37 replies to this topic

[steve t]

I was surprised at how hard this question was for me to answer, but if I were racing out the door my list would be:

 

- Personal observing log book (40+ years of observations)

- Pocket Star Atlas Jumbo Edition

- S&T Field Atlas of the Moon

- Observer's Handbook (US Edition)

- Miller Planesphere  

 

If I were allowed one more I'd include my binder of variable star charts. 

 

Steve T 

[Carl Kolchak]

Too many books to narrow it down to just five. Sorry.

 

1. Herald Bobroff AstroAtlas
2. Star Clusters Archinal and Hynes
3. Atlas of the Moon Rukl
4. The Modern Moon: A Personal View Charles A. Wood
5. Binocular Astronomy 1st ed. Crossen and Tirion

 

I read The Modern Moon: A Personal View and used Atlas of the Moon to follow along with the text. Really eye opening for me.

 

Honorable Mention For Inspiration

 

Starlight Nights Leslie C. Peltier
The Friendly Stars Martha Evans Martin

 

Honorable Mention for How Tos

 

Deep Sky Wonders Walter Scott Houston
Star Hopping for Backyard Astronomers Alan M. MacRobert
Star Hopping Garfinkle

 

 

[mkothe]

- Burnham’s
- Binocular Astronomy (Craig Crossen)
- Deep-Sky Wonders (Walter Scott Houston)
- Atlas Der Sternbilder (Eckhard Slawik/Uwe Reichert)
- The Immortal Fire Within (William Sheehan)

[desertstars]

Starlight Nights

Mr. Olcott's Skies

Tales of a Three-Legged Newt

The Light-Hearted Astronomer

Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition

[Knasal]

 

5: A PDF printout of the entire thread on Classic Rich Field by our very own Allan Dystrup

Yes, Amen to that! That is a great choice. 

 

Kevin

[santaritajim]

 Something so amazing about looking through sky atlas's and guides. I have Burnams, which involves the reader, The Night Sky Observers Guide, that  is wonderful and tells you what to expect. The Pocket Sky Atlas Jumbo Edition that is my easy go to. Tirion's sky atlas 2000.0, that is a pleasure. And Interstellarum Deep Sky Guide And Atlas that is so informative, visual, and easy to use, puts so much information at your fingertips. I enjoy them all, and use them at different times for different things.

[Alex65]

Great thread.

 

The five books from my astronomy library that I'd save would probably be:

 

1) When The Stars Come Out (1954), Robert H. Baker - the first book that I read about astronomy and that got me hooked on it.

 

2) The Edmund Sky Guide (1977), Sam Brown & T. Dickinson - my first guide to learning my way 'round the skies.

 

3) Guideposts to the Stars (1972), Leslie C. Peltier - an excellent introduction to the night skies.

 

4) Guide to the Moon (1953), Patrick Moore - extremely dated but still a good introduction to the Moon with a good usable lunar map. I have several later, updated, editions but this has such a vintage vibe to it.

 

5) Amateur Astronomer's Photographic Lunar Atlas (1968), Henry Hatfield - still gets used on a regular basis when I'm planning my moon sessions.

[peashooter1982]

Burnham’s vols 1-3

W. S. Houston, Deep Sky Wonders

Mallas & Kreimer, The Messier Album

[EverlastingSky]

The Modern Moon by Charles Wood

Binocular Astronomy by Craig Crossen (original first edition)

The 3 volumes of Burnham.

[bobhen]

The first 2 below are not strictly astronomy books, although both touch on many things astronomical and include chapters on famous figures like Newton and Galileo and other important historical astronomy discoveries and concepts along with chapters on time and evolution and atomic theory and philosophy, etc., etc.

 

Astronomy/Philosophy/Historical Science, etc...

 

1. The Ascent of Man: by Jacob Bronowski

 

2. The Seven Mysteries of Life: by Guy Murchie

 

Strictly Astronomy Books…

 

3. Cosmos: by Carl Sagan

 

4. The Soul of the Night: by Chet Raymo

 

5. The Pocket Sky Atlas, Jumbo Edition: Sky Publishing

 

The Pocket Sky Atlas will be needed because the first thing I would pick BEFORE the above books would be my Takahashi TSA 120 refractor.

 

Bob

Edited by bobhen, 23 August 2020 - 06:05 AM.

[Ed Fortier]

1. Mars by Percival Lowell

2. Mars and Its Canals by Lowell

3. Mars as the Abode of Life by Lowell

4. Starlight Nights by Leslie Peltier (signed)

5. Guideposts to the Stars by Leslie Peltier (signed)

 

Ed

[Starman1]

The first 2 below are not strictly astronomy books, although both touch on many things astronomical and include chapters on famous figures like Newton and Galileo and other important historical astronomy discoveries and concepts along with chapters on time and evolution and atomic theory and philosophy, etc., etc.

 

Astronomy/Philosophy/Historical Science, etc...

 

1. The Accent of Man: by Jacob Bronowski

 

2. The Seven Mysteries of Life: by Guy Murchie

 

Strictly Astronomy Books…

 

3. Cosmos: by Carl Sagan

 

4. The Soul of the Night: by Chet Raymo

 

5. The Pocket Sky Atlas, Jumbo Edition: Sky Publishing

 

The Pocket Sky Atlas will be needed because the first thing I would pick BEFORE the above books would be my Takahashi TSA 120 refractor.

 

Bob

While I agree we all talk kind of funny, Bronowski's series is titled "The Ascent of Man".

[bobhen]

While I agree we all talk kind of funny, Bronowski's series is titled "The Ascent of Man".

Sorry, my typo... still a great book and TV series that is also available on DVD. At least I spelled Bronowski correctly!

 

Bob

Edited by bobhen, 23 August 2020 - 06:08 AM.