Exploring the night sky with binoculars - Patrick Moore

[mark81]

Hi All

In a recent post it was suggested to me that I should take a look at Patrick Moore's book, 'exploring the night sky with binoculars' as I had just got myself an 80mm short tube refractor.  As this was my first ever telescope I guess I can be forgiven for having false expectations - taking the scope out and viewing all the wonders of the night sky like a pro - this is of course not the case.  So I got the book and made another mistake - I flicked through it with a cynical eye looking briefly at the pictures and putting it down again.  A day or two later I gave it another chance, reading the first chapter word for word. This is all I needed - I was hooked and have since read the whole thing.  There really is something quite special about the enthusiasm that Sir Patrick Moore uses in this book making you so much more at ease in owning a smaller scope - binoculars or even just a star map - making you appreciate even single stars and the colours they show.  I realise that this is old news to most of you and although this is a great book for someone starting out in the hobby, I feel it could easily take an experienced astronomer back to basics and maybe remind them why they got into astronomy in the first place.

A great read!

[RT65CB-SWL]

His Mark and welcome to SGL.

Yes - it is a good book. The late Sir Patrick Moore  spring-boarded a lot of amatuer's into this wonderful hobby. His booksand sense of writing style are easy to understand ...unlike his dress sense.  Another great from the same epoch was Carl Sagan too.

 

Now days it is Brian Cox and Matt Taylor  ...apologies ladies, I do love this shirt.  

 

[devdusty]

Hello Mark 81

I also have Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars by the late Sir Patrick Moore. It is a very useful book but I find the descriptions of star colours a bit exaggerated.Through  10 x 50 binoculars I can only see Arcturus as being slightly orange. All the other stars are basically white.

Best wishes

Devdusty

[Stu]

It's an excellent book, one of the first astro books I read. I think it is in there that he describes the Mizar/Alcor system which was the first thing I looked at through a telescope and remains a regular favourite for that reason.

@devdusty I find star colours can be quite distinct in binoculars, I guess everyone's colour sensitivity varies?