Beginners 'Must Have' Books

[TopHouse]

For beginners or experienced alike, what would you say are the 'must have' books?

I've got the following on order from Amazon :-

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

The Backyard Astronomers Guide

Turn Left At Orion

I got my list from the fact that these titles constantly crop up when reading on here.

[AndyH]

Yup. Good choice's there.

I also have,

Burnhams celestial handbook (in three volumes)

The Night Sky Observers guide (2 volumes) Massive and excellent resource. Link: Astro Cards

(not sure of UK availability. I got mine from the USA)

Whilst at the scope, I like to use(along with the pocket sky atlas),

Skyspot finder charts Link: Sky Spot - The Preferred Finder Charts (you don't need a telrad finder to use them)(I think they are available in the UK from Altair Astro? Perhaps elsewhere also?)

Cheers,

Andy.

[Chris H]

'Nightwatch' by Terence Dickinson is an excellent book, lots of good info on equipment, observing , deep space and solar system, plus very good star charts. Good for both beginner and more advanced alike.

[Moonshane]

hi there not books but see the links in this thread which as another beginner I reckon I will find really useful (and they are free).

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/96603-messier-targets.html

[LukeSkywatcher]

I REALLY like "Astronomy" by Ian Ridpath. It covers everything from beginners to intermediate (perhaps even advanced) levels. It really explains the more technical parts of astronomy in an easy to understand way for beginners.

[glowjet]

The Backyard Astronomers Guide, by Dickinson and Dyer is a good all round tome of information.

John.

[jgs001]

It's not a book, but a planisphere is a helpful tool for learning the constellations, and thereby navigating around.

[AndyH]

It's not a book, but a planisphere is a helpful tool for learning the constellations, and thereby navigating around.

A must. Agreed.

Also

Sky & Telescope's Field Map of the Moon: Amazon.co.uk: Gary Seronik, Antonin Rukl: Books

or

Sky & Telescope's Mirror-Image Field Map of the Moon: Amazon.co.uk: Gary Seronik, Antonin Rukl: Books

Makes the night when that pesky moon is up, a bit easier to take, when you know what you're looking at !!

Cheers,

Andy.

[martina2705]

Yup, all good books but do you have them in pdf?

I can't find them anywhere...

Nightwatch

A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends

Stephen James O'Meara's Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars: A Simple Guide to the Heavens

Peterson First Guide to Astronomy

Summer Stargazing: A Practical Guide for Recreational Astronomers

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide

I would buy them but they are not sold in my country...

Tnx

[SteveP]

Tophouse

That's a very good selection of books. They'll keep you going for a long time.

I'd also suggest some planetarium software. I can recommend Stellarium ... and it's free!

Steve

[TopHouse]

Got that one, just waiting for the latest version to become bug free though. And at this very moment I'm waiting for the delivery man, my order tracking says that my amazon Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas and The Backyard Astronomers Guide are out on the van somewhere, probably in outer mongolia though.

[GazOC]

Its not a practical "hands on" book but DKs "Universe" is a beautifully illustrated and a great (and pretty comprehensive) introduction into whats "up there".