Deep Sky Objects

David Levy's book Deep Sky Objects

The best and brightest from four decades of comet chasing

ISBN 1591023610

Published by Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY

Book Review by Justin Modra

The Christmas Tree open cluster isn't in any of my observing logs yet, but David Levy's book Deep Sky Objects, The best and brightest from four decades of comet chasing makes it seem like I've already appreciated it's beauty. NGC2264 (L159) is a naked eye object, observable from suburban skies in the late winter months. “And binoculars or a small telescope will reveal the spectacle from virtually any location,"; Levy writes.

This book represents a unique combination of comet masqueraders, personal anecdotes, practical observing tips, historical notes and modern astronomical science. Levy provides 338 targets in the both the northern and southern hemispheres. Some of these are common Messier objects, like the Orion Nebula. However, a new perspective is provided on even this object. Observing the variable stars in the Orion Nebula is given the heading of "A Cosmic Reality Show." I was surprised when Levy wrote that he studied this nebula for three years and watched the new stars in this nebula vary in brightness, some within five or ten minutes!

Other objects in the Levy list are esoteric northern hemisphere NGC objects like the Helix Nebula, which requires a very dark sky. Additional objects described are common southern hemisphere targets like the huge globular cluster Omega Centauri. Either way, I have a list of new objects to check out the next time I get to a dark sky site – or a trip to Australia. And Levy weaves the history of their discovery with his own personal "discovery" of another comet masquerader.

This book has comprehensive star chars, tables and an index. Amateur and professional photographs are also included for almost every object. The organization of the book is also unique – objects are cataloged by their distance from earth. This is helpful for anyone who has been asked the question, "how far can you see with that telescope?" My only grudges are the lack of sketches and finderscope views, which are common in other observing guides. Also, the charts section could use some improvements, refer to the overlapping text shown in the example chart.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys looking at the night sky. Personally, I found the book to be very enjoyable reading and useful in planning observing sessions.

The Levy List can be obtained on-line via the following link: http://www.jarnac.org/levylist.htm

A list of chapters from the book is shown below:

Part 1 : An Introduction

Chapter 1 : Letting the Sky Come to You

Chapter 2 : Getting Excited about the Deep Sky

Chapter 3 : An Observing Guide to the Catalog

Part 2 : The Best and Brightest

Chapter 4 : Interesting Stars – Distances: From Earth to Hundreds of Light-Years Away

Chapter 5 : Open Star Clusters – Distances: Hundreds to Thousands of Light Years Away

Chapter 6 : Clouds of Dust and Gas– Distances: Thousands of Light Years Away

Chapter 7 : Nebulae at the End of a Star's Life – Distances: Thousands of Light Years Away

Chapter 8 : The Galactic Center – Distance: 26,100 Light Years Away

Chapter 9 : Globular Clusters – Distances: Tens of Thousands to More than a Hundred Thousand Light-Years Away

Chapter 10 : Farewell to the Milly Way: The Closest Galaxies " Distances: Two to Four Million Light-Years Away

Chapter 11: Where the Space is Filled with Galaxies " Distances: Four to Sixty Million Light-Years Away

Chapter 12: Fainter and Farther " Distances: Sixty to Three Hundred Million Light-Years Away

Chapter 13: Of Space, Time, and Dreams " Distances: Hundreds of Millions to Seven Billion Light-Years Away

Part 3: The Full Levy List

Chapter 14: David Levy's Catalog of Comet Masqueraders and Other Objects

Deep Sky Object Atlas

Notes

Glossary

General Index

Object Index

Shown below is an example from the charts section: