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danm
sage
Reged: 04/27/08
Posts: 231
Loc: Northern California
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Hi,
I have lots of charts and a few books, but the books I have picked up so far contains a lot of material about equipment and such instead of information and stories about the stars. I'm looking for a book with a format like the "Small Wonders" column here on CN. One which takes each constellation in turn and looks at it in depth, with guidance to help you through it. Especially I'm looking for one which contains extra material about the region, including mythology, science, history, etc. Ideally also I would like a guide which goes beyond the Small Wonders, showing you some of the more advanced and hard to find objects.
Any relatively recent guides (with up to date information) available?
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TV Ethos 13mm
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70
Celestron C6 f/10 & AT Voyager Alt/Az mount
8" f/6.3 Newtonian (Dad's ATM) & AT66 red tube
12.5" f/4.1 Telekit (Dad's ATM Mirror)
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bsim
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/04/08
Posts: 684
Loc: New York City
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Several books come to mind.
The classic is the three volume Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Lots of information on science, history, and mythology. Even though the coordinates are outdated (circa 1950), the content is still very good. You can buy a used set cheaply on CN classified or Astromart.
Two more modern books would be Sue French's Celestial Sampler. It's a collection of Sue's Small-Scope Sampler column from Sky&Telescope. She includes lore, observation reports from famous astronomers of the past, and other interesting tidbits.
Robert Bruce Thompson's Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders has quite a bit less lore but each chapter focuses on a constellation and includes the gamut of easy to hard-to-find objects.
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Teeter's 10" F/6 Truss Dob / Sky Commander DSC / Round Table Platform
Celestron C80ED / MoonLite CF Tri-Knob
William Optics ZS66, Orion XT8i, Orion XT4.5
Canon 10x30 IS, Constellation View 2.3x40 Bino
Astro-Tech Voyager, Bogen 3011 & 3036, UA MicroStar Deluxe
Howie Glatter Laser & tuBlug
13 & 8 Ethos, 35 & 24 Panoptic, Nagler 3-6 Zoom, TV 8-24 Zoom
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desertstars
Deja moo
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 30031
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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The three "Deep Sky Companions" by Stephen James O'Meara also come to mind.
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Tom W.
SVP8 'She turned me into a 3-legged Newt' EQ
Ralph, the All-Purpose 102mm Refractor
Under the Desert Stars
Alcohol and calculus do not mix. Please don't drink and derive.
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bicparker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/07/05
Posts: 1438
Loc: Plano, TX
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Truthfully, for looking through each constellation in depth and guiding you through it, the Night Sky Observers Guide is probably the best (and it is complete now, with its Southern Hemisphere volume 3).
Another book that is a bit more elementary, but still useful, and also has constellation lore and legends is "A Walk through the Heavens" by Heifetz and Tirion. It is not a thick book, but rich with information and clearly written. As the name implies, it is constellation-centric, so there is no discussion about any deep sky objects. Great book nonetheless and I am glad I have it in my library (it actually carries a poignant memory for me since it was a gift to me from both Wil and Bob Summerfield at TSP 2004).
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Bic Parker
17.5" f/5 dob
10" f/10 SCT
5" f/8 refractor
80mm f/6 refractor
66mm f/6 refractor
Plus a few others out of the rotation
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danm
sage
Reged: 04/27/08
Posts: 231
Loc: Northern California
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Great suggestions. Bic, I've been thinking about the Night Sky Observers Guide. What kind of commentary and information does it give you?
--------------------
TV Ethos 13mm
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70
Celestron C6 f/10 & AT Voyager Alt/Az mount
8" f/6.3 Newtonian (Dad's ATM) & AT66 red tube
12.5" f/4.1 Telekit (Dad's ATM Mirror)
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bicparker
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/07/05
Posts: 1438
Loc: Plano, TX
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Danm,
I could go on with my own take on the NSOG, but probably the best thing is for you to judge for yourself with this sample chapter from the publisher's website:
http://www.willbell.com/HANDBOOK/IMAGES/NSOG%20Chap%2006.pdf
My perspective is that it gives a lot of commentary synthesized from a wide range of observers with a wide range of instruments and apertures, as you can probably tell from the notes for each object. It also contains catalog listings, constellation maps, including sub-maps and detailed finder charts for various sections.
You will note that it contains a nice mix of both sketches and photographs where appropriate. It also groups the objects from stars to double stars to deep sky along with "star" ratings, which is handy in prioritizing your observations in a constellation.
For the most part, it does not dwell a lot on the lore of constellations, but focuses more on the technical and observational information with an emphasis on practical information for the observer. Consequently, it is exactly what its title says it is. And I think it does an excellent job in that respect, which is why I always have it nearby when I am out under the skies.
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Bic Parker
17.5" f/5 dob
10" f/10 SCT
5" f/8 refractor
80mm f/6 refractor
66mm f/6 refractor
Plus a few others out of the rotation
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danm
sage
Reged: 04/27/08
Posts: 231
Loc: Northern California
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Thanks Bic, I just ordered all three volumes. Looks like the ticket, and I'll find a Burnams for the mythology.
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TV Ethos 13mm
Oberwerk Ultra 15x70
Celestron C6 f/10 & AT Voyager Alt/Az mount
8" f/6.3 Newtonian (Dad's ATM) & AT66 red tube
12.5" f/4.1 Telekit (Dad's ATM Mirror)
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