Recomended Reading

[powerwindows1985]

I am curious what books you all would recomend. I only have two astronomy related books; Turn Left At Orion and Bad Astronomy. Turn Left is an excellent guide to deep space objecs. Bad Astronomy is a fun book that dispells many myths and misconceptions.

What do you recomend?

[admin]

For the cheapest source the internet cant be beat.

I often get magazines however they leave a lot to be desired as they are a cheap thrill with a lot of pictures but little helpful content.

I liked Nightwatch however i had many books that really helped me understand the astronomy like astronomy made simple, and a few telescope specific ones for understanding eyepieces, lenses and just for curiousity how to make your own telescope / grind your mirrors. I never did make my own telescope, but its interesting reading at least for me :P

For science students i would get science explorer: Astronomy but for a hobbyist like me i would get Nightwatch

Hey power, Turn Left At Orion is that for nebulae and how to see them? I actually have been quite poor at observing deep sky even though i have a 10" dob.. i guess i need to buy that book! was it helpful for deep sky viewing?

[Michael Steen]

I have recently reawakened a long-dormant interest in astronomy, and I have a few books I've recently read and would recommend:
"Coming of Age in the Milky Way" by Timothy Ferris
"Seeing in the Dark" by Timothy Ferris
"Death by Black Hole" by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
"Stargazing" by Robin Scagell
and, of course, the grandaddy of all of them, "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan.

[powerwindows1985]

Turn Left has some Nebula, some Galxies, many Star Clusters, and many Double Stars. It is actually intended for small telescopes so the objects in the book are fairly easy to locate.
One example of how it has helped me deals with M81/M82. I had spent many nights trying to find these galaxies with no luck. First night out with Turn Left and it led me right to them. It is organized by season which is nice. The only problem I have with it is that the finder scope views are backwards (I have a right angle finder). But this book is just a nice supplement to use with the sky charts and planispheres.

[Falcon]

Yeah power is right that book is gold. Helped me find a few deep sky objects i never could manage right

Any more recommendations winter is coming

[Carlos_dfc]

Another big thumbs-up for 'Turn Left at Orion'
IMHO it should be supplied in the package with any new telescope aimed at the beginner.
THE single most useful observing companion for anyone starting out.

I also recommend 'NightWatch' by Terence ****inson to beginners - loads of useful 'general' info in there.
Using telescopes and equatorial mounts - buying equipment - reading charts - basic astrophotpgraphy - viewing eclipses - and much much more....
[Registered users can see links. ]

Oh - and not forgetting a good book of charts.
I like 'SkyAtlas 2000', an immense, detailed set of charts
Amazon.co.uk: Sky Atlas 2000.0 2ed Desk Edition:...
or if you want something a bit smaller.....Collins Atlas of the Night Sky is good.
[Registered users can see links. ]

[powerwindows1985]

I just bought the Sky Atlas 2000 (got a good deal on e-bay). It has been helpfull, but the one thing I don't like is that some constellations cover more than one map. Not usually a problem, but every once in a while the object I am looking for is on one map, and the stars I use as a reference point are on another (and these pages are not back to back).