Deep Sky Companions: Hidden Treasures

Deep Sky Companions: Hidden Treasures
by Stephen James O'Meara

Reviewed by Thomas Watson

2007
Cambridge University Press/Sky Publishing

In the two volumes of Deep Sky Companions published prior to Hidden Treasures (DSC: The Messier Objects and DSC: The Caldwell Objects) author Stephen James O'Meara provided observing guides to a pair of very well known deep sky object catalogs. In these other DSC volumes the lists themselves represented the themes of the books, almost of necessity. The catalog of Charles Messier is, in a word, venerable. Observation of the objects cataloged by Messier has come to be something of a rite of passage for amateur astronomers. The Caldwell observing list is the product of a British amateur astronomer who has his own degree of venerability -“ Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore. To apply a theme of his own to books with these subjects would have been at the least unnecessary, and might well have seemed a bit disrespectful. A DSC based on a list of his own selection is another matter, and he has taken advantage of this with Hidden Treasures in a way that sets this book apart from its companion volumes.

The theme is immediately given away by the title Hidden Treasures. The author has compiled a list of objects -“ 109 of them, the same number covered by each of the other volumes -“ he feels are all too often neglected by amateur astronomers, then wrote of these objects as if locating and observing them amounted to finding buried Spanish doubloons. And who but pirates would hide such treasure? Beginning with the -œAbout This Book- introductory material and running throughout the book he uses analogies to pirates and seafaring daring-do (some historically accurate and some from the fanciful mythology of that by-gone era) to color his accounts of the selected deep sky objects. For some objects he lays it on pretty thick, while in other cases the pirate theme is hardly used at all. The application of the theme ranges from whimsical to darkly humorous -“ pirates were not, after all, generally pleasant people. Overall, I found the theme to be enjoyable in a quirky sort of way, but nowhere did I find it applied so heavily that it interfered with conveying the information he has gathered regarding these objects.

In this matter, he is very serious -“ although his delight in the subject matter is always obvious. Each entry includes background information on the science involved with the object, illustrating what each has taught us about the universe in which we live. The technical jargon of astronomy and astrophysics is applied without hesitation and, somewhat unfortunately, with the apparent assumption that the reader is familiar with these terms. If you haven't at least read a basic astronomy text (or don't have a dictionary of astronomy on your desk) some of the background science might be less than accessible. The material is well-researched, and sources are always provided; it would be a simple matter to use these sources to dig deeper, if the reader is so inclined. (Book-length sources are listed near the beginning, instead of in a bibliography at the end of the book.)

The science and history (including the discoverer of the object, when known) in each entry is followed by instructions for finding that object, using star hopping as the principle means of object location. The charts included to illustrate these star hops match up well with commonly available atlases, including the S&T Pocket Sky Atlas, although he does not mention this one specifically and his overall charts are -œkeyed- to Sky Atlas 2000 and Uranometria. There are two types of chart in this book, both of them produced by the author: the constellation-scale charts at the very beginning of each entry that give the general location within a given constellation, and the finder charts that illustrate the star hops described in the text. These finder charts are quite different from those used in the previous Deep Sky Companion volumes, and have a bare bones quality to them, using as few stars as possible to illustrate the location of the object. So far I find myself more comfortable using these finder charts to become oriented on the HB AstroAtlas I use, rather than using them directly in the field. I suppose all that matters is that I find the objects, and between the author's directions and the charts I'm accustomed to using, this has not been a problem. On both chart types in the book the location of the object is marked with -“ what else? -“ an "X"

Having provided background information and then directions, Mr. O'Meara describes the object as it appeared to him while using a 4- refractor. And here you find one of this book's strengths: the appeal to small telescope users. You will not need fantastic aperture to observe these objects, and although the perspective of victims of aperture fever is not entirely neglected, his descriptions are primarily of how the objects appear in a small telescope. Where an object is visible to modest binoculars (and many of those he has selected are at least detectable) the reader is given a brief description from this point of view as well. For me, this use of binoculars for nearly every object is definitely a point in the book's favor. I don't observe much with binoculars, but I often used them to scout out an area in which an object I seek is located. Having some idea of what I'm looking for, meaning a written description, makes the use of binoculars as a recon tool that much more effective. The small scope perspective is aided and abetted by his use of an antique spyglass style telescope that would not have looked out of place in the hands of a character from one of the -˜Pirates of the Caribbean' films. In addition to making an excellent -œprop- for the pirate's treasure hunt theme that weaves in and out of this book, the author found it gave him a glimpse of how the heavens might have looked to Caroline Herschel, for it was apparently with a similar instrument that she began her own observing career.

In describing the 109 objects covered in Hidden Treasures, Mr. O'Meara does not limit himself to simply telling the reader what a thing looks like, and through the use of often whimsical analogies, provides lively accounts of his own observations. I was reminded many times, as I read along, of being a small boy listening to my father describe the shapes he saw in clouds floating overhead. We all played that game as children, once upon a time. The author clearly has not outgrown it, and shares the joy he finds in observing deep sky objects through a comparable application of his imagination, by which objects become ships bearing lanterns through the fog, the grim reaper on horseback, swords, dragons, Anime characters, even kittens at play and lumbering dinosaurs. The pirate theme enters into his observation discussions on a regular basis. At times his imagination seems to run out of control, leaving me to wonder if he wrote some of this while seriously short on sleep. This exuberance never quite became distracting, much less intolerable, even though I found myself at times chuckling and thinking, "Well, if you say so ...

