Observation Books; Old Favourites and Essentials.

[fozzybear]

5 minutes ago, Franklin said:

I've seen them available for under a tenner from the usual places.

the river or a good online book seller?

[Franklin]

Talking of old books, another is Webbs Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. A lot of people, especially younger people, will not find this work very readable, though it was the inspiration for Burnhams work and the only attempt at an observers handbook before the Celestial Handbook. Yes, it was penned by an old clergyman in Victorian times and the style is more Charles Dickens than Patrick Moore, but to me that's not the point, to have a record of what WAS seen through small telescopes from all those years ago is valuable to modern observers, because 150 or so years is nothing on the astronomical time scale. I had to force myself to read it, but I'm glad I did because it shows how people thought about what they'd observed at the eyepiece, from way back in the day, before modern science explained what it was they were actually seeing.

www.stellar-journeys.org/Father of Amateur Astronomy.pdf 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Franklin

[Franklin]

16 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

a good online book seller?

Abebooks is a good one.

Just been on Abebooks and there's 1966ed of Nortons for 74p +postage.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Franklin

[fozzybear]

2 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Abebooks is a good one.

found a good copy HB for 5 quid plus postage on abebooks so 10 quid in total posted to me.. will let you know 

Edited February 21, 2022 by fozzybear
added text

[Franklin]

1 minute ago, fozzybear said:

found a good copy HB for 5 quid plus postage on abebooks so 10 quid in total posted to me.. will let you know 

👍

[fozzybear]

Because I emptied all my drawers last night of books I have been offered a privilege of said bookcase a shelf to myself. Looking good as we have 3 bookcases full of novels about time some factual Science section.... :)  

[Swithin StCleeve]

Thanks to a kind SGL member I've managed to get O'Meara's Hidden Treasures at a good price, so I now have all the O'Meara Northern Hemisphere observation guides. I was surprised how thick Hidden Treasures is - 600 pages!
Chance of a bit of clear sky tonight, I'm just making a list of possible targets from my new book.

 

 

[mikeDnight]

Here's one for all the deep sky fans. 

 

[fozzybear]

On 21/02/2022 at 22:51, Franklin said:

I think the 17th ed was the last epoch1950, not sure, should say inside the cover of 19th ed epoch 2000 that you have. Either way it's the one that Ian Ridpath didn't edit.

Well my copy turned up today via abebooks in great condition many thanks for the heads up

[fozzybear]

On 24/02/2022 at 17:05, Swithin StCleeve said:

Thanks to a kind SGL member I've managed to get O'Meara's Hidden Treasures at a good price, so I now have all the O'Meara Northern Hemisphere observation guides. I was surprised how thick Hidden Treasures is - 600 pages!
Chance of a bit of clear sky tonight, I'm just making a list of possible targets from my new book.

 

 

I've only gone and placed and order for the first book "deep sky messier objects" for a tenner a slippery slope 

[Swithin StCleeve]

Wow! That's a bargain, well done!

Mine was £30 from an astro show. It's a lovely book, you'll be very pleased, I'm sure.

[fozzybear]

Well this turned up today a first edition in mint condition

now on the hunt for for the second book

[fozzybear]

No just found Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects for 13 quid  so on the way to a friend in the UK albeit wont get it till Easter as seller would not post to France

[fozzybear]

On 11/03/2022 at 21:47, fozzybear said:

Well this turned up today a first edition in mint condition

now on the hunt for for the second book

I am so impressed with this book great detail and the layout 

[Paz]

Here's my favourite atlas to look at (but I would never take it out into the field!), the Atlas Coeli...

[JeremyS]

39 minutes ago, Paz said:

Here's my favourite atlas to look at (but I would never take it out into the field!), the Atlas Coeli...

I remember ordering a copy of that in the mid 70s from Sky & Telescope. I gave it away years ago, but still have the Catalogue.

At the time it was groundbreaking. Less useful now as is Epoch 1950.0. Sky Aylad 2000 is its successor.

