24 replies to this topic

[Jeff Lee]

After almost 30 years the books I've kept and still use are:

 

1. O'meara's series for winter reading,  the M objects is still his best work I think.

2. Sky & Telescope Pocket Atlas (use it for quickly see what region I want SkyTools lists to have)

3. Bratton's Herschel Objects (because I use EAA his observations for some objects with large scopes doesn't matter I can "find and see" them)

4. Luginbuhl and Skiff, Handbook and Catalog of Deep-sky Objects (my favorite astro book of all time). Even though it was published 34 years ago the descriptions of various objects with several sizes of scopes makes it worthwhile. While moderately expensive it would be the last book that I would get rid off. 

 

What astronomy books do you still use and why?

[hyiger]

Interesting topic. When I first started out as an amateur astronomer I had (a gazillion years ago) books my grandfather gave me from the 1930's such as The Elements of Astronomy plus some "modern" books, "Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects" which I bought in 92 and still have around. I still pull them out and thumb through them but I don't actively use them now that I have planetarium apps on my iPad/iPhone. That is, I still "use" them for nostalgia reasons but not out in the field. 

Edited by hyiger, 15 June 2024 - 09:31 AM.

[helpwanted]

I have over 100 books all focused on visual astronomy, none of them about imaging. I don't think I could part with any of them! 

[hamers]

My grandfather, an immigrant from Germany with no more than 8th-grade education, became a self-taught machinist and after retiring he made a 12" Newtonian (including a large GEM!) back in the early 1950's that was my introduction to astronomy as a young child.  A few years ago I was fortunate enough to inherit his collection of books on astronomy and telescope-making and his self-learning books on trigonometry and more.  While outdated in many respects, I found that Allyn Thompson's "Making Your Own Telescope" (copyright 1947) was actually very useful when I was making my first mirror and in general is a very readable introduction that I think has a lot of validity today.  That, and the two-volume set by Ingalls on "Amateur Telescope Making" (1953).  Full of practical details for the amateur. 

Edited by hamers, 15 June 2024 - 10:42 AM.

[Wolfwatcher]

A modern-day classic from the late author!

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Edited by Wolfwatcher, 15 June 2024 - 11:09 AM.

[Michael Rapp]

As astronomy was such a pivotal part of my childhood, I just can't bring myself to throw any astronomy books away.  (Or even my 30+ year collection of S&T, which is very much taking over my home office!)

 

My most nostalgic books are:

 

• H.A. Rey's The Stars -- my first astronomy book!  It is utterly worn and over 45 years old now.
• Carl Sagan' COSMOS Hardback -- Dr. Sagan and COSMOS is directly responsible for my hobby of astronomy and my career as an educator. 
• Various Sam Brown Books -- my first telescope was an Edmund Scientific 3" reflector and these books came with it.
• Uranometria 2000 -- not so much for the atlas, but at TSP 1999 I had Stephen James O'Meara sign it as I greatly admire him.
• Will Tirion's Bright Star Atlas -- my first 'real' atlas; I did most of the Messier list with this.

As my work is very IT related, I try to keep electricity out of my hobby (save for my dew heaters lol), so I am very much a book and atlas person at the telescope.

 

There, my consistent library is Jumbo Pocket Sky Atlas (kids, do as much astronomy as you can before you need reading glasses), Interstellarium, Uranometria, and the Night Sky Observers Guide.

[Dave Mitsky]

I still use a variety of stellar atlases such as The Bright Star Atlas 2000.0, The Observer's Sky Atlas, The Cambridge Star Atlas, the Pocket Sky Atlas, the Jumbo PSA, the Sky Atlas 2000.0, and the Uranometria 2000.0 and observing guides like The Night Sky Observer's Guide.

[yuzameh]

Things you actually stand up for and get off the bookshelf and then look for the reading classes for?

 

BCH (all three volumes)

 

Menzel's original version of the Field Guide to Stars and Planets, and the charts from the modern version (I was always amazed how well that planet postiion predictor circle thing worked in Menzel's book, no sky chart software then).

 

Even Norton's 16th edition from time to time, when I remember there's certain things tabulated in it which aren't immediately found in modern books and software, because for average use you don't need 'em, the software does the sums or has the data used but hidden in the algorithm.

 

Otherwise mostly random picking off of the shelf as I mostly websearch for answers first and only resort to the books on that failing (even at times including using a book, but the online version if archived, for old stuff telling me about the astronomical numbers and tables and descriptions we don't worry about anymore, just using GOTO whichever planet/asteroid/object in the software skycharts).

