KRS1
member
Reged: 02/02/09
Posts: 82
Loc: Anglesey, UK
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Does anybody own and use the Deep sky companions books by Stephen James O'Meara? Either the Messier Objects, Caldwell Objects or the Hidden Treasures books, if so what do you think about them and are they suitable for a beginner?
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Chris
Skywatcher Heritage 130p
Orion xt10i (on the way)
Some eyepieces & a barlow, I'm just starting out.
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blb
sage
Reged: 11/25/05
Posts: 214
Loc: Piedmont NC
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I love them, they are great. I also have the "Herschel 400 Observing Guide" as well and think all four books are great for a beginner or the more advanced observer. They are even good reading on a cloudy day/night.
Clear skies, Buddy
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C-11, C-6, XT10i Dob, ETX125PE, TV102, & AT66
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turtle86
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/09/06
Posts: 683
Loc: Red Sox Nation
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I agree. The books are very entertaining to read, and go into a lot of detail in the descriptions of the objects. Not only do you learn a lot about the objects, but also what to look for when observing them.
Quote:
I love them, they are great. I also have the "Herschel 400 Observing Guide" as well and think all four books are great for a beginner or the more advanced observer. They are even good reading on a cloudy day/night.
Clear skies, Buddy
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desertstars
Please stand by...
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 34570
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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You can also glean a lot of information on observing technique from these books, especially from the Hidden Treasures volume. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these books to beginners.
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Tom W.
Collinder's Catalog
Jewels in Dark Settings
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KRS1
member
Reged: 02/02/09
Posts: 82
Loc: Anglesey, UK
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Quote:
I love them, they are great. I also have the "Herschel 400 Observing Guide" as well
Theres another! Oh no my wife is going to go and buy about 50 pairs of shoes when she finds out how much I'm spending on astronomy. I'm off to buy some books and then shred my bank statements. 
Thanks all.
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Chris
Skywatcher Heritage 130p
Orion xt10i (on the way)
Some eyepieces & a barlow, I'm just starting out.
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desertstars
Please stand by...
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 34570
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Sounds like a fair deal, to me. You get what you want, she gets what she wants, and neither of you have any money to argue about in the end. 
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Tom W.
Collinder's Catalog
Jewels in Dark Settings
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helpwanted
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/04/07
Posts: 2655
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
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great books, worth every penny!
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Dr Gonzo
member
Reged: 10/13/09
Posts: 31
Loc: S.E. Pennsylvania
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I have The Messier Objects book. It is both awesome and suitable for a beginner.
Regards,
Marshall
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scopethis
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/30/08
Posts: 633
Loc: Kingman, Ks
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I have only the Caldwell Objects book--a very good reference for anyone interested in Astronomy--beginner or advanced.
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SATMAN
sage
Reged: 12/02/07
Posts: 276
Loc: NJ 39.7 lat., -74.3 long
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I have all four , The Messier Objects, The Caldwell objects, Hidden treasures and The Herschel 400 Observing Guide get them all highly recommended!
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CELESTRON/VIXEN C102 GP REFRACTOR
CELESTRON SUPER C8 PLUS
VIXEN 90 CUSTOM REFRACTOR ALTAZ. MOUNT
QUESTAR 3.5 STANDARD POWER GUIDE II ON TRISTAND
CORONADO PST DOUBLE STACKED
BRANDON 94mm f/7 ON VIXEN POLARIS MOUNT
VIXEN PORTA MOUNT, QUARTER HALF HITCH MOUNT
BRANDON EYEPIECE SET (circa 1986) 8,12,16,24,32, 2.4X DAKIN BARLOW
VARIOUS NAGLERS 3-6 ZOOM,7,9,11,13,16,24PANOPTIC
ETHOS 6mm, 10mm
ZEISS 10X40B/GA T*P* BINOCULARS
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Reverie
super member
Reged: 03/27/08
Posts: 109
Loc: Lost in Translation
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Quote:
Does anybody own and use the Deep sky companions books by Stephen James O'Meara? Either the Messier Objects, Caldwell Objects or the Hidden Treasures books, if so what do you think about them and are they suitable for a beginner?
I have the Caldwell Objects volume, it is useful for both beginners and small scope users. It is informative, accompanying with some very fine pictures. The only drawback is the poorly scanned star atlas.
I also have the Messier one. As I am quite familiar with the hundred of objects, I simply spend little time to read it. It is not as impressive as the above one, and there are already books talking about Messier objects. But if one doesn't have a book, buying it won't be a bad deal.
I also have a look at Hidden Treasures, it is a hard one for me. It is good for those living under the really dark skies. As I am living in a place where the light pollution is extremely terrible, I find the book less useful. It is hopeless to see those dim and tiny objects under a serious light polluted sky.
