Burnham's Celestial Handbooks.....

[Doc]

The wifes asked me what I want for xmas. I really don't need that much so though I would like some astro type books.

The ones I have in mind are the three volume collection od Burnham's Celestial Handbooks. Altogether over 2400 pages so plenty to keep me busy.

Has anyone got these and what are they like? What does it contain?

Thx.

[Andrew*]

They're brill: http://stargazerslounge.com/equipment-reviews/66026-armchair-entertainment-burnhams-celestial-handbook.html

[crepitis]

I have all three volumes which I picked up from a second hand USA dealer via Amazon.

They are terrific books, that I would heartily reccomend.

to quote the blurb on the back of the books

"Each constellation is divided into four subject sections, Lists of double and multiple stars, List of variable stars, List of star clusters, nebulae and galaxies, and descriptive notes.....The joy of the book is in the descriptive notes that follow...covering History, unusual movements or appearances, ...for each object the author gives names, celestial co-ordinates, classification and full physical description.

....hundreds of charts and other visual aids are included, ...over 600 photographs capture the objects ,and, in themselves, are works of beauty..."

A worthy purchase , in my opinion

[Dave]

It is an excellent set of books.

Great for information and objects to observe.

[AstroTiger]

I bought all three volumes from amazon for under a tenner.

A great reference. Shame its out of print now though.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Mick

I thought about buying the Burnham set of books but I understand that they are based on Epoch 1950 - not a major problem but something you should think about.

I have also seen these books whilst I visited this shop in Sale - link » Opticstar - advanced CCD imaging solutions.. I thought that they were very good and I might yet consider buying them. However, whilst in the shop decided to spend the cash on the Uranometria 2000 star atlas. I thought the atlas was so good decided to buy the volume 2 which takes you from +6 Dec downwards

Mark

[crepitis]

Mark, please excuse my ignorance, but when you say that the books are "based on epoch 1950" ,does this mean that the thinking behind the books was formed in the 1950's or does "epoch 1950" mean something else ?

(as I said, excuse my ignorance )

[Dave]

It means all the co-ordinates of the objects given is according to 1950's positions as this changes over time. But the volumes still have a vast amount of information in them.

[Mark at Beaufort]

This is an astro dictionary explanation of Epoch. From what I understand the Burnham maps and their co-ordinates are based on star positions from 1950. This is not a major problem but clearly some stars would have moved during the 50 year period but the list of DSOs would still be relevant.

In astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time for which celestial coordinates or orbital elements are specified. In the case of celestial coordinates, the position at other times can be computed by taking into account precession and proper motion. In the case of orbital elements, it is necessary to take account of perturbation by other bodies in order to calculate the orbital elements for a different time.

The currently used standard epoch is J2000.0, which is January 1, 2000 at 12:00 TT. The prefix "J" indicates that it is a Julian epoch. The previous standard epoch was B1950.0, with the prefix "B" indicating it was a Besselian epoch.

For this reason I preferred the books that I saw in Sale, Nr Manchester

Mark

[Merlin66]

Burnham's should be on EVERY amateur's bookshelf!!!

It has all the bases covered- historical info - technical info - and a fantastic collection of double star, variable star, and DSO's by Constellation.

Very highly recommended!!!!!!:)

[crepitis]

Thanks Eagleseye and Mark, thats cleared that up for me ... learning all the time

[Talitha]

Get them, Mick.. the Burnham set is an Amateur classic.

Sure, the co-ordinates may not be accurate but the 2000 numbers are easily had. What i absolutely love about the set is Burnham's writing style... when i close the volume, the left and right sides of my brain are both happy.

I'm not sure if Amateurs on your side of the Atlantic are familiar with this story about Burnham, written 12 years ago. Quite sad, really.

Sky Writer

[Doc]

Cheers Guys I will definitely get these for xmas. On Amazon they are pretty cheap so would make a great prezzie for me.

Does it contain charts as well?

[Ibbo!]

Just to add my endorsment

I also like these

Night Sky Observer’s Guide

Night Sky Observer's Guide by George Kepple, Glenn Sanner, Jenni Kay amd Ian Cooper

Steve

[Talitha]

No charts, but there are pages of columns with info on specific objects and pages and pages of text info.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Thanks Carol for the link I certainly did not know the tragic story of Robert Burnham Jr. Perhaps one day NASA will name a space craft after him!

Mark

[crepitis]

I'm not sure if Amateurs on your side of the Atlantic are familiar with this story about Burnham, written 12 years ago. Quite sad, really.

Sky Writer

A sad end for a brilliant atronomer,

[Merlin66]

No star charts, but a lot of detailed finder charts and photographs etc.

Add this to Tirions Sky Atlas - and you have 99% of everthing you'll ever need.

[Doc]

No star charts, but a lot of detailed finder charts and photographs etc.

Add this to Tirions Sky Atlas - and you have 99% of everthing you'll ever need.

Is this the one thats laminated. If so is it best white on black or black on white?

[Merlin66]

I have both, and the "deluxe" spiral bound colour version....

Based on actually usage the black stars on the white background is definately the most used version ( Laminated)

[Doc]

I have both, and the "deluxe" spiral bound colour version....

Based on actually usage the black stars on the white background is definately the most used version ( Laminated)

Is this the one thats best to use at night with a red torch.

[Merlin66]

No. The white stars on the black background show up much better under the red light.......

But for marking objects to observe ( and the new comet) -a wax crayon on the "Desk" edition gets more use.

[michigander]

My favorite cloudy night book! Picked up all three volumes from Aamazon for a very reasonable price. I just love these books!

Dana

[Talitha]

Mick, if scopeside charts are what you're looking for, you might want to check out The Millennium Star Atlas or something comparable (the MSA goes down to magnitude 11).

TBH, i don't use my Sky Atlas 2000 charts any more because they don't give enough detail for my 8" aperture... you've got twice that much.

[Doc]

Mick, if scopeside charts are what you're looking for, you might want to check out The Millennium Star Atlas or something comparable (the MSA goes down to magnitude 11).

TBH, i don't use my Sky Atlas 2000 charts any more because they don't give enough detail for my 8" aperture... you've got twice that much.

Thanks Carol I'll go and have a look for this.