[desertstars]

Regularly used: 

 

The Night Sky Observer's Guide, vol. 1&2 by Kepple & Sanner

Observer's Sky Atlas by Karkoschka

Double Stars for Small Telescopes by Haas

Luna Cognita by Garfinkle

Craters of the Near Side Moon by Moore

 

Out of a collection that's well over 100 volumes at this point.

[yuzameh]

Craters of the Near Side Moon by Moore

Best to clarify that's John Moore, so folk don't confuse 'im with the nowhere near as thorough Moon fetishist Patrick (mind you, resources where a lot more less in those days).

[Dave Mitsky]

I forgot to include the Astronomy Magazine version of the Atlas of the Moon by Antonin Rukl and Thomas W. Rackham.

 

I own a number of other observing guides and reference books as well, too many in fact.

[Alex65]

Some neat books here...

 

For myself, I've been star gazing for over 45 years now and in that time have accumulated a fair size collection of astronomy books (around a hundred or so). However, these titles are the ones that I still use on a very regular basis:

 

Lunar viewing:

 

Atlas of the Moon (1978), Antonin Rükl - still one of the best traditional moon atlases out there.

21st Century Atlas of the Moon (2013), Charles A. Wood - very clear photographic atlas and the one that I use for making a list of lunar targets to look at or to confirm that I did see what I thought I saw!

The Hatfield Photographic Lunar Atlas (1999), edited by Jeremy Clark - the one that I still use at the actual eyepiece whenever I'm out viewing the moon, despite the low res photos. Very well labelled atlas. 

 

Understanding what I'm seeing when viewing the moon:

 

The Modern Moon (2003), Charles A. Wood - great for understanding what geological processes you're looking at.

Luna Cognita (2020), Robert A. Garfinkle - great for the smaller detail, plus so much more. 

 

Viewing the planets:

 

Sky Watcher's Handbook (1993), edited by James Muirden - some great chapters on viewing Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

 

Viewing DSOs and binary stars:

 

Burnham's Celestial Handbook Vol I to III (1978), Robert Burnham Jr. - need I have to say anything about these books?

Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars (2001), Patrick Moore - useful for binocular work but mostly used by me to view the 'easy' targets with my telescope.

 

Planning ahead for my star gazing sessions:

 

A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets (1983), Menzel & Pasachuff - still a great 'field guide' to the night skies.

The Edmund Sky Guide (1977), Sam Brown - I have used this little book since 1978 and it still is the one that I grab when I'm planning ahead for a night under the stars. Easy to read sky maps make it the one that I use most often. 

[Physicsman]

Best to clarify that's John Moore, so folk don't confuse 'im with the nowhere near as thorough Moon fetishist Patrick (mind you, resources where a lot more less in those days).

Had to chuckle at the description of Patrick as a "Moon fetishist". Wrote some good books about it, though, even if some of his interpretations were completely wrong.

 

Alex - very good list, all of which I'd endorse (and have on my shelves). Great to see the Hatfield in there. I've 3 copies of the book in its 1973 incarnation, 2 of which are well-worn. Some sneer at the photos these days, but it was masterly in its time and a well-crafted project by the author. The line-drawn maps are also very clear.

Edited by Physicsman, 16 June 2024 - 09:54 AM.

[Alex65]

Alex - very good list, all of which I'd endorse (and have in my shelves). Great to see the Hatfield in there. I've 3 copies of the book in its 1973 incarnation, 2 of which are well-worn. Some sneer at the photos these days, but it was masterly in its time and a well-crafted project by the author. The line-drawn maps are also very clear.

I'm lucky enough to have an original 1968 first edition copy of the Amateur Astronomer's Photographic Lunar Atlas by Henry Hatfield. It was originally volume VI of the Lutterworth Press The Amateur Astronomer's Library. All the books are dated but, nevertheless, still provide an enjoyable read, as you probably know yourself.

[Physicsman]

I'm lucky enough to have an original 1968 first edition copy of the Amateur Astronomer's Photographic Lunar Atlas by Henry Hatfield. It was originally volume VI of the Lutterworth Press The Amateur Astronomer's Library. All the books are dated but, nevertheless, still provide an enjoyable read, as you probably know yourself.

Apologies if this goes "off topic", but you make a couple of good points.

 

Yes, my copy is volume 6 of the Astronomer's Library, 1968. From memory - and still used (in the context of this thread) - others were Patrick's "Naked Eye Astromy", "Practical Amateur Astronomy" (Moore, editor), "The Amateur Astronomer" and "Radio Astronomy". I think Lutterworth Press produced them.

