mwedel
sage
Reged: 12/16/07
Posts: 328
Loc: Claremont, CA
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If you were forced to choose between the RASC Observer's Handbook 2010 and the 2010 Astronomical Calendar (both $26.95 from Sky & Tel), which would you pick and why? Or is there a third choice that's even better? I've never used either one, and I'll be grateful for your thoughts.
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Rick Woods
Postmaster
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 6207
Loc: Inner Solar System
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The Big Kahuna:
http://asa.usno.navy.mil/
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
Dyslexics Untie!
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John Flannery
sage
Reged: 12/03/04
Posts: 328
Loc: Dublin, Ireland
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I'd second Rick's suggestion of the Astronomical Almanac 2010! I use it to plan my sky guide (linked to in my signature below) along with the Multi-year Interactive Computer Almanac (MICA) and other sources.
BUT ...
... the Astronomical Alamanc will not give you a month-by-month preview of the sky similar to the Sky and Telscope's magazine format Skywatch 2010 for example. The A.A. has detailed tables of planet ephemerides, etc. which people doing up sky notes for magazines and club newsletters will generally distill into a snapshot of a month's celestial events.
I've only ever once picked up a copy of the RASC Handbook and found it very informative. Besides an overview of the year there is lots of other hobby advice. I also really, really like their Beginners Observing Guide written by Leo Enright.
I've purchased Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar the last few years and the large format gives free rein to Guy's unique and informative diagrams. The publication has month-by-month notes, detailed information on the solar system bodies, comets, meteors, eclipses, conjunctions, space exploration and much more.
In short though each publication has their own niche and it would be great to get a copy of each. However, for the casual (and experienced) observer then it is hard to beat Ottewell's annual. You can read more about his calendar at http://www.universalworkshop.com/AC10.htm (unfortunately, I have to bulk order the calendar direct from Ottewell's site because shipping to Ireland from other sellers is significantly more expensive.)
All the best,
John
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Ireland's FREE sky guide for the year ahead at www.mediafire.com/skyguide
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Scott Regener
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 1027
Loc: SE Minnesota
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Last year was the first I had both the calendar and the handbook. This year, I was only going to get the calendar, but then I got interested in more planetary work and the handbook just has more data that I can use. The calendar is very, very nice in showing you Moon phase and libration at a glance, as well as noting what particular dates have something particularly interesting. But the handbook has this and more, if you're willing to use it and dig a little. I picked up the calendar on Astromart last year for under $10 shipped in early March. I may do the same if I come across a similar deal. Otherwise, it's handbook-only for me this year.
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Orion SkyQuest 4.5XT
Orion SkyQuest XT10i w/COL
Urban (red) skies
Limiting Mag 3.5-4.0 Average
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mwedel
sage
Reged: 12/16/07
Posts: 328
Loc: Claremont, CA
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Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. I pulled the trigger on the calendar, mainly because it just sounds thoroughly cool, but I may pick up the handbook as well.
Clear skies, and happy Thanksgiving!
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XT10
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rmollise
Postmaster
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 5269
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Quote:
If you were forced to choose between the RASC Observer's Handbook 2010 and the 2010 Astronomical Calendar (both $26.95 from Sky & Tel), which would you pick and why? Or is there a third choice that's even better? I've never used either one, and I'll be grateful for your thoughts.
I love them both. But to be honest...with SkyTools 3 and the other software I have, I just don't need them anymore--for what I do. This past year's Observer's Handbook will, I'm sorry to say, probably be my last, as it's sat pretty much unopened all year. 
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Tony Flanders
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/18/06
Posts: 3919
Loc: Cambridge, MA, USA
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Quote:
Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. I pulled the trigger on the calendar, mainly because it just sounds thoroughly cool, but I may pick up the handbook as well.
Guy Ottewell's calendar is indeed incredibly cool, but I'd have to say that the RASC Handbook is probably the most compact, concise reference source available. It's worth the price just for the stuff that doesn't change from year to year, like the lists of stars and deep-sky objects, the observing articles, etc.
The US/UK Astronomical Almanac is absolutely essential for anybody who actually works in astronomy -- it is the gold standard, to which everything else is compared. But I would not recommend it to the average amateur. First of all, the price is really high. And the book is pretty dry and technical.
For at-a-glance reference, the Skygazer's Almanac that comes with each January issue of Sky & Telescope is my favorite source. And of course, I'm partial to SkyWatch 2010 -- which I edited this year.
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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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janehoustonjones
sage
Reged: 10/21/07
Posts: 456
Loc: 34 N 118 W, 637.0 feet
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I buy both. Ottowell's Calendar I give to my family for Xmas. My mom loves it, especially the meteor shower pages. :-)
Have both at home and at work. More as reference material to help me answer questions, and because they have so much info in one place.
To me, they are both essential as both calendars and as an outreach tool. Buy one for your favorite science teacher or someone who asks for school star parties a lot. :-) Ottowell's Companion is practically a textbook in a really nice format!
