Books for Beginners , which to buy ?

[yesteryeargames]

Hi I have just orderd a copy of Turn Left at Orion, after reading some reccomendations on here.

Are there any others i should consider, i see that there are several Phillips books for under £5 on amazon should i look into gettin any of those rght now ?

Are there any books by Sir Patrick i should look for too.

I dont have a planishere yet are the phillips ones good, should i get a glow in the dark one , apart from amazon and ebay where else sells these books at good prices,

I had to pay £18 from amazon marketplace for TLAO,

i am on a very tight budget just after getting a Skywatcher 200p dob, proud owner of my first ever scope

But my birthday is not too far off so i thought i would find out what other books are good so i can drop a few hints

thank you again.

[yesteryeargames]

Edit just seen that there is a thread called

Essential reading for those who are thinking about getting into Astronomy

i am very sorry for making a needless extra thread im quite new to this site , i will be more careful in future,

would still like to get some help should i delete this ? if possible and post in the pinned thread

[JamesF]

A planisphere is handy for learning your way around the constellations, but I'd not bother with a glow-in-the-dark one. I have the standard philips one and it's fine with a red light torch.

The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders is a nice follow-on to TLAO, but there's no rush to purchase it if you're on a budget.

James

[wookie1965]

The sky at night answers and questions from across the universe is a good read its by Sir Patrick & Chris North. Another one i found interesting is by Philips called Practical Astronomy by Storm Dunlop quite alot of useful information in there.

[yesteryeargames]

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100&productId=304350

seems a good deal ?

[yesteryeargames]

A planisphere is handy for learning your way around the constellations, but I'd not bother with a glow-in-the-dark one. I have the standard philips one and it's fine with a red light torch.

The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders is a nice follow-on to TLAO, but there's no rush to purchase it if you're on a budget.

James

thanks, what lat would i need being in cornwall england.

[JamesF]

The usual 51.5 degrees one is fine for me though I'm actually (a little) further south than that. Even at Lizard point you'd be north of 49 degrees, so it's going to make very little difference if you go for the 51.5 degree one.

James

[yesteryeargames]

Oh right , well I live in a small town called Penzance I can see the lizard. From where I live ,

[Nibor]

For a selection of bargain priced astronomy books - search on "Astronomy" with Abebooks:-

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/

[Lee M]

Don't forget the library. I borrowed a couple of books last week as TLaO hadn't arrived yet. And it was pouring down with rain & I had to do something that didn't involve surfing the forum and spending hundreds of virtual pounds!

Lee

[JamesF]

Oh right , well I live in a small town called Penzance I can see the lizard. From where I live ,

I think the 51.5 degrees version will be fine. A degree and a half is not going to make a noticeable difference, particularly as it's very unlikely to be able to see down to better than a few degrees above the horizon.

James

[Spacecadet2010]

I was bought "Turn Right.." for Christmas and think it's excellent, perfect for my level at least, and the authors recommend taking it outside and getting it "grass stained and dewy". I have also been enjoying "Practical Astronomy with your Calculator Or Spreadsheet" by Peter Duffett-Smith, which walks through some calculations for working out your own predictions. I think it's great for when you can't get outside, and it's not too mathsy.

[Starhoparfa]

I have acquired several over the last year but have found DK's 'The Practical Astonomer' to be a fantastic coffee table book that is difficult not to pick up.

The detailed constellation and starhopping chapter is particularly excellent for observing but, unfortunately, there are no snippets of those pages on Amazon's 'look inside' facility:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Astronomer-Dk-Astronomy/dp/1405356200/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358719196&sr=1-2#_

[Lenny147]

TLAO and the Phillips Stargazing 2013 will be keeping me going this year

[Starhoparfa]

Oh, and I also have this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Practical-Astronomy-Storm-Dunlop/dp/0540089990/ref=sr_1_72?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358720287&sr=1-72#_

It's covers more of the scientific aspects of astronomy and at £1.50 (for the old edition I have) for a 200-page book, what a bargain!