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There are observers observing the stars with their equipment, there are also observers observing their equipment with the stars.
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12221
Loc: Los Angeles
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One should not buy books about observing that contain only objects one can see in one's light-polluted back yard.
(I'd completely skip the Caldwell objects, then)
There are many books on objects to observe. The beautiful book from Willmann-Bell on the Arp Galaxies comes to mind.
The most useful books, though, are not the glossy 100 object treatises (though they are fun to read), but the observing guides such as:
"Night Sky Observers Guide" by Kepple & Sanner (at least the 2 volumes and the 3rd if you live south of the equator),
and "Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects" by Luginbuhl & Skiff.
That doesn't mean the slick-paged guides aren't nice to peruse and own, but their utility as observing guides is somewhat limited.
I'm putting together a guide to the best 500 DSOs to observe in smaller scopes, but I'm having a hard time getting it down to 500. My favorites list has more than 2000 objects. But I observe in dark skies. I want to limit it to 500 for the suburban viewer. And, of course, those 500 should be spectacular in dark skies.
But the 2 guides I mention above, IMO, may be more useful for the person who wants to branch out from the Messiers.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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Ragaisis
super member
Reged: 05/16/08
Posts: 183
Loc: Milwaukee, WI
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Don,
I'll be first in line to buy your book when it comes out. Sounds GREAT.
Observing from the heart of a white zone with a 3.5" refractor,
Chris
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Televue TV85 APO on a Half-Hitch alt-az mount
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Tony Flanders
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 3469
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
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Quote:
That doesn't mean the slick-paged guides aren't nice to peruse and own, but their utility as observing guides is somewhat limited.
When I was starting out, I found Steve O'Meara's Messier book extremely helpful in giving hints about what I should be looking for. I always like to read as many observing reports as possible about the things I look at, because even the most skilled observers inevitably overlook things.
Of course, many of the best observing notes are online. The two Steves -- Gottlieb and Coe -- are particularly comprehensive and excellent.
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Tony Flanders
First and foremost observing love: naked eye.
Second, binoculars.
Last but not least, telescopes.
And I sometimes dabble with cameras.
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dlferree
super member
Reged: 06/20/06
Posts: 121
Loc: Rio Rico, Arizona
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Hi Don,
I'll second the comment by Chris on purchasing your book. Make sure you mention it here when it is available. I live in fairly dark skies and like to observe in the desest away from the lights, so I also observe in very dark skies. I still buy numerous observing books. I have all of the ones that have been mentioned in this thread, but would be happy to have one more.
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Dave
DSH-10
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Starman1
Vendor - Scope City
Reged: 06/24/03
Posts: 12221
Loc: Los Angeles
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I'm thinking that if I want it to reach the largest number of people that I shouldn't charge for it. I think I will post it on a website and let anyone download it, just as Alvin Huey has done with his observing guides.
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Don Pensack
12.5" Truss Dob, 5" Maksutov, Fujinon Binos
Sustaining Lifetime IDA member
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blb
sage
Reged: 11/25/05
Posts: 214
Loc: Piedmont NC
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Hi Don,
I have the books you spoke of above and love them but I too would like a copy of your book too. Let us know when it's out. I love books like this.
Clear skies, Buddy
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C-11, C-6, XT10i Dob, ETX125PE, TV102, & AT66
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rookie
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/14/06
Posts: 878
Loc: St. Petersburg, FL
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Quote:
I'm thinking that if I want it to reach the largest number of people that I shouldn't charge for it. I think I will post it on a website and let anyone download it, just as Alvin Huey has done with his observing guides.
That would be wonderful! 
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SV
Scope: Celestron CPC8
Binoculars: Garrett GT80~45, Fujinon 16x70, Regals 10x42, Ultima 9x63, Nikon AE 8x40
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helpwanted
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/04/07
Posts: 2655
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
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count me as customer number 1 !!!!
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JayinUT
I'm not Sleepy
Reged: 09/19/08
Posts: 944
Loc: Utah
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Own them all and have enjoyed them. His best for me though is the Messier Guide if your working on those, the Hidden Treasures which I have in a Starry Night, and his Herschel 400 Guide. I'm observing the 400 now using his guide and that is the emphasis of my blog (which I need to update after I get done moving). The only thing I would recommend on his 400 Guide is to have a good Star Atlas (I use the Sky Atlas 2000) so you can have a better map then his large maps. His smaller maps are actually really helpful.
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Jay in Utah
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Location: Lat: 40.514N Long: -112.032W
Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the serried multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth.
— Ptolemy, c.150 AD
My Blog
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