Book Description
A brief, introductory astronomy book designed for readers with little or no scientific background, A Beginner's Guide uses an exceptionally clear writing style. The authors present a broad view of astronomy without complex mathematics, yet the book discusses important concepts without simplification. The book's organization follows the popular and effective “Earth-Out” progression, starting with our planet and then moving through the solar system. A study of the Sun as a model star follows, then the book covers the Milky Way Galaxy, cosmology, and the universe as a whole. Because of its easy-to-read yet comprehensive coverage of astronomy, this book can serve as excellent reference material for those readers interested in learning about our universe.
Customer Reviews:
Solid Intro Astronomy Book.......2007-03-28
This textbook presents information about the Earth, solar system, and universe in a clear manner that avoids technical jargon while staying scientifically respectable. The author demonstrates the practical uses of mathematics throughout the book and the end of chapter questions challenge the reader's grasp of the material. It's a rarity for such a readable book to be written by a person with this author's impressive educational creditials. I would definitely recommend this text and any other written by Chaisson.
good condition and speedy delivery.......2005-09-19
item arrived in 2 days and was in perfect condition. completely satisfied. would recommend to others!
Way too expensive for a paperback.......2004-08-27
Attractive book but not a good value. All the information is available for free on the internet where it is periodically updated and can be referenced for free without wearing out.
Astronomy Text Book.......2004-01-06
Text book arrived in excellent condition (brand spankin' new) and in a timely manner (about 3 business days). I got a great deal too! No problems whatsoever. Thanks a bunch!
Great Textbook.......2001-03-01
For anyone who has a vague interest in astronomy, this would be the book to read. Albeit not entirely simple, this is a relatively straight forward book that uses excellent examples to explain difficult concepts. There are many charts and diagrams. How exactly does a black hole work? What's the difference between a nova and a supernova (not as simple as you might think)? Why do we get meteor showers? There is a bit of mathematics involved, but nothing too intimidating. This is an excellent textbook. Best of all, a CD-ROM is included with lots of multimedia content, study questions, and links to more sources. Avoid other dry textbooks and purchase this one.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome.......2007-05-25
The book was just as i expected!!! it was new, no marks, and no bent pages! it was a great price and it looks like i just bought it from a book store!! shipped really fast! THANKS
Publisher Fails!.......2006-04-19
This textbook is an adequate basic astronomy text that covers all of the bases and as might be expected has many updates reflecting recent research in the field. However, much of the really cool photography, demonstrations, animations, and illustrations are not in the book but are supposed to be on the web-site to which purchasers are given free access for more than an academic year. Although the book was released months ago, the web-site will not be available before the end of May 2006. The Prentice Hall Product Support people took over three weeks to find this out and were unable to offer any other solution to the problem which was shared by half of my class section. Do not purchase this book; it is a ripoff. If you must buy it, buy an older edition that comes with the CD (which the rest of my section purchased.) You won't have to deal with Prentice-Hall. Even better, try "Discovering the Universe" which is better written and comes with a CD.
Amazon.com
The third edition of Nightwatch continues its tradition of being the best handbook for the beginning astronomer. Terence Dickinson covers all the problems beginners face, starting with the fact that the night sky does not look the way a modern city-dweller expects. He discusses light pollution, how to choose binoculars and telescopes, how to pronounce the names of stars and constellations, telescope mounts, averted vision, and why the harvest moon looks especially bright. Most of the lovely photographs in the book were taken by amateurs, which gives the section on astrophotography a particularly inspirational gleam.
Dickinson's star charts are very handy, each covering a reasonable field of view and mapping the most interesting amateur objects. He gives good advice for planet watching, which he notes "is one of the few astronomical activities that can be conducted almost as well from the city as from dark rural locations."
Altogether, the watchword for Nightwatch is indeed "practical"--this is a book to be used, not just read. Spiral-bound to lie flat or to fold back undamaged, it's a field guide that pulls its own weight in the field. Author Timothy Ferris says, "Like a good night sky, Nightwatch is clear and wind-free. Try it and see for yourself." --Mary Ellen Curtin
Book Description
Thoroughly revised, updated and expanded.
The first three editions of
NightWatch sold more than 600,000 copies, making it the top-selling stargazing guide in the world for the last 20 years. The key feature of this classic title is the section of star charts that are cherished by backyard astronomers everywhere. Each new edition has outsold the previous one because of thorough revisions and additional new material.
NightWatch has been acclaimed as the best general interest introduction to astronomy. The fourth edition has improvements over the 3rd edition in every chapter, including:
- The famous charts, ideal for stargazers using a small telescope or binoculars
- A complete update of the equipment section, including computerized telescopes
- An enlarged photography section, including how-to instructions for using the new generation of digital cameras for astronomical photography, both with and without a telescope
- The tables of future solar and lunar eclipses, planetary conjunctions and planet locations, updated through 2018.
