Informative, profusely illustrated guide to locating and identifying craters, rills, seas, mountains, other lunar features. Newly revised and updated with special section of new photos. Over 100 photos and diagrams. "Extraordinary delight awaits the amateur astronomer or teacher who opens this book." — The Science Teacher.
Viewing the Constellations with Binoculars is a complete guide to practical astronomy, written for beginners, intermediate-level astronomers, and even people who have not yet turned their gaze to the night sky. The required observing equipment to get the full value from this book is no more than a pair of regular 10 x 50 binoculars, but even more can be seen with a small astronomical telescope. This comprehensive introduction to astronomy and practical observing is far more than a guide to what can be seen in the night sky through binoculars. It introduces the reader to some basic (and some not-so-basic) astronomical concepts, and discusses the stars and their evolution, the planets, nebulae, and distant galaxies. There is a guide to selecting and using binoculars for astronomy, as well, as a ‘getting ready to observe’ section containing invaluable practical hints and tips. The second part of the book is an extraordinarily complete atlas and guide to the night sky down to 30o N (covering all the USA and Europe). It is illustrated with superb and sometimes beautiful amateur astronomical photographs, detailed maps (down to 5th magnitude), descriptions, and data on all astronomical objects of interest.
Includes a link to freely downloadable higher resolution colour charts that you may print out or display on your tablet or other device. For many decades, the advice given to beginning amateur astronomers has been "start with binoculars" but, beyond that, there has not been any specific advice on how to go about it. Stephen Tonkin shows you why this advice is appropriate, and takes you on a year-long journey through the night sky visible from northern temperate latitudes. At the end of this journey, you will have a sound basic knowledge of the sky and will have gathered useful snippets of astronomical information and whimsy along the way. Although the book is intended to be used with a decent star atlas (the star charts in the book are size-limited by the page size), readers have the option of downloading a full set of higher resolution colour charts to print out or for use on a tablet or smartphone. Reader comments: "I find this book a true pleasure to read
Month by month, star by star, object by object, Stephen James O'Meara takes readers on a celestial journey to many of the most prominent stars and constellations visible from mid-northern latitudes. Filled with interesting anecdotes about the stars and constellations and their intriguing histories, this book is both a useful guide for amateur astronomers, and a great first-time reference for those just starting out. After describing a constellation's mythology, readers are guided in locating and identifying its brightest stars in the sky, as well as any other bright targets of interest - colourful stars, double or multiple stars, star clusters and asterisms, nebulae, galaxies, variable stars, and more. This book will help beginning stargazers become familiar with the stars and constellations visible from their backyards, and explore the brightest and best stars, nebulae, and clusters visible through inexpensive, handheld binoculars.
This comprehensive work takes you on a personal tour of the universe using nothing more than a pair of binoculars. More comprehensive than any book currently available, it starts with Earth's nearest neighbor, the moon, and then goes on to explore each planet in the solar system, asteroids, meteors, comets and the sun. Following this, the reader is whisked away into deep space to explore celestial bodies including stars that are known and many sights less familiar. The final chapter includes a detailed atlas of deep-sky objects visible through binoculars. The appendices include guidance on how to buy, care for and maintain astronomical binoculars, tips and hints on using them, and detailed information on several home-made binocular mounts.
An accessible, informative guide to identifying constellations and other incredible features of the sky, whether you’re hiking, camping, or stargazing from your backyard. Discover the Stars leads you on a tour of all the stars and constellations visible with the naked eye and introduces you to deep-sky objects that can be seen with binoculars or a simple telescope. The tour is conducted by the editor of Astronomy magazine, Richard Berry, whose two-color, computer-plotted sky maps and clear instructions make stargazing fun and productive from your first night out. The heart of Discover the Stars is two sections of big, beautiful sky maps and charts. The first section features twelve maps that show the entire sky overhead as it appears during each month of the year. These outline all the constellations visible anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and the accompanying text reveals the rich ancient mythology that surrounds the star groups. The second section is made up of twenty-three star charts that depict smaller regions of the sky in great detail. These charts give the names of key stars and lead you to fascinating features such as stars with unusual colors, double stars, variable stars, nebulae, and galaxies. Separate chapters cover basics, such as how the stars move through the sky, how to find your way around the moon and the planets, making an astronomer's flashlight, and choosing and using a telescope—all in terms that are easy to grasp and remember. Discover the Stars is the perfect introduction to the heavens, simple enough to be useful if you're just starting out but packed with enough information to keep you learning and enjoying the stars for years to come.
A guide to viewing stars, the moon, planets, meteors, comets, and aurora through binoculars. Features a foreword by renowned astronomer and writer David Levy. Includes a complete guide to current binocular brands and models and explains what to look for in each season.