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Best book for hunting DSO's?

stev74

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stev74

stev74

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Ok I know about Turn Left At Orion it's mentioned on here all the time so I assume it's good. There also seems to be some cheaper options like Sky And Telescopes - Pocket Sky Atlas and Philips books also come up when you search.

I have £10 left in my paypal account so without adding anything to it I could already get the Pocket Sky Atlas or some of the Philips books. Or should I add to it and go for the Turn left At Orion which is nearly double the cost?

At the moment I use my monthly guides in Sky At Night mag, my Planisphere and Stellarium. I think it would be good to have a book as well - one that includes Messier Objects and some NGC Objects.

Any help would be great thanks!! :D

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vegas

vegas

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Hi, I really would fork out the extra for turn left, as it actually has pictures of what you can expect to see (invariably a fuzzy mark, though different shapes) rather than the amazing pics alot of other books have. I got it for £18 from whsmith online and it's already well loved, and really helps when searching the areas where you know dso's are lurking.

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GazOC

GazOC

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Steve,

Turn Left is a good book but, going by your last paragraph, may not have everything you want. Its not a comprensive collection of objects by any stretch of the imagination, it just picks out a number from eash season (IIRC) and concentrates on them.

Gaz

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TheThing

TheThing

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I'd say borrow Turn Left from the library (my usual advice as well!) and buy a copy later if you decide you want/need it.

I'd spend the remainder on the S&T Pocket Sky Atlas. I've found (and still find) mine invaluable (thanks Arthur!). It's got all the fuzzies marked in it so should keep you occupied.

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pvaz

pvaz

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I'm in about the same position as you. I just started. In 2 good nights since I received my telescope, I sow 9 Messier objects, Alberio and and Jupiter.

All I know about stargazing comes from Turn Left and random info I read here and around the internet. (Till 1 month ago I had no experience in astronomy, I don't know any amateur astronomer in the flesh and I had never touched a telescope before... )

Turn Left is good because it helps you get a sense on how to starhop. It's a pretty good beginners book that actually shows what you will see. But the selection of objects there is quite limited.

In addition I downloaded this free Messier objects finder charts and, with the starhopping techniques (such as drawing imaginary lines, trianges, etc) learned from Turn Left, it's been easy to locate objects. In addition to the chart I Google in advance the objects I want to see, to have a general idea of the shape for easier identification (it's hard to find objects, specially open clusters, with just the charts if you don't know their shape).

To begin use Turn Left, barrow it if you can. I predict mine will become somewhat useless with experience. The star atlas may be a better tool in the long run since it haves much more objects listed, without the step by step walk through.

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kniclander

kniclander

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And then you graduate to the Illustrated guide to astronomical wonders and finally to the expensive guide to the night sky (blue books) from some American fols in a few volumes each costing about £40....

after TLAO the Guide to Astronomical Wonders is great - I'd guess maybe 1000 or so objects with very helpful little "finderscope view" maps to find each one.:D

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stev74

stev74

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Hi All,

Thanks for the good and quick advice (as usual on SGL). Sometimes you don't think of the simplest solution, I'll give the local library a call in the morning!! It looks like I now have a place to start and a list of books to keep me going as I progress.

I'd spend the remainder on the S&T Pocket Sky Atlas. I've found (and still find) mine invaluable (thanks Arthur!). It's got all the fuzzies marked in it so should keep you occupied.

I'm liking the sound of the Pocket Sky Atlas it sounds quite comprehensive for the price.

after TLAO the Guide to Astronomical Wonders is great - I'd guess maybe 1000 or so objects with very helpful little "finderscope view" maps to find each one.:D

This also sounds interesting with the "finderscope view" and loads of objects.

Cheers

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acey

acey

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I've never used "Turn Left", I know it has a big following - but it's possible to do deep-sky observing without it!

I use maps and atlases. I started with the Collins Gem guide:

Stars (Collins GEM): Amazon.co.uk: Ian Ridpath, Wil Tirion: Books

It costs less than £5, is small enough to fit in a binocular case, and has constellation charts with bright DSOs marked (Messier and some NGC). I first found M33 and lots of others using this book.

Nowadays when doing bino or small-scope observing I use a slightly deeper atlas, still pocket size (though you need a bigger pocket):

A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets Peterson Field Guides: Amazon.co.uk: PASACHOFF: Books

It's under a tenner on Amazon - I like this books so much I got two copies, one for my shelf, with the other I cut out everything except the atlas pages, to make it more portable (the book has nearly 600 pages). The star maps go down to mag 6.5, I think (the Collins Gem only goes to about 4 or 5).

Going deeper, with my 8-inch scope I used SkyAtlas 2000, and with my 12" I now use Uranometria, which is expensive but worth it.

As guides on which objects to see, the most useful books for me have been these:

Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects Deep-sky Companions: Amazon.co.uk: David H. Levy, Stephen James O'Meara: Books

Observing the Caldwell Objects: Amazon.co.uk: David Ratledge: Books

Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects: Amazon.co.uk: Christian B. Luginbuhl;Brian A. Skiff: Books

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stev74

stev74

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Thanks for the extra info acey and Peter -

As guides on which objects to see, the most useful books for me have been these:

Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects Deep-sky Companions: Amazon.co.uk: David H. Levy, Stephen James O'Meara: Books

This book looks interesting I've been thinking of concentrating on the Messier Object and keeping a proper log.

When I "banned" the internet connection in the OBS after chatting whilst imaging I used to find the S&T poket Atlas invaluable for alternate target selection ...

It's very field friendly as well...

I've ordered a couple of the books from the library this morning including 'Turn Left'. I think I'm going to order S&T Pocket Sky Atlas from Amazon anyway because of the positive feedback and the fact it's small enough to go anywhere. :D

Cheers

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