This edition includes for the first time star charts for use in the southern hemisphere. There are also dozens of new photographs throughout the book that show the latest thrilling discoveries made by current space observatories and probes.
Customer Reviews:
Best book for the budding astronomer. .......2007-10-06
I have owned a previous version of Nightwatch and purchased the latest version for updated information on when to view the planets and star charts. For those looking to purchase their first telescope, there is essential information on how to choose and care for your first telescope. The amount of new material and much improved printing and binding were a wonderful plus. This Guide is the best place to start your adventure into astronomy. Highly recommended.
NightWatch A practicle Guide to Viewing the Universe.......2007-10-01
This is the best comprehensive guide to nightime "skylooking" that I have in my library. I have the previous edition and this is much improved and very readable. I have several sky charts, astronomy books and this is the best, hands down.. Thanks Terence Dickinnson.
A wonderful introduction to backyard astronomy.......2007-08-07
This is probably the best book out there for the beginner stargazer. It explains all about the different options for binoculars and telescopes (for instance, you may want to start out with "just" binoculars, and find you enjoy it more!)
Love the star charts, the illustrations, the writing...it's just great. Spiral-bound, we take it with us to every star party.
Excellent guide but the book has a more personal meaning to me........2007-05-24
I consider myself an amateur astronomer although the last time I actively kept an observation journal was nearly 40 years ago. I do follow all events astronomical. It boggles my mind at the discoveries that science has made in the last decade. Imagine, at last count, 277 exosolar planets!
This book was ordered by my father. I bought it and received another one. This book was half of the incident that changed my life. The one I received unexpectedly was the other half.
Anyway, this is a well-illustrated and well-written guide.
buy this book before buying your first telescope.......2007-04-30
I bought this book because of the great reviews amazon costumers were giving. Thanks amazon costumers, I'm glad I bought it! It gives such great information about chosing telescopes. People who have a small telescope (under 4 inches in aperture) may be a little peived about this book because the author doesn't talk very highly of small refractors bought in department stores. Not many authors do. I wish I bought this book first before buying any telescope. I say this in my review title because i highly stress it. I first bought a 70mm refractor when I knew absolutely NOTHING about telescopes (because I did no prior reading), and I ended up sending it back within a month because I started to learn more about them through websites and books. So I bought the spaceprobe 130mm (5.1 inch) by Orion, but the equatorial mount was not my favorite gadget to work with, but it's still a great tool, and it has great reviews, so I'm not going to totally trash it. This book recommends beginner scopes with great aperture and ease of use. He explains a variety of scopes, and what he considers a great buy. I sold my spaceprobe to my colleague and got a 6inch Newtonian Dob. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm positive I made the right choice based on this book. He goes into eyepeices and everything you need to know about what to buy. Once you've read this book, you've done your homework, and you'll be more confident in buying the right items. If you're going to spend hundreds on a telescope plus accessories, make sure you're not wasting it on the wrong things. I love the glossy pages and colorful images. I highly recommend this book with "Left Turn at Orion". Buy them together if you're totally new at this. One will complement the other. If you have a small rafractor, you will love "Left Turn at Orion" because that is one of the few books that don't insult the small refractors, but tells you how to use them.
Book Description
A superb guidebook described in Bookwatch as 'the home astronomer's "bible"', Turn Left at Orion provides all the information beginning amateur astronomers need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects. Large format diagrams show these objects exactly as they appear in a small telescope and for each object there is information on the current state of our astronomical knowledge. Revised and updated, this new edition contains a chapter with ten new spreads describing spectacular deep sky objects visible from the southern hemisphere, and tips on observing the upcoming transits of Venus. It also discusses Dobsonian telescopes, with hints on using personal computers and the Internet as aids for planning an observing session. Also new to this edition are redrawn "Guidepost" figures at the beginning of each season chapter that allow readers to visualize a three-dimensional view of the sky's dome; redesigned seasonal object layouts that provide more space for the naked-eye charts; a new spread on double stars near Boötes has been added to Spring, replacing the "Shrinking Double" spread; and a unique "When and Where to Look" table has been added to the last page, among other new features. Unlike many guides to the night sky, this book is specifically written for observers using small telescopes. Clear and easy to use, this fascinating book will appeal to skywatchers of all ages and backgrounds. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed.
Customer Reviews:
Best Book for Prospective Telescope Owners.......2007-09-25
Most astronomy books and magazines for amateurs are filled with highly-processed, color photographs of planets and deep sky objects taken with long-exposures through observatory telescopes. I call these photos astroporn because they raise new telescope owner's expectation to unrealistic levels. One cannot see full color detailed images through a small telescope with the naked eye. "Turn Left at Orion" accurately describes with sketches what one will actually see.