Jane
PS: I am on a short non-astro vacation and brought both with me, so I can write "viewing Mars in 2010" and "Viewing Saturn in 2010". They both have great info and cost about what you'd pay for a dinner for 2 or a dozen frappucinos :-)
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Jane Houston Jones
NASA JPL What's Up for March? Saturn Opposition & asteroid 21 Lutetia
Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers
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mwedel
sage
Reged: 12/16/07
Posts: 328
Loc: Claremont, CA
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Quote:
For at-a-glance reference, the Skygazer's Almanac that comes with each January issue of Sky & Telescope is my favorite source.
Mine just came on Friday. Now I just have to figure out where to hang it up.
Quote:
And of course, I'm partial to SkyWatch 2010 -- which I edited this year.
I'll get it for sure. The 2008 and 2009 editions have each enjoyed a year's tenure in my bathroom magazine rack, which may be a record. Hopefully that comes off as a compliment, and not an overshare. 
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XT10
XT6
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orange tube C90
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Scopenik
member
Reged: 11/03/07
Posts: 23
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Has anyone had a chance to look through Sky and Telescope's Skywatch 2010 and its included CD that Tony Flanders made mention to above? I already have Guy Ottewell's 2010 Astronomical Calendar and buy it each year, own Starry Night Pro Plus (& other software), but I also reach out to lots of online material, SkyMaps.com, etc.
Edited by Scopenik (12/07/09 05:44 PM)
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Rick Woods
Postmaster
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 6207
Loc: Inner Solar System
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Quote:
Quote:
For at-a-glance reference, the Skygazer's Almanac that comes with each January issue of Sky & Telescope is my favorite source.
Mine just came on Friday. Now I just have to figure out where to hang it up.
Here's what I do: I have a special planning atlas in a 3-ring binder, in plastic page protectors. It contains the Mag 7 star atlas I printed from right here on CN. (If you rearrange the pages correctly, it becomes a very easy-to-use atlas, with double page charts in RA sequence). Anyway. After that I have the Skygazer's Almanac, folded, in another plastic page so I can see either half. I use a wet-erase marker to plan a sky tour on the atlas, usually for star parties. I also keep various other useful things in there (sideral time conversion table, Messier Card, etc).
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
Dyslexics Untie!
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mwedel
sage
Reged: 12/16/07
Posts: 328
Loc: Claremont, CA
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The Ottewell calendar came in the mail last week. It's addictive reading. The diagrams are very, very good, especially the perspective views of the solar system that show the actual 3D relationships among the planets, major asteroids, and comets. A keeper for sure!
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XT10
XT6
Astroscan
orange tube C90
15x70
10x50
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Rick Woods
Postmaster
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 6207
Loc: Inner Solar System
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Is the companion to the Ottewell calendar still available?
It has (or had) all sorts of information that doesn't change from year to year, and needn't be replicated in the calendar every year.
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
Dyslexics Untie!
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Scopenik
member
Reged: 11/03/07
Posts: 23
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This may be the publication that you are referring to;
“The Astronomical Companion" by Guy Ottewell
I am including a link that leads to the publisher below.
Universal Workshop / Astronomical Companion
Glenn
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ewm
newbie
Reged: 04/20/09
Posts: 1
Loc: Massachusetts
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Hello Rick:
I am Guy Ottewell's distributor, and handle all of his publications in the US and much of the world.
Guy Ottwell's Astronomical Companion is available, although in the interest of full disclosure, the last major update was in 2000. While much of the book's content doesn't change from year to year, there are a few tables that are now out of date.
I think that with the information in the book, it still makes a great introduction to astronomy for the novice astronomer.
Guy is planning an update, but the publication date is not set at this time. It's a time consuming task and much of his time is spent working on the Astronomical Calendar during the year.
I'd like to thank Glenn Treeson for emailing your post to me. I joined the forums on here months ago but have not had a lot of time to visit. As soon as the holiday rush is over, I'll make a point of stopping by more often.
Edited by ewm (12/09/09 07:55 PM)
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csa/montana
Den Mother
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 43797
Loc: montana
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Ed, a very warm Welcome to Cloudy Nights! It's great that you joined us here, we appreciate it!
Thanks for the information on Guy's publications! 
Looking forward to hearing more from you, after the Holidays!
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory
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HfxObserver
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 11/12/04
Posts: 872
Loc: Regina, SK, Canada
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The RASC Observers Handbook is updated each year with tables and charts depicting such things as occultations, eclipses, transits and many other items of interest. I always think of it as the deep sky observers version of the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy...
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Chris
7X50 Vixen,22X100 Antares
80mm William Optics Megrez II ED
Santel MK6
Borg 125SD f6 (Pentax/Oasis version)
Tak-Lapides
Pentax XW's 40,20,14,10,3.5, 5mm XO,3.8XP, Speers 5-8, 30mm Widescan III
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cuir
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/03/07
Posts: 1141
Loc: Up north.
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RASC Observer's gets my vote.
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Seb
Eyepiece spreadsheet v6.8
Choosing the right eyepiece
Main scope: 150mm Maksutov
Scnd scope: 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain
Favorite ep: 24 Panoptic and 11m T6 Nagler
Pref'ed filters: Lumicon 0III and UHC
Mounts: EQ6-Pro and Skyview AZ
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