The objects that make up the Hidden Treasures list are a mix of types, including galaxies, open and globular clusters, bright and dark nebulae, and planetary nebulae, with a high proper motion star and a few asterisms into the bargain. Galaxies and star clusters dominate the list. Some of these are, indeed, often overlooked by amateur astronomers, with a few (such as the Northern Coalsack in Cygnus) hiding right there in plain sight. In directing our observation efforts toward this range of objects the author encourages us not only to look at different things, but to take a closer look at the sky we think we know, and yet might take somewhat for granted. Quite a few of the selected objects are to be found well south of the celestial equator, a bit of a challenge for observers in the north, but a boon to southern hemisphere readers. The reader should also be challenged by the amount of detail Mr. O'Meara sees in these objects while using only 4 inches of aperture. What might I see, with an 8 inch Newtonian, if I sit quietly, take my time, and remember to breathe deeply as the author suggests? To be sure, his observations are made under better and darker skies than most of us enjoy (without a long drive out into the country). Readers should keep this in mind, of course, before raising expectations based on the author's descriptions.

Even a casual reading of this book would be of great use to the beginning amateur astronomer, simply for the tricks of the trade Mr. O'Meara delivers -“ often in passing -“ as he describes his experiences with these deep sky objects. Reading his experiences at the eyepiece quickly becomes a clinic (as they say in baseball) on how to get the most out of those faint fuzzies once we've tracked them down: sitting down, being relaxed and comfortable, breathing deeply to increase oxygen supplies to the eyes, comparing views at different magnifications, and most of all just taking the time to see past the immediately obvious aspects of an object.

The book, like its predecessors, is illustrated with both photos of the objects discussed and with sketches the author made during his observations. The reproduction of sketches all by itself gives this book an edge over observing guides illustrated only with colorful images. (All the photos in the book, by the way, are in black and white.) The sketches illustrate his written descriptions accurately, and the combination of descriptions and sketches helps to prepare the observer for the reality of the eyepiece. This is a thing many observing guides, illustrated by photos alone, usually fail to do very well -“ or accomplish at all.

The book is not without its technical or production flaws, but most of these looked to me to be editorial in nature. It can at times be difficult to say where to assign blame (for the want of a better word) because the author writes with such a distinctive voice. Another way to say this would be to admit that Mr. O'Meara's style is at times quietly quirky, with a liberal sprinkle of comas that don't seem to know where they should be, and a few other grammatical oddities. From time to time I found myself backtracking, rereading passages to make sure they said what I thought they said, but this did not happen often enough to be especially bothersome. The thoroughly informal and conversational style of his writing makes it possible (for me, at any rate) to quickly grow accustomed to his written mannerisms. But other errors had little to do with -œvoice.- The book is liberally sprinkled with typographical errors, and in some cases words are dropped from sentences, obscuring somewhat the meaning. I did not go through the book and list these editorial faux pas, but the fact that this impression lingered even though I did not keep count in my notes while reading the book says something about the frequency. This is a minor nit to pick, however, and notable only because this is otherwise such a handsome and well designed book. The mistakes are there, but in no way prevented me from enjoying a good read, much less balked my efforts to use this massive guide.

And it is a big book, 584 pages and about 4 pounds -“ don't set this one on the edge of a light weight observing table! The book is solidly bound, with sturdy paper for the pages, but is anything but dew proof. Those observing in moist climates would do well to keep this one under cover. Better than five hundred pages of dew-soaked text would be a sad sight to see.

The other books in this series include biographical sketches of Charles Messier and William Herschel, the former being the author of the catalog of the same name, the latter discoverer of most of the items on the Caldwell list. The biographical material in this volume comes in the form of a pleasant bonus written by accomplished amateur astronomer Barbara Wilson. And no, she does not give us the lowdown on Stephen James O'Meara -“ her subject is Carolyn Herschel, sister of the famed observer William Herschel and an astronomer of considerable accomplishment in her own right. The biography is a short piece and left me wanting to know more -“ which is a compliment, not a complaint, of course. You know you've done your job as a writer when -“ with a very limited amount of space available -“ you still pique a reader's curiosity and motivate them to learn more about a subject.

In the end, Deep Sky Companions: Hidden Treasures succeeds on several levels. It provides a well-written and well-researched guide to objects often overlooked by observers. The emphasis on objects accessible to those with modest instruments means it will appeal to most telescope owners, and no small number of binocular observers. In describing his experiences observing these objects, Mr. O'Meara includes advice on observing techniques that will surely appeal to beginners trying to understand how some of us can see anything in those dim, grey shapes that occupy the field of view. But perhaps of greatest importance is the sense you get, while reading the book, that this is a joyful pursuit. Amateur astronomy truly is a treasure hunt -“ which might well explain the number of us willing to wear pirate style eye patches as we work. While the author is obviously deeply moved by some of his experiences, and is certainly not shy about sharing that, if you imagine this book as a long conversation with an observing buddy, it's impossible not to see him grinning as he speaks.