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can anyone recommend any books

smac

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smac

smac

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hi all im new to the hobby and prior to buying a telescope ive been using my binos to view the night sky but want to know if there any books anyone could recommend so i can get a bit more knowledge under my belt before i make a scope purchase fyi im in the manchester area so light polloution could be a problem.... hope some one can give me a few pointers thx

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Dodge

Dodge

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Welcome to the forum!

Turn Left At Orion - it's a great introduction to what you can see with a smallish scope / binos with good explanations as to what you're actually seeing. There's a new version coming out in August if you're prepared to wait.

Highly recommended.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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A good Atlas? I like Wil Tirion's SkyAtlas2000. I find the others too small for field use.

Amazon.com: Sky Atlas 2000.0 2ed Deluxe Edition (9780521627627): Wil Tirion, Roger W. Sinnott: Books

The Monthly Sky Guide is an attractive book to have handy as well.

Amazon.com: The Monthly Sky Guide (9780521667715): Ian Ridpath, Wil Tirion: Books

O'Meara does some decent guide books but I do find them a bit 'twee' in places. Good though.

Amazon.com: Deep-Sky Companions: The Messier Objects (9780521553322): Stephen James O'Meara: Books

A good reference book for quick checks on what you are looking at might just be the Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy. The science is reliable.

Olly

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matsey

matsey

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Welcome from me too :BangHead:

I'm also very new to the hobby (had my scope just over a month now, completely hooked)...

As well as a +1 for Turn Left at Orion, I can thoroughly recommend The Backyard Astronomer's Guide (Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer) - I've had the latter for about a week now and I wish it had been my first book purchase, it really does have so much useful information for us newbies, I can't praise it highly enough.

Amazon Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/1554073448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311106472&sr=8-1

Matsey

PS... If you can hang on a bit, Turn Left has a new edition coming out end of August ... confess I couldn't wait though, had to buy mine straight away ;)

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Gra

Gra

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Thanks for that Shane. I've not read this one. I'll be ordering this one! :BangHead:

Have just looked at the reviews on Amazon for Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders and it gets 5 stars. Will order this when i get back from Italy i thinks. ;)

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matsey

matsey

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Have just looked at the reviews on Amazon for Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders and it gets 5 stars. Will order this when i get back from Italy i thinks. :BangHead:

me too... *might* have just ordered a copy myself, ooops.. nearly went a whole week without buying something astro-related...;):o

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obscura

obscura

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Why not download free, Stellarium, CduC etc. Tap in your long lats and see today's, tonights, 3000bc, 3000ad etc. skies. You can also see in say hourly, daily etc star and solar system movements across the sky. For pics google messier, NGC.

I assume you are looking for a whats up there book. If you want to delve deeper into astronomy and how it works then the classic for me is "Universe" but not cheap at £40 ish from Amazon - but - worth every penny if that appeals.

Hope this helps

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26Left

26Left

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You've already had plenty of recommendations, but I'll add one. The Amateur Astronomer by Patrick Moore is an old book, but now in its 12th edition I think. But, it gives a broad explanation of what us amateurs can do and I keep coming back to it.

Having said that, its star maps are not much use, so Turn Left at Orion or The Monthly Sky Guide (Ridpath/Tirion) complement it well.

Tom.

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WayBig

WayBig

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Have just looked at the reviews on Amazon for Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders and it gets 5 stars. Will order this when i get back from Italy i thinks. :BangHead:

Got it, love it, but it doesn't tell you much about the objects, just how to find then. I use it in conjunction with sky safari on my iPod as that has loads of info on what it is that I'm actually looking at.

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ismangil

ismangil

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Welcome from me too :BangHead:

I'm also very new to the hobby (had my scope just over a month now, completely hooked)...

As well as a +1 for Turn Left at Orion, I can thoroughly recommend The Backyard Astronomer's Guide (Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer) - I've had the latter for about a week now and I wish it had been my first book purchase, it really does have so much useful information for us newbies, I can't praise it highly enough.

Amazon Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/1554073448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311106472&sr=8-1

Matsey

PS... If you can hang on a bit, Turn Left has a new edition coming out end of August ... confess I couldn't wait though, had to buy mine straight away ;)

+1 for both the above. BAG for really good all round explanation of equipment and basics of observing. Orion book for practising star hopping.

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russ

russ

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This is my favourite book of all time:

Astronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky: Amazon.co.uk: Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson: Books

Plenty of advice for choosing a telescope. Tells you about all the different telescope types, their pros and cons. Also plenty about useful accessories. Observing tips galore.

And if you go the route of buying a dobsonian telescope, then it can recommend lots of different mods to improve the scope.

Also another thumbs up to:

Turn Left at Orion

Sky Atlas 2000.0

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