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Reflector Book Review:
Deep Sky Companions:
The Messier Objects
Category: Observing
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Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects
by Steven James O'Meara
Sky Publishing Corporation
49 Bay State Road
Cambridge, MA 02138
(800) 253-0245
Hardcover, 304 pages, $34.95
ISBN 0-933346-85-9
For many years, The Messier Album
by Mallas and Kreimer has been my basic Messier reference.
No longer! Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects
by Stephen J. O'Meara has filled that spot on my reference
shelf.
Think of an updated 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 book has a short chapter on Charles
Messier and his catalog. There's a good chapter on sky-watching
that provides the basics for beginners, and observing
tips that can benefit both novice and experienced observers.
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 black and white photos were obviously
selected with care. Most have plenty of space around
the object, making identification at the eyepiece easy.
The sharp black and white photos avoid the deceptive
bold hues of color shots and provide a more realistic
view.
Mr. O'Meara's drawings are superb.
His skill at drawing and observing are impressive. He
did his drawings from a dark sky site with a four-inch
refractor. The subtle detail he recorded is a challenge
to those of with considerably larger scopes. One word
of warning: Some of the open cluster drawings take a
bit of getting used to until you understand Mr. O'Meara's
goals. You might not see the flower or the bat he sees,
but go out and look and imagine your own design! He
is simply challenging you to see your own patterns and
to have fun observing! 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.
If you use this book just to reference
the drawings and photos, you will miss a wealth of observing
information discussed in the text. Mr. O'Meara is a
master observer and his descriptive text is filled with
observing techniques and challenges to raise your observing
skills and push your visual limits. And, it s just plain
enjoyable reading!
Quibbles? I was annoyed that a few
(very few) of the photos were not quite as sharp as
the vast majority.
Deep Sky Companions: The Messier
Objects is truly a worthy successor to the venerable
Mallas and Kreimer.
Kathy Machin
Former AL Observing Awards Coordinator
Astronomical Society of Kansas City
E-mail: gmachin@sky.net
Reviewed in the August 1999 issue.
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