9 replies to this topic

[Fiske]

I'm trying to decide whether to add Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar 2005 to my Christmas wish list.

http://www.universal...om/pages/AC.htm

I've never seen one of these and can't get a good sense of what they're like from what I've seen on the web. I'd like to hear from folks who have owned (or at least seen one!).

Is it a good value or not?

[Vince Tramazzo]

Fiske, Plenty of graphics, charts and diagrams.
You can get the same info out of S&T or Astronomy magazine.
So, I never really used it once I got it.
Good observing,

Vince

[edwincjones]

Does anyone remember the really old days when you got the
Encyclopedia Britantia/others and then got a yearly update?
The Ottewell calender is like the yearbook-A lot of information but hard to read, understand everything. I got
the 2004 version and it's highpoints were the Venus transit
and the 2004 comet tracts. I am getting it again this year
because it is good bathroom reading and do not have to wait
for the next S&T.
Ed Jones

[wilash]

It is large, but not too large to use in the field (about B4 size). It is like the Old Farmer's Almanac for astronomers - The Old Astronomer's Almanac. It starts with monthly sky charts and then detailed information on events throughout the year. I got bored with S&T and Astonomy magazine and I use this instead. Much kinder to trees and lets me plan ahead. And best of all, no ads.

[edwincjones]

This is something that amateur astronomers will either
really like or really dislike-spend the $25 once and see
for yourself.

Ed

[Fiske]

Guys:

It's been a while since I've visited CloudyNights. Thanks for the feedback on the Ottewell. I think I'll skip it and just go for the Royal Canadian Handbook. I've bought that before and like it fairly well. I get Sky and Telescope too. That's probably all I need. I haven't been too impressed with the marketing materials I've seen for the Ottewell calendar.

On another note, Kansas City has had an incredible string of cloudy nights!

[ArizonaScott]

I tried the Ottewell calendar last year Fiske, and honestly I just couldn't get used to it. The information is great, it's a beautiful publication, but it just seemed to be a little too much for daily use. There's so much to read and absorb, and it wasn't really at my fingertips when I needed it. This year my wife gave me the S&T Celestial Wonders calendar which I found to be perfect. I hang it up next to my desk at work and check it daily for the big celestial events. Let me make it perfectly clear that Guy's work is awesome, it just wasn't right for me.

[John Flannery]

the shipping cost to Ireland for Guy's calendar is nearly as much as the book itself but I really like the detail it gives. I agree it is crammed with a huge amount of information and seems daunting -- including the writing style which can be quirky -- but it is extremely useful to plan the year's celestial phenomena.

to be honest, I have co-written a sky guide for Irish astronomers for the last 12 years so I'd buy in many almanacs and calendars each year to compare the good and bad bits.

the RASC handbook is fantastic -- and I really think Leo Enright's "Beginner's Observing Guide" should be bundled with every scope. I hate to say it, but Jean-Louis Heudier's "Night Sky" guide is the only lemon I've bought (2004 edition); it tries to be a guide to astronomy and a calendar for the year ahead but doesn't really succeed (I saw one reference where aurora don't really excite astronomers!)

all the best,

John

[Fiske]

John:

Thanks for your post. I haven't heard of Leo Enright's guide before -- I presume he's an author on your side of the pond.

Is any information about your Irish astronomy sky guide available on the web? I'd love to know more about it.

I looked at Heudier's Night Sky guide at Half-Price Books here in Kansas City and passed on it. (A pretty negative response from this bibliomaniac.)

[John Flannery]

hi Fiske,

thanks for the welcome to CN!

the Leo Enright that wrote the Beginners guide is with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. More info on the book at http://www.rasc.ca/publications.htm -- they've a JPEG with some sample pages. Well worth getting though it cost me an arm and a leg from Sky and Tel. because they Fed Ex everything to over here.

funnily enough, I do know a Leo Enright in Dublin who is a freelance broadcaster and a long-time contributor on astronomy and space to the BBC, Irish TV, and the other national media. When I first told people here about the book they all thought it was the Leo Enright I know!

there's a little bit about the sky guide we do on the IAS web site www.irishastrosoc.org (under the publications tab). I've had to opt out of the 2005 edition though (bar one article) because of other committments. I have to say that the format has been drastically changed because the IAS Committee were very slow off the mark in preparing the 2005 edition -- the number of pages will be far less, not as much detail as I used to have, etc.

all the best,

John