[glowjet]

As I see you have a 200P you just might like a copy of " Observing the Deep Sky " Darren Bushnall, the only expensive thing about this publication is the postage

John.

[Blazar]

Welcome to SGL....do you know how you way around the night sky first? would recommend the £4.99 book by Sir Patrick and Phillips called: 'Phillips guide to the Night Sky' starts right at the basics, and then shows you how to move around the constellations (as well as find some objects of interest). do you have any binoculars? they would be helpful as well...

Regards

Steve

[mikeyrea]

TLAO is a great book, although for some reason I do feel the need to draw in the imaginary lines making up the constellations to help me find my may - although this is maybe no bad thing as it has helped to impart a few more of these to memory! I usually try to plan out an evenings observing and it's handy to have at least some of it lodged into my head before I start.

As I'm still waiting for my lottery numbers to come up (any time now!) I too tend to err on the side of frugality and Lee M's suggestion of the Library is a good one. I don't know what they're like in Blighty, but here in the Provence you can search the NI online database and order any book from it to be sent to your local Library, all for a nominal fee. I recently borrowed the 'Backyard Astronomer's Guide' by Dickenson & Dyer, which is another fantastic book, although not the cheapest.

I also picked up a copy of 'Astronomy' by Ian Ridpath at 'The Works' bookshop, for about £3 or £4. This is well worth the money and I particularly like the way it has a page or two for each constellation, describing the most interesting / accessible views in each one.

[yesteryeargames]

I have TLAO on the way too

I have seen this one http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_product_tbp?storeId=10001&langId=100&catalogId=10051&productId=197365&atc=a6c976eabd7a4bcd8a08d89185c95736

Stargazing for beginners just £4.99, is this book any good?

1. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0540087017/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE £3.50 bargain for guide to the night sky , just placed an order
   

[yesteryeargames]

Are the 2 books The Practical Astronomer and Stargazing for beginners the same ?,

[Starhoparfa]

I have acquired several over the last year but have found DK's 'The Practical Astonomer' to be a fantastic coffee table book that is difficult not to pick up.

The detailed constellation and starhopping chapter is particularly excellent for observing but, unfortunately, there are no snippets of those pages on Amazon's 'look inside' facility:

http://www.amazon.co...719196&sr=1-2#_

I have TLAO on the way too

I have seen this one http://www.thebookpe...a08d89185c95736

Stargazing for beginners just £4.99, is this book any good?

1. http://www.amazon.co...=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE £3.50 bargain for guide to the night sky , just placed an order
   

Are the 2 books The Practical Astronomer and Stargazing for beginners the same ?,

It looks like they are. It turns out my book is actually called Stargazing for Beginners and not The Practical Astronomer as I posted above. Indeed, the pages shown on amazon in my link reflect exactly what are in my copy of Stargazing for Beginners. I had it from The Book People too (at work) and I think it was about a fiver. You must get this book for that price. It really is very good for a beginner and the illustrations and photos constantly whet your apetite.

[Starhoparfa]

Oh, and I also have this one:

http://www.amazon.co...20287&sr=1-72#_

It's covers more of the scientific aspects of astronomy and at £1.50 (for the old edition I have) for a 200-page book, what a bargain!

Just wanted to also say that this edition that I have is good 'til at least about 2020 in the currency of its planetary and solar/lunar eclipse information tables. If you want to add a cheapie addition to an Amazon order you'll get so much out of that £1.50 outlay. It covers all the various aspects of astronomy from equipment to explanations of phenomena, planetary and lunar motion, types of stars, binarys, doubles etc, nebulae of the various types and galaxies. There are quite detailed chapters on observing the moon and the various planets, sketching and recording observations, and astrophotography. As I say it's focus leans towards the scientific side of astronomy but it is well explained. I've never sat one but I'd guess it would be useful introduction for a school student taking something like a GCSE in Astronomy. In addition, it really is a good, pocket-sized field guide to the whole topic.