Even with all the great stuff available on the internet, I still prefer a good reference book to pick up and read; a book is permanent while websites are ethereal, prone to viruses and dead/broken links and often impermanent. Sometimes you can find a great web site with excellent information on it but then a while later it is gone, which is annoying to say the least. I love the net, but I love books more. So, here are some of my favourites. Most, if not all, of these books can be found via Amazon
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The Night Sky Observer's Guide Volumes 1 and 2 by Kepple and Sanner
Published by Willmann-Bell, Inc
The deep sky observer's reference, with sketches, photographs, charts and descriptions from various observers using a variety of scope sizes. The volumes aren't cheap at around £35 each but are indispensible for all serious deep sky observers. Volume 1 covers Autumn and Winter constellations and Volume 2 covers Spring and Summer constellations.
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The Astronomical Tourist: Deep Sky Observing by Steven R. Coe
Published by Springer-Verlag
An excellent intro to deep-sky observing by one of the best deep sky observers. Steve has written this in a conversational style, using anecdotes and sketches/descriptions from his own observing experiences, with chapters on equipment and preparing for observing sessions, etc.
Each category of deep sky object has a chapter to itself and is illustrated with Steve's own drawings.
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The Deep Sky: An Introduction by Philip S. Harrington
Sky Publishing Corp, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 1997. ISBN 0-933346-80-8. Softback, 272 pages
I bought my copy of this, one in the series of Sky & Telescope's Observing Guides, from Amazon, as I am always on the lookout for deep sky-related books as I collect anything to do with deep sky astronomy and, in particular, visual observing of the deep sky and that includes books aimed at beginning deep sky observers.
This was shipped from the United States, but unfortunately arrived with half of Chapter Six missing with blank pages instead of print. An email to the dispatchers, All Direct, soon rectified this and they sent a replacement copy which is excellent service. The replacement copy is, I'm glad to report, intact!
There are the usual, but important, chapters on astronomy, telescopes and finding one's way around the night sky before a chapter on note making and sketching and then chapters on the deepsky at different times of the year. Chapter Six is about Spring galaxies, seven is about Summer objects, eight is about autumn galaxies and nine is about the bright Winter skies. As well as photos, the chapters are illustrated with sketches of the objects from the author and others and, for me, this is a big plus point of the book in a day and age where pretty CCD and digital images are regarded as 'everything'.
Each featured object has notes and a description of its appearance. Some of the brighter Messier and NGC objects have nearly a page each, while the less bright ones have at least a few lines devoted to them.
All in all, this is a worthwhile book and I highly recommend it, not only to beginners, but also to experienced deep sky observers just because of the wealth of information and the sketches inside.
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Philip's Deep Sky Observer's Guide by Neil Bone
Published by Philips, London, UK, 2004. ISBN 0-540-08585-5. Softback, price £9.99 223 pages.
I found this new title while killing some time in the astronomy section at Waterstone's, Southampton, so I bought myself a copy to add to my collection of deep sky observing literature - being an avid collector of said material.
On first glance the book is a small A5 sized softback and therefore ideal for the pocket. It is a softback with thin card covers and good quality paper inside. While by no means of rugged construction, it will stand some use outside on dewy or frosty nights because it isn't flimsy and it won't disintegrate after some heavy use at the telescope.
Neil starts off with an introduction to the deep sky, the basics such as magnitude, sky co-ordinates, directions and angles, equipment, etc, and as such covers everything the deep sky beginner needs to know. There are also sections on planning an observing session, what to record and sketching. While all this is essential to a beginner, it is also of use to the more experienced observer who may wish to remind him/herself of the basics.
Later chapters are arranged by object category with such information as object designation, constellation it is located in, RA and declination, magnitude and a description of each object as it appears in the eyepiece. There are star charts, sketches and photographs, too. Obviously the book is by no means exhaustive in the selection of objects featured - that would be impossible in a book of this size - but the selection represents very well the brightest and best deep sky objects visible in small amateur telescopes and binoculars.
As a visual observer myself I feel this is a welcome addition to the literature on visual deep sky observing and, while aimed at the novice deep sky observer, is a useful little guide for all observers, no matter their level of expertise because it does no harm to remind oneself of the basics from time to time!
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Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects by Stephen James O'Meara
Published by Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. March 1999. ISBN 0-521-55332-6. Hardback, price £22.50, 304 pages.
This is a large, heavy (just under a kilo in weight) volume and its purpose is to get people observing Charles Messier's (1730 - 1817) famous catalogue of deep sky objects - ironically what Messier is most famous for, not for his comet discoveries, which is what he was really interested in. His famous catalogue of nebulae, clusters and galaxies, etc, are of things he wanted to avoid during his comet searches!
There are chapters on Charles Messier himself (a brief biography), How to observe the Messier Objects, The making of the book, The Messier Objects (a sequential object-by-object chapter - more of which in a moment), Some thoughts on Charles Messier and Twenty spectacular non-Messier objects) plus four appendices on Objects Messier could not find, Messier marathons, A quick guide to navigating the Coma-Virgo cluster and Suggested Reading.
The chapter The Messier Objects is the real heart of the book and treats each object numerically in turn, in great detail. There are extremely comprehensive descriptions and stunning sketches of the objects, as well as black and white photos of each object (Steve O'Meara chose black and white photos because he wanted to keep true to what the amateur was most likely to see in the eyepiece - colour renditions are not accurate in this respect).
O'Meara is using a small amateur instrument for the objects in this book - a 4-inch TeleVue Genesis refractor (having looked through one myself, I can vouch for just how good these are) but is at a major advantage in one, very important, way: he observes from 4000 feet up on Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawai'i. That just happens to be one of the world's very best observing sites! Therefore he sees detail in the objects that many other observers may not pick up - I can't help but wonder how he'd fare in the murky, light polluted south east of England...! This is not to take anything away from someone who is one of the world's best observers, however.
The desriptions are superbly detailed and the sketches are just stunning - all in all a magical book.
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Deep Sky Wonders: Adapted from Walter Scott Houston's columns in Sky and Telescope Selections and Commentary by Stephen James O'Meara
Published by Sky Publishing Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 1999. ISBN 0-933346-93-X Price not known, around £25, 309 pages.
"Walter Scott Houston was an amateur's amateur, a man who could grind a mirror as well as he could estimate the magnitude of a cataclysmic variable or explain how to see dim details in a galactic nebula. Scotty, as he was known to everyone, was a groundbreaker and a ground shaker - generally the first to announce an observing trend and predict its promise or demise. he filled his Deep-Sky Wonders columns with observational magic and fueled the imaginations of countless skywatchers"
This paragraph is from the book's introduction by SJ O'Meara and sums up what "Scotty" meant - and still means - to deep sky observer, not just in the USA, but everywhere. On a personal note, I came across Sky and Telescope in 1992, just in time to read DSW for myself and it was one of the things that inspired me to take up deep sky observing.
O'Meara has selected the best from Scotty's 550 Deep Sky Wonders columns which he wrote every month for Sky and Telescope from September 1946 until his untimely demise in 1993.
The writings as are, in Scotty's own words, although there are notes by O'Meara before each chapter.
The book is full of ideas for observing projects, items of interest, etc, and is another magical volume. It is just the sort of book to get out on cloudy nights and plan observing sessions with, or just to dream about clear nights...
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To be continued...