Secrets of Stargazing
582495
This is an excellent and complete survey of all the little tricks and big lessons that will turn a novice stargazer into a wise observer in no time. I've been an amateur astronomer for 50 years and it took many of those years for me to learn the secrets that are painlessly shared in this book. If you are interested in astronomy and want to quickly learn more, you can't beat this book for an amazing jump-start. Highly recommended!
4575748
Avery good magazine for learning about the night sky!!
4392057
I recommend this book to anyone starting out in astronomy as I am.  I find myself learning something new in each chapter. this book covers just about everything you need to know. if your on the fence about which guidebook to choose from all about which telescope to choose to star charts for the bewildered greenhorn,  this will please you.
1631636
I used this book at the recent Okie-Tex star party to try it out. I was successful in finding every object that appeared above the horizon. OK, I admit, I have done a bunch of binocular work, but I worked hard to follow only the book as if I was a beginner. A nice little book, not exhaustive by any means, but fun and very "workable" under the stars. If you enjoy binocular astronomy, you will enjoy this book, even if you are experienced. If you are a beginner and have the good sense to begin with binoculars, this book will serve you well.
2010433
I bought the Pocket Sky Atlas to use during a college astronomy class. As it turned out, I was over-prepared and didn't require a sky atlas, but it did prove helpful later on once I learned the locations of a few constellations. I was able to look up the ones I learned to find during my class in the Sky Atlas and find nearby features of interest.

Although not quite pocket-sized as the name suggests, the Pocket Sky Atlas is smaller than other atlases and therefore easy to throw in an already crowded book bag. While the book is spiral bound, the cover is attached on the back to the coils, then wraps around them to the front. It's interesting looking, but causes the faux-spine of the cover to be slightly flimsy. However, it's held up quite nicely so far.

The charts themselves are split into eight slices based on right ascension that extend from north to south. Initially, I found that to be a confusing technique. Flipping through, it seemed vague where exactly in the sky I was supposed to be looking at. However, I bought the Sky Atlas along with The Night Sky planisphere by David Chandler, and I found using them together made navigating the night sky very easy. Either I'll use the Night Sky to find an interesting area of stars above me and look up the details of it in the Sky Atlas, or I'll browse the Sky Atlas for interesting features and use the Night Sky to actually find it above me.

I would recommend this to others interested in astronomy. :)
3039473
Andrew Planck's book is just what I needed to start learning about our closest neighbor and a night sky object I view often, in binoculars and telescopes and, of course, naked eye. The spiral format is great and, used in conjunction with any of several smart phone apps (or your computer), it is easy to find your place in the book where Andrew's descriptions are informative and right on track. I did not think I would use the sketching areas but did so tonight, in fact, and am thankful for that feature. While my sketches are more scratches, it allows me to sketch what I am seeing and do further study of this fascinating orb. Great book, tons of information, very complete glossary. I now keep it out on the desk so it is easy to grab.
985389
Great for anyone who is interested in astronomy. It has a lot of educational value in my opinion.  My only complaint is that the writing is too small.
4941960
Very easy to understand, unlike almost all the others.
Great charts for finding stars.  Thanks to this book I now understand how to find a star from a star chart.  Great pictures, and again I cannot state how clearly they explain things.
2580299
Bought this as a gift for hubby.  We live with 360 degree view from Sierras to Sacto/Mt. Diablo, etc. but found this too much to figure out.  Spent hours with little books that glow to find constellations...much easier than waiting for Celestron 80 to "skew" and then haven't a clue where it is or what it's doing. Mom bought it so will spend precious hours doing a techno. but feels overwhelmed.  Suggestions?  Classes at JC?
168194
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"This book explores the Sun [our nearest star] in a comprehensive way for the non-scientific reader who wants to gain a general idea of the range and significance of solar physics.

We explain:

[1] What is known about the Sun and how this knowledge is [obtained]
[2] Discuss the origins of the Sun's light and heat, and
[3] Explore how the Sun evolved and what it will become

We pay special attention to cutting-edge research on the Sun's outer atmosphere (the part we can see) and the effects of this atmosphere on the Earth and the space around the Earth."

The above comes from this fascinating updated book by Leon Golub and Jay Pasachoff.

Golub is a Senior Astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (in Cambridge, Massachusetts), and has been studying the Sun and solar-type stars for the past forty years.  He has been involved for the past thirty years in building and flying space instrumentation.  Golub is also Chair of the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society.

Pasachoff is Professor of Astronomy at Williams College (in Williamstown, Massachusetts).  He has been all over the world to study the Sun.  Pasachoff has received major awards from the American and French Astronomical Societies.  He is an honorary member of the Canadian Royal Astronomical Society.  Pasachoff's undergraduate astronomy textbooks have been widely used.

This book is extremely well-written and uses, for the most part, non-technical language.  As with all books of this type, it helps to have some science background but this is not absolutely necessary.

The first three chapters are similar to what is found in any standard astronomy book but with up-to-date information and with emphasis on the subjects to be discussed in the remaining five chapters.  The chapters can be read in any order, as they are self-contained.

Having observed the Sun using both ground-based and space-borne instruments, the authors bring their extensive personal experience to this scientific story revealing what has been discovered about solar phenomena ranging from eclipses to neutrinos, formation of the elements, nuclear fusion, nuclear burning, space weather, and even global warming. (Co-author Pasachoff is a veteran of over 55 solar eclipse expeditions.)

