Materials on astronomy

[jasonwebster]

Hi, I've just become interested in astronomy - observation and research. I have basic theoretical knowledge of astronomy and cosmology. I will need some guidance and I hope that I will get it from here. Does anyone have good suggestions or good documentation. I want to learn and deepen my knowledge. Thanks!

[Alan64]

Welcome, Jason.

I got my first telescope at the age of eight, or nine; yes, it's been a while...

It now looks as I feel.

Where do you live in this cwazy universe?   That was not a typo.

I won't be able to help you spend your money on a new telescope until I know where you live.

[Shimrod]

4 hours ago, jasonwebster said:

Hi, I've just become interested in astronomy - observation and research. I have basic theoretical knowledge of astronomy and cosmology. I will need some guidance and I hope that I will get it from here. Does anyone have good suggestions or good documentation. I want to learn and deepen my knowledge. Thanks!

I picked up this book for free on Kindle after someone else here posted the link a while back. It supports academic courses and has a lot of good reviews so sounds like it might be useful for you.   astronomy

[AstroMuni]

6 hours ago, jasonwebster said:

I've just become interested in astronomy - observation and research.

Welcome to the group. If you can provide a bit more info on specifics of what you are interested in we should be able to provide some links, books etc. As you can imagine the topic of Observation is vast and when you say Research - thats even more so.

Have you read this?

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by AstroMuni

[Zermelo]

Welcome to the forum.

I was in a similar position to you a year or more ago - I had been reading about astronomy all my life, but never done any proper observing. There are so many good, free resources out there before you even think about buying books.

One place you might start is the BAA's starting out page, which signposts onward links to various topics you will need to know something about. There's a lot to learn on the observational side that could easily escape someone with an interest only in theoretical astronomy. Unless you have a specific interest in astrophotography, you might want to avoid that for a while - it can get quite involved.
Once you start to get your head around the main topic areas, you can be a bit more selective about where you want to drill down. This forum is a great resource in itself. Perhaps check out the "sticky" posts under the subheadings first, then use the search facility to track down more. If you are struggling to find or understand something, you will find the members are very helpful.

Good luck.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Zermelo

[Alan64]

On occasion, I search within eBay looking for used books on a wide range of astronomical subjects; for example...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=astronomy+books&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=2750|4000|5000|6000

[RT65CB-SWL]

Hi @jasonwebster and welcome to SGL. 

Everyone has or has different skill sets. Being a member 'here' [other astronomy forums are also available] helps a lot.
Also becoming a member and supporting your 'local' astronomy society/club.

[saac]

Turn Left At Orion always comes highly recommended .  Also download free copy of Stellarium (planetarium) this will help get you up to speed on what is visible from your location. 

Turn Left At Orion

Stellarium

Jim 

Edited July 13, 2021 by saac

[malc-c]

On 12/07/2021 at 03:45, jasonwebster said:

Hi, I've just become interested in astronomy - observation and research. I have basic theoretical knowledge of astronomy and cosmology. I will need some guidance and I hope that I will get it from here. Does anyone have good suggestions or good documentation. I want to learn and deepen my knowledge. Thanks!

Wow, such a open ended question.

What specifically are you looking for.   What level of information can you digest (sometimes unless you are at the level of the late Stephen Hawkings, a scientific paper might as well be written in Klingon as it's beyond the scope of everyday people).  I'm sure if you narrow down your criteria people can offer more targeted replies