Sky Watching

Advanced Skywatching. Robert Burnham et al. (Illus.; a Nature Company Guide.) Time-Life Books, 1997. 288pp. $29.95. ISBN 0-7835-4941-5. Order

Advanced Skywatching is a series of well-written, short (typically two-page) essays on various aspects of astronomy, planetary science, and observing the sky. Each essay can stand alone, providing valuable information on topics ranging from "The Best Binoculars" for sky watching to individual essays on each planet. The writing style is lighter and more easily readable than that of a typical astronomy textbook. Each essay is a well-researched mix of historical background, scientific knowledge, and extensive color illustrations. The book includes a 100-page "Starhopping Guide" containing detailed maps, photographs, and basic instructions for observing the sky with small telescopes.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, Revised Edition. Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. (Illus.) Firefly, 2003. 336pp. $49.95. ISBN 1-55209-507-X. Index.
Order

The revised edition of this standard reference for amateur astronomers by well-known experts Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer is a very welcome publication. The text has been extensively reorganized and updated to account for developments over the last 10 years. The basic principles remain the same, but a fresh new look has been added. The pictures are almost entirely new and mostly in high-quality glossy color. The writing style is very clear, and the illustrations add significantly to the instructional value and impact of the book. A good bibliography and a useful appendix are included. This book is highly recommend for amateur astronomers and all libraries.

The Cambridge Guide to the Solar System. Kenneth R. Lang. (Illus.) Cambridge University Press, 2003. 468pp. $60.00. ISBN 0-521-81306-9. Order

A Walk Through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and Their Legends, Second Edition. Milton D. Heifetz. (Illus. by Wil Tirion.) Cambridge University Press, 1998. 86pp. $9.95. ISBN 0-521-62513-0.
Order

A Walk Through the Heavens presents familiar (and unfamiliar) techniques of star-hopping, allowing novice sky watchers to find their way around the heavens. Starting with the Big Dipper, the author identifies many prominent stars and constellations by constructing imaginary lines from known to unknown star groups. Within a given constellation, stars are numbered for convenience. Adequately sized charts are attractively executed by celestial cartographer Wil Tirion. While remaining true to form, a collection of simplified classical legends has been selected and rewritten to provide moral lessons on the rewards and punishments of human behaviors.

The Cambridge Star Atlas, Third Edition. Will Tirion. (Illus.) Cambridge University Press, 2001. 98pp. $24.95. ISBN 0-521-80084-6. Order

For a book so thin, the abundant information contained within it is quite a marvel. Combine this feature with the excellent quality of the star charts the book holds, and the book becomes quite a bargain for its price. This volume is useful for casual sky observers as well as those who enjoy more detailed observational astronomy. The quality of the illustrations is very high, and the charts are well drawn, very clear, informative, and quite useful for understanding more of our night sky by eye, binoculars, or telescope. The fundamental concepts of many basic astronomical principles are clearly and fully explained in the short portions of text that are interspersed among the various sky maps and charts.

A Field Guide to Stars and Planets, Fourth Edition. Jay M. Pasachoff, with monthly star maps and atlas charts by Wil Tirion. (Illus; from the Peterson Field Guides Series.) Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. 522pp. $30.00. ISBN 039593432X.
Order

This comprehensive guide to the stars and planets combines features (such as star maps) commonly found in an observer's handbook with the more detailed information usually reserved for an astronomy textbook. Inside, the beginning observer will find simple tips on how to distinguish planets from stars, as well as all the information he or she needs to locate and identify objects in the night sky, including a series of star maps for both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

Forty Nights to Knowing the Night Sky: A Night-by-Night Skywatching Primer. Fred Schaaf. (Illus.) Henry Holt and Company, 1998. 272pp. $17.95. ISBN 0-8050-4668-2.
Order

The Great Atlas of the Stars. Serge Brunier. (Photographs by Akira Fujii.) Firefly, 2001. 112pp. $49.95. ISBN 1-55209-610-6. Order

Great star atlases of the past include those by Bayer (1603), Hevelius (1687), Bevis (c. 1750, unpublished), and Bode (1804), whose magnificent constellation figures were superimposed on lettered and numbered stars. An interesting present-day successor is this book of Brunier's, in which the beautiful celestial color photographs of the distinguished amateur astronomer Akira Fujii are used as a backdrop. Transparent overlays are labeled with the astronomical objects that appear on the photographs, one of which is provided for each constellation. The oversized volume is spiral bound so that it opens flat.
Brunier has written descriptive information for the left-hand pages facing the photographs, usually singling out three objects, but discussing more when extra photographs of particular objects have been inserted. The result is a wonderfully attractive volume for armchair astronomers that might even find use outdoors in conjunction with a telescope. Students, amateur astronomers, and others will benefit by being able to look at an actual photograph of the sky and then using the overlays to identify specific objects. The entire volume is a delight.

Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, Revised Edition. Terence Dickinson. (Illus. by Adolph Schaller et al.) Firefly, 1998. 176pp. $45.00. ISBN 1-55209-300-X.
Order

This revised (from 1983) edition of Terence Dickinson's Nightwatch is an excellent book for anyone who is interested in viewing the vast variety of celestial objects that are in the night skies. It may well be the best practical, up-to-date book of its kind. The volume contains well-written chapters dealing with the nature of the many different kinds of celestial objects. There are also chapters to indicate what one should look for when viewing these astronomical bodies with binoculars or with small telescopes. Maps and drawings of the night sky show both naked-eye constellations and deep-sky objects such as star clusters and nebulae in the Milky Way and other galaxies themselves, far, far away. In addition, there are many good suggestions for when to view the brighter planets, lunar and solar eclipses, and meteor showers, all the way to about the year 2010!

Observing the Moon: The Modern Astronomer's Guide. Gerald North. (Illus.) Cambridge University Press, 2000. 392pp. $39.95. ISBN 0521622743.
Order

Top