This book features actual results from the current spacecraft that are now analysing the Sun, especially NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory or SDO.  (Co-author Golub designed some of the SDO's telescopes.)

Worried that you won't understand all of the scientific words in this book?  Don't worry!  There is, what I call, a "Solar Glossary" to help you.  (It definitely helped me.)

Finally, I counted over 85 black and white photographs (including graphs and diagrams) in this book.  As well, there are over 15 colour photographs.  My favourite colour photo is a full disc image of the Sun taken on Jan. 2013.

In conclusion, this is an important book that explains the science behind the space entity responsible of all life on our beautiful planet--our nearest star, the SUN.  I leave you with this book's final words:

"What is new today is that our planet's fate, as well as our ability to prosper as a human community is not only tied to the Sun, but to our understanding of the Sun."

(Second edition published 2014;  preamble & authors' biography page;  preface;  acknowledgements;  8 chapters;  main narrative 270 pages;  3 appendices including glossary;  photo credits; bibliography;  index)

<<Stephen PLETKO, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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1606671
50 Shades of Gray Dots You Can See through a Telescope.
Neat book and the guy who wrote it is clever with a dry sense of humor. He makes a good point, too: The pictures are black and white instead of glorious (false) color so that the budding astronomer doesn't get too disappointed. I'd say there's about 45 things out of his 50 worth looking for.
2251501
Like many of you, I've long grown accustomed to diminished observing under a light polluted night sky. Sure, I can usually trace the major constellations and still find the best and brightest Messier objects. Yet, I hadn't realized my viewing deficiency until I had the benefit of an exceptionally dark night sky, far from city lights. There, I was lost, overwhelmed by a stellar grandeur that obliterated my limited sense of what I thought was there. I went scurrying for works that would come to my rescue. Few did, even the elaborate observing guides I had with me.

I found this one at the Air & Space Museum. Wow! For me, the price is worth it for just the wide field star images on pages 24-47. Even more so, the "close-up" photo swaths on pages 38, 40 and 44 I have turned to time and again for revealing deep sky treasures in the context of their placement in the Summer Triangle, and the richness of the Scorpius and Saggitarius regions.

If you have the occasional privilige to look into a truly dark summer night sky, this work can be your faithful seeing eye dog. I carry it with me along with my higher priced observing encyclopedias to keep me mindful of all that is there in the spendid Mily Way.

The balance of the book is helpful more for begininners and an excellent introduction for those who want to sample observing the summer night sky. Be aware that planetary positions are only through the year 2010 (I've never used that section anyway). But, even for this guy who owns an 8" scope, I won't be without "Summer Stargazing" under dark summmer sky observing. I pack it right along with several of the deep sky observing tomes each summer.
3817350
This is a great book for photographers who want to do some Astro-photography. It's a 'how to' book that gives clear directions on how to achieve a variety of night sky photographs. This is not a deep space book, it is not written for Astro-photographers with big telescopes and special cameras, it's for the ordinary bloke or blokess out there who just wants to take some great pictures of the night sky in their area.
1923367
This is a great book for the amateur astronomer who wishes to learn about photometry. It is well within the grasp of undergraduates and motivated high school astronomers. Warner's writing style is engaging and clear. The chapters are a step-by-step trip from an overview of how photometry is used in astronomy to the basics of photometry to publishing your results. Beginning variable star observers will find a wealth of excellent information. Those interested in asteroid lightcurves will find all the essentials. Warner shows how to analyze the data using standard tools such as spreadsheets. But, once you get serious, you should really consider obtaining Warner's Canopus program which is mentioned in the text.

Second Springer edition add-on.
The second edition expands on the first. Warner give simple and accurate explanations written in an engaging style. If you have the first Springer edition, you will want to pick up this edition as more is covered and in greater depth. As an example, the first edition stressed the "all sky" approach as a matter of necessity. With the availability of new photometric surveys (e.g. APASS), the era of "all-sky differential photometry" is dawning.
1298048
This is a terrific and thorough book about astrophotography using a range of cameras with an emphasis on DSLR cameras.  It covers equipment, types of images, potential targets, software, and a range of do it yourself projects to make rather than buy equipment.  For example, there is a good section on making a barn door equitorial mount that is adequate for multiple exposure image stacking.  There is another discussion of a couple of focusing aids for stars. There are also references and discussion of software for navigating the sky as well as post processing.  Everything is geared to working with a low budget. The book is current - published in March 2014 - and reprinted March 2017.  The only flaw is a lack of color images and low quality B&W images.
1823977
A wonderful guide to the facinating methods of our fore fathers and a great way to mobe your onserving to a mew level. The authors take you om a guided trip of how to proceed, what to use and how to suceed at this wonderful art form. And as they do show you that no matter how great (or small) your skill how yjou will gain in the enjoyment of the heavens. Covers mutiple techniques and most subjects you might find. Highly to be recomend to all who have though of trying to capture an eyepiece view in thier log.
2257563
This is a great book my daughter loves science and very interested in astronomy. It tells you where you can find the celestial bodies and also the best season to be able to see them it also gives you tips on how to use your telescope to find the celestial."I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review."