Legendary nova and comet discoverer George Alcock used it but found loads of errors , especially missing stars. He catalogued these over the years; e.g. https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1967Astr....4..163V

[Paz]

28 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

I remember ordering a copy of that in the mid 70s from Sky & Telescope. I gave it away years ago, but still have the Catalogue.

At the time it was groundbreaking. Less useful now as is Epoch 1950.0. Sky Aylad 2000 is its successor.

Legendary nova and comet discoverer George Alcock used it but found loads of errors , especially missing stars. He catalogued these over the years; e.g. https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1967Astr....4..163V

I got it (along with the Norton atlas) because Burnham referred to these 2 atlases in the Celestial Handbooks so to me those books plus these atlases kind-of make up a set and a piece of history.

[skyhog]

Just found this among my many astro books, got it around the mid 70s. Nice little photographic atlas. Used it a lot back then.... 

[Swithin StCleeve]

On 12/03/2022 at 21:14, fozzybear said:

No just found Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects for 13 quid  so on the way to a friend in the UK albeit wont get it till Easter as seller would not post to France

You're doing really well Fozzy. 

If I'd have seen it for £13.00 I'd have bought it as a 'field' copy, even though I have one.

There are four O'Meara Northern Hemisphere Deep-Sky companions. Messier: Caldwell: Secret Deep and Hidden Treasures.  I bet you'll not rest till you have all four!

[fozzybear]

4 minutes ago, Swithin StCleeve said:

You're doing really well Fozzy. 

If I'd have seen it for £13.00 I'd have bought it as a 'field' copy, even though I have one.

There are four O'Meara Northern Hemisphere Deep-Sky companions. Messier: Caldwell: Secret Deep and Hidden Treasures.  I bet you'll not rest till you have all four!

Well my friend in the UK has not yet received it so a pain will give the supplier till end of the month then search for another copy and seek a refund via Abebooks . The last one well certainly is a hidden treasure and expensive.

Andy

[Swithin StCleeve]

5 minutes ago, fozzybear said:

Well my friend in the UK has not yet received it so a pain will give the supplier till end of the month then search for another copy and seek a refund via Abebooks . The last one well certainly is a hidden treasure and expensive.

Andy

I was really lucky. I put a post in the 'Wanted' secion on SGL, and someone answered a day later. They sold it for almost the price of a new in print O'Meara book, which was far less than I saw it for on-line.

Good luck! The book is amazing and the most in-depth of all the O'Meara four Northern Hemisphere books. It's 600 pages!!!

 

[fozzybear]

14 minutes ago, Swithin StCleeve said:

I was really lucky. I put a post in the 'Wanted' secion on SGL, and someone answered a day later. They sold it for almost the price of a new in print O'Meara book, which was far less than I saw it for on-line.

Good luck! The book is amazing and the most in-depth of all the O'Meara four Northern Hemisphere books. It's 600 pages!!!

 

fingers crossed might find a copy

[F15Rules]

On 10/02/2022 at 18:07, Paz said:

Burnham's celestial handbooks

+1👍😊

Dave

[fozzybear]

On 26/03/2022 at 01:28, fozzybear said:

Well my friend in the UK has not yet received it so a pain will give the supplier till end of the month then search for another copy and seek a refund via Abebooks . The last one well certainly is a hidden treasure and expensive.

Andy

Well Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Object never turned up so looking for a copy

[jjohnson3803]

Although I use my Jumbo Pocket atlas most, I miss my ancient Norton's.  It was disintegrating with age though, so I binned it.  Probably a mistake.

I have a set of Burnham's that I purchased in the mid-70s, but I rarely use them.  No real reason, they're just on my harder to reach bookshelf.

I also have O'Meara's Messier book, but his illustrations are nowhere near what I see.  But I'm in heavy LP and he apparently has the eyesight of a hawk, so...

TLAO is a mainstay along with several bino books.  The bino books match what I see with my scopes at home better than telescope guides.