual,
whether you eventually pursue the program or not. And
it would make a great Christmas stocking stuffer for
that astronomer in your family. (Reviewed Nov. 1997
by Edward Flaspoehler)
Observe Eclipses,
Second Edition by Michael D. Reynolds and Richard
A. Sweetsir.
In short...
Observe Eclipses, Second Edition,
is the most beautiful book the A.L. has ever published.
It provides a vast range of information on eclipses,
and is a book that every League member ought to own.
(Reviewed Aug. 1995 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Observer's Guide
to the Herschel 400 by S. J. Martens.
In short...
First of all, let's make it clear that
this book is not a replacement for the AL's Observe:
The Herschel Objects as originally printed in 1980.
In that book, there are detailed descriptions of each
of the 400 objects on the list, in order by NGC number,
and divided into four groups, for each season of the
year. But that is all. Martens' book, however, is both
a guide and an observing log. Here, the list is grouped
within each constellation. Then, for each object, there
is the NGC number, coordinates for help in finding the
object on your star chart, page number in both Uranometria
and Sky Atlas 2000, and a place to make notes.
But Martens has added a brief and specific notation
on how to star hop to find the object you are looking
for. This book is really an organized observing log,
and that alone makes it useful. I end up making multiple
notations for each object, a real chore. Martens' book
will make this job easier. (Reviewed Aug. 1998 by Edward
Flaspoehler)
Observing
for the Fun of It by Melanie Melton.
In short...
Melanie Melton tells us that all that
is really required are a few observing tricks, a couple
of comfort items, and an occasional hour or two away
from the television at night. In no time at all, we
can enjoy watching meteors burning up as they enter
Earth's atmosphere or show our friends how to find a
couple of our favorite constellations. Observational
astronomy can be as lighthearted or as serious as we
wish. (Reviewed May 1996 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Sky
Atlas 2000, 2nd Edition, Deluxe Version by Wil
Tirion and Roger W. Sinnott.
In short...
Since 1981, Wil Tirion's Sky Atlas
2000 has been the standard sky atlas for amateur astronomers.
The new version retains all the features that made the
first edition a best seller and adds many new ones.
In its elegant dark maroon cover, instead of the original
black, the deluxe edition is a full inch larger than
the original version. And the charts are more accurate,
since they have been plotted by computer. The most important
change is a stretch in the magnitude limit from 8.0
to 8.5. This one-half magnitude difference means that
almost twice as many stars are plotted. Star dot sizes
are crisper in the new version, and are drawn by the
computer according to a continuous magnitude scale.
(Reviewed May 1999 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Starlight
Nights The Adventures of a Star-Gazer by Leslie
Peltier.
In short...
The first edition of this book was
issued in 1965. Around 1988, Sky Pub reissued it, it
was in print for a short time. Starlight Nights:
The Adventures of a Star-Gazer, is the best description
of why we, as amateurs, pursue the hobby of astronomy
I have ever read. Not only is it personal, insightful,
and full of interesting stories of one man’s love of
the night sky, it is also beautifully and sensitively
written. Now it is available again, after many years,
back on the shelf of astronomy books. (Reviewed May
2000 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Sky
Phenomena - A Guide to Naked-eye Observation of the
Stars by Norman Davidson.
In short...
It is an unusual and practical guide
to the sky as we see it: with the naked eye. The author,
an experienced teacher, leads the student/reader from
the appearance of the stars from Earth, through observation
of the Sun, Moon, and planets, to a deeper understanding
of the Copernican revolution, comets, and meteors. The
text includes mythological and historical aspects of
the subject, as well as numerous exercises for the student,
and an account of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere.
A major feature of the text is a unique collection of
poetry about the stars in the last chapter, with literary
selections from ancient India to modern times. (Reviewed
May 1996 by Edward Flaspoehler)
Turn Left at Orion
by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis.
In short...
This book is designed for those with
smaller telescopes (3-inch to 4-inch) or those who want
the fun of finding objects quickly, rather than spending
hours on "techno babble" instructions and not finding
a thing. It has all the qualifications of a good beginners
guidebook. It makes observing deep-sky objects easier,
and most of the objects listed can be seen from the
city. More importantly, it makes observing FUN! (Reviewed
May 1995 by Kathy Anderson)
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