top five astro books?

[Ags]

What are your top 5 astro books?

My bookshelf is bare... I'm wondering what I should buy. I am interested in everything, the book just has to be good.

[GazOC]

For observing guides I like Stephen O'Mearas books for the Messier, Caldwell, Herchell etc catalogues. A good general book is the Doring Kinsleys "Universe", very informative, great pics and well set out.

[Odd Dob]

I'm sure there's an existing thread on this.

On a related note, my wife bought me Wil Tirion's SkyAtlas 2000.0. It was a special present for being a good boy. It's one of the full size versions and I hadn't really appreciate just how big it was. At least if the weather turns bad I can now improvise a makeshift shelter from the elements.

[nightvision]

Another vote for: DK 'Universe'; get the hardback, it's a keeper for sure, many of the David Levy books are worth checking out.

[Multi-Coated]

Making every photon count . Just couldn't grasp what was going on to get started , but seems a really straightforward beginners guide to Astro-photography. If this interests you then well worth a copy.

[david o]

Other than Turn Left at Orion and The Backyard Astronomer's Guide (full of great advice) I like these :

Astronomy Hacks, full of tips 'n' tricks and you can't go far wrong with Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas.

If you live with light pollution then The Urban Astronomer's Guide gives useful advice and for moon-watching try the Moon Observer's Guide or Rukl's classic Moon, Mars and Venus.

Making Every Photon Count, by SGL's very own steppenwolf and Sky Atlas 2000.0 both get my vote too

Burnham's Celestial Handbook, vols One, Two and Three come highly recommended as well. I've got them, but haven't started reading yet.

[kris h]

Im reading at the moment a book by patrick moore , brian may

& chris lintott called BANG The Complete History Of The Universe

got given to me as a gift for christmas only just started reading it

couple of days ago .

[glowjet]

The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, one of the best how to find and what you can see with small scopes. and another vote for Backyard Astronomers Guide.

[Lonnie]

A Walk through the Heavens (A guide to stars and constellation and their legends)

An Introduction to Galaxies and Cosmology

Bang

A couple of vintage tomes:

The Promise of Space by Arther C Clark (1968 - still a good read)

Modern Cosmology by Jagjit Singh (1961, 1970)

Finally,

Atlas of the Universe - Patrick Moore

[steppenwolf]

The Cambridge Atlas of Herschel Objects - beautiful charts

Comets and How to Observe Them by Richard Schmude - so much detail

[ollypenrice]

Kepple and Sanner's Night Sky Observer's Guide. Three volumes (one being southern sky). If it isn't in here you have just discovered it!

Kauffmann's Universe, an undergraduate textbook but hugely accessible.

What Immortal Fire Within, the life and work of Edward Emmerson Barnard. A tale of dedication and triumph over poverty, deprivation and crass establishment figures. Heartwarming.

Edwin Hubble, Mariner of the Nebulae. Not the nicest guy in the world but he did make a couple of significant observations...

The Magic Furnace, the story of atoms. Marcus Chown. Brilliant.

Olly

[BinocularSky]

I think the "best books" depend on the branch of astronomy that you enjoy reading about. I tend not to read about observing -- I prefer just to do it. I enjoy reading about the history of astronomy and archaeo-astronomy. There are seven astronomy books that I wouldn't be without and these are, in no particular order:

Arthur Upgren: Night Has a Thousand Eyes: Naked Eye Guide to the Sky, its Science and Lore -- if there is one astronomy book only I could have, it would be this one. "Accidental" discovery as I was sent one to review for Deep Sky Observer (copy of review here). This is, quite simply, the best introduction to naked eye astronomy yet written. Upgren weaves a remarkable book that takes the reader to a greater depth of understanding and knowledge than any other book aimed at a similar readership. The style is captivating and the explanations have a simplicity that comes from a mastery of the subject matter.

Ridpath & Tirion: Collins Gem Stars -- the only pocket star atlas that actually fits in a shirt pocket -- my constant observing companion for the last 15 years at least; mine is so old that it has the original title: Collins Gem Night Sky.

Julius Staal: The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars -- superb "jumping off point" for astro-mythology.

Owen Gingerich: The Great Copernicus Chase and Other Adventures in Astronomical History: -- Gingerich is a superb writer and this has 36 stand-alone chapters, wonderful for a quick "dip-in".

Michael Hoskin: The Cambridge Concise History of Astronomy -- does exactly what it says on the tin.