 

Great reading when I was a youngster and still on the shelf and referred to!

[rmollise]

After almost 30 years the books I've kept and still use are:

 

1. O'meara's series for winter reading,  the M objects is still his best work I think.

2. Sky & Telescope Pocket Atlas (use it for quickly see what region I want SkyTools lists to have)

3. Bratton's Herschel Objects (because I use EAA his observations for some objects with large scopes doesn't matter I can "find and see" them)

4. Luginbuhl and Skiff, Handbook and Catalog of Deep-sky Objects (my favorite astro book of all time). Even though it was published 34 years ago the descriptions of various objects with several sizes of scopes makes it worthwhile. While moderately expensive it would be the last book that I would get rid off. 

 

What astronomy books do you still use and why?

Let's see...  Leaving atlases out of the picture.

 

1. Burnham's

2. Night Sky Observer's Guide.

3. Luginbuhl and Swift.

4. Ron Morales' Amateur Astronomer's Catalog of Deep Sky Objects.

5. My own The Urban Astronomer's Guide. I am having a ball going back through and seeing what those objects look like to me 25 years down the time-stream. 

 

[weis14]

I'm still a mostly paper person when it comes to my observing.  I'll use SkySafari in the field to drive a mount from time to time, but most of my planning is done using printed books.

 

Atlases:

• Pocket Sky Atlas
• interstellarium Deep Sky Atlas
• Bright Star Atlas 2000.0
• Reisatlas Mond
• Cambridge Double Star Atlas

Planning:

• Deep Sky Wonders, French
• Deep Sky Wonders, Houston
• Annals of the Deep Sky, Kanipe & Webb
• Night Sky Observer's Guide, Kemple & Samner
• Luna Cognita, Garfinkle

I have a lot of other books that I use less frequently, but these are the ones that I can't live without.

[astrophile]

I'm still a mostly paper person when it comes to my observing.  I'll use SkySafari in the field to drive a mount from time to time, but most of my planning is done using printed books.

 

Atlases:

• Pocket Sky Atlas
• interstellarium Deep Sky Atlas
• Bright Star Atlas 2000.0
• Reisatlas Mond
• Cambridge Double Star Atlas

Planning:

• Deep Sky Wonders, French
• Deep Sky Wonders, Houston
• Annals of the Deep Sky, Kanipe & Webb
• Night Sky Observer's Guide, Kemple & Samner
• Luna Cognita, Garfinkle

I have a lot of other books that I use less frequently, but these are the ones that I can't live without.

Do you take your "Planning" set into the field, for refresher/immediate context of what you're observing, object to object?

[weis14]

Do you take your "Planning" set into the field, for refresher/immediate context of what you're observing, object to object?

No.  If there are certain details to look for, I'll make notes and look for them.  However, my goal is not to recreate someone else's observation, but to make my own with as many details as possible for the scope I'm using and then compare later.  This is especially true with double stars, where I often find that my take on the colors of the pair are different than some reference guides.

[Todd N]

Being one of the few film persons out there:

 

Astrophotography for the Amateur by Michael Covington

- Lots of useful data, math and exposure tables.

Wide Field Astrophotography (Reeves)

A Manual of Advanced Celestial Photography (Wallis & Provin)

Sky & Telescope Atlas 2000 desk version

Edited by Todd N, 26 June 2024 - 01:53 PM.

[Nanotyrannus35]

The book that I use the most is "Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders." It has finder charts for a lot of brighter DSOs. I generally bring this book out into the field.

[jcj380]

I still have and reference my textbook from Astro A10-1 in the Fall of 1974.  

[Winston6079]

• Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders: From Novice to Master Observer

 

Highly practical, lots of charts, with descriptions of every objects, written in simple English. No idea if the papers withstand humidity though.

 

• Celestial Atlas Menor

I like the list of “Objects by Constellation” it is practical even to those who have GOTO telescopes.

 

I usually use them once or twice a year… It has been raining for months turning metro stations into waterfalls. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in somewhere with more than 300 clean nights a year.

Edited by Winston6079, 28 June 2024 - 12:34 PM.

[Illinois]

I enjoy All about telescopes by Sam Brown and I read it a lot since late 1970’s. That’s before internet and astronomy forums. I still use Sky and Telescope Star pocket book. Useful for look for deep sky objects, double stars etc. I have lot of astronomy books since 1975 and few books I still read it!  Nice to have astronomy books in my library. When I go to Antique or Goodwell and I always check out astronomy books if available. 

[RobertED]

I really love Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas......(The new Jumbo edition and the original small version!)....