John North: Stonehenge -- A New Interpretation of Prehistoric Man and the Cosmos -- utterly superb; IMO the best book on megaliths and chalk hill figures ever written and fills some gaps in the Ruggles book (below).

Clive Ruggles: Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain and Ireland -- Ruggles is very rigorous in his approach, and distinguishes strongly between what is demonstrable and what is speculative. Very, very good.

[Macavity]

The ones that inspired me to START:

Our Sun and the Worlds About it - Golden Picturebook

(My Dad's) The Nature of the Universe - Fred Hoyle

The Observers Book of Astronomy - Patrick Moore

A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets - Donald H Menzel

Collins Concise Encyclopedia of Astronomy

Then the ones that inspire me to CONTINUE:

Turn Left at Orion - Consolmagno & Davis

Cambridge Star Atlas - Wil Tirion

The Steve O'Meara "Trilogy"...

Deep Sky Video Astronomy - Massey & Quirk

Still awaiting the fifth...

[cervesca]

Burnhams Celestial Handbook vols 1,2 and 3!

[West End Wendy]

Superb list there from tetenterre. Just added the lot to my Amazon wish list.

Tim

[Si W]

Good reading

Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design.

Universe Sixth Edition (very informative)

Wonders of the Solar System.

And I still have the first book my parents got me published in 1981, The Practical Astronomer, by Colin A Ronan

Reference

Uranometria 2000.0 volume's 1 & 2

for convenience Wi Tirion Cambridge Star Atlas 2000.0

Sky Cataloge 2000.0 Volume's 1 & 2.

NGC 2000.

[Dave R]

These two stand out for me...

The Day We Found the Universe - Marcia Bartusiak

About the discovery of galaxies and the expansion of the universe.

Mapping Mars - Oliver Morton

History of Mars observation / exploration up to the Pathfinder mission.

[fatwoul]

"Companion to the Cosmos" by John Gribbin. Might be a bit out of date now, but that book helped me a lot at university, because it starts at first principles in discussing and describing several concepts.

[night vision]

Cambridge Star Atlas;

Steve O'Meara's Deep Sky Companion Messier Objects, and Hidden Gems;

The Hatfield Lunar Photographic Atlas by Jeremy Cook;

Contact by Carl Sagan - it is even better than the film.

Liz

[Ags]

THanks everyone... Amazon, here I come!

[DarkSky71]

Patrick Moores Biography is a fascinating read. Have also just read a book called "Strange New Worlds - The Search for Alien Planets" , a factual book about the hunt for exoplanets and the methods and mistakes made along the way.

[BinocularSky]

Superb list there from tetenterre.

Thanks, Tim. A few more that might be worth a look:

If you like making astro-gadgets that are actually useful:

H. Robert Mills: Practical Astronomy - A User-friendly Handbook for Skywatchers -- All manner of stuff to make, most of which will aid an understanding of how "stuff out there" moves.

Richard Knox: Experiments in Astronomy for Amateurs -- I still have the astrolabe and the Capuchin sundial that I made from this book decades ago. Very rich source of DIY astro-gadgetry. Actually constructing the stuff helps you to understand how things like projections work. Out of print, but worth keeping an eye open for a used copy.

If you want to understand "all about astronomy and cosmology" (but expensive, so probably library-fare or used), I use both of these to ensure that my background is secure on the astronomy courses I teach:

J.E. van Zyl: Unveiling the Universe - An Introduction to Astronomy -- Would probably be better known if it was a lot less expensive. Far better than "Wonders" (am I allowed to say that here? ), it takes everything from first principles and takes them to a level far more profound and satisfying than most popular astronomy books. This is an outstanding book, perhaps one of the most complete introductory astronomy books ever published. I wish I could write like this.

Hannu Karttunen (ed) et. al. : Fundamental Astronomy -- The "fundamental" in this case means "the fundamental things you ought to know if you are going to take his subject seriously". Forget it if maths and physics frighten you. Overlaps a bit with the van Zyl book, but moves it on to a significantly higher level. I think it's widely used as a university text book.

[GeorgeB]

I've got 3 favourites:

1. Universe - Kaufmann & Freedman (THE definitive astronomy undergraduate textbook)

2. Norton's Star Atlas - a classic observers general reference

3. Turn Left at Orion - THE definitive beginners observing guide

[david o]

Aaarrgghhh ! Stop it !

My Amazon wish-list is growing faster than my bank balance

Thanks all.

Steve, there are quite a few there that I normally wouldn't go for, but look very interesting. Ta for pointing them out.