I recommend that prospective telescope buyers check out "Turn Left at Orion" before they fork over their hard earned cash. If you decide to buy a telescope anyway, this book gives clear directions on how to find and observe over one hundred objects in a non-technical way making it the best book to start with. While this book may be too simple for experienced amateurs, I highly recommend it for it's accurate descriptions and clear instructions.
Good but..........2007-09-01
Many have sung the praise of this book...I'm somewhat of a "newbie" had a 13" Dobsonian "light-bucket" 20 years ago, but never really did much...just bot a 102mm Celestron spotting scope. So have been buying books to aid me in getting into Astronomy better this time...This book is good for children...but a better book for adults is Neil Bone's Deep Sky Observer's Guide. It's also set up for small scopes under 100mm. The Orion book has very simple finder maps and is organized by season. Bone's book is organized by type of object, such as "open cluster" and then by easy to difficult to find. Bone's finder charts are much better in artistic value and use, being white stars on blue background, where as most of Orion's are black stars on white background. Orion has 100 objects to view, Bone has over 200...At the end of Bone's are: 8 very nice star charts as well as each constellation listing objects and a Messier List and a list of Objects by Magnitude and finally a list of Objects by Seasons (to view). All in all 215 power packed pages!...Yes the Orion is a hard back, but the binding is glue-injected pages, will the binding crack and pages fall out??...Bone's is a paperback, but the leaves are folded and stitched, so pages will NEVER fall out. Bone's book is 5X8, Orion is 9X11 1/2 much bigger to take outside and pack around. I woun't be using Orion much. Bone I will use a lot.
Not the book for me!.......2007-06-22
I am an amateur and bought this book based on the other reviews and ratings given. I was looking for a book to help me locate some of the more interesting night sky objects and this one seemed to be "the book." Well, when I got the book, I opened it up and immediately felt a little overwhelmed by all of the text-and I do mean there is a lot of text. More than I wanted. This book just wasn't what I was looking for in a guide to the night sky. Perhaps later on, I will find this book more helpful.
Don't get frustrated with your small scope!!!!!!.......2007-04-30
I've read a series of astronomy books, but Left at Orion and Nightwatch (by Dickinson) are at the top of my list. If I had a small refractor, Left at Orion would be the best pick. Nightwatch by Dickinson is best for picking the right scope and accessories and learing the celestrial objects (e.g. planets and stuff). However, Left at Orion is the best for learing how to locate objects in the night sky USING A SMALL TELESCOPE. I've been pulling my hair out about not being able to locate objects for the longest, but now I have a great tool that will help me. This is the book you use in the dark. I sit down by my scope with my RED flashlight and this book that is such a great guidance. So don't get frustrated and throw away your small scope just yet. Get comfortable and use this guide. You can always upgrade and have the small scope for for any company who wants to join you. I wish I didn't return my small scope so quickly. Anyways, after reading this book, I bought an 80mm refractor to travel on the plane with because I can't lug that big Newtonian Dob around. Yes, Left at Orion and Nightwatch are the best picks whether you have a small refractor or a big reflector. However, Nightwatch (by Dickinson) is a book to buy when you want to upgrade your telescope. Be ware: Dickinson does NOT have the nicest things to say about the small telescopes, however, if you want to upgrade, BUY NIGHTWATCH FIRST BEFORE PURCHASING A NEW TELESCOPE!!! Please read the other reviews to help guide your purchase.
Get this book for ASTRONOMY buffs........2007-02-12
This book was given to an ASTRONOMY buff along with a telescope.
Book Description
Stargazing: History's most beautiful constellation maps in XXL-format!
This collection of celestial atlases by Dutch-German mathematician and cosmographer Andreas Cellarius (c. 1596 - 1665) brings back to life a masterpiece from the Golden Age of celestial cartography. First published in 1660 in Harmonia Macrocosmica, the complete 29 double-folio maps and dozens of unusual details reproduced here depict the world systems of Claudius Ptolemy, Nicolas Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe, the motions of the sun, the moon, and the planets, and the delineation of the constellations in various views. Cellarius's atlas, superbly embellished with richly decorated borders depicting cherubs, astronomers, and astronomical instruments, features some of the most spectacular illustration in the history of astronomy.
This reprint, made from the beautifully hand-colored and complete copy of the first edition in the Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam, includes a copiously illustrated introduction by Robert van Gent, one of the leading Cellarius experts, summarizing the history of celestial cartography from antiquity to late 17th/early 18th century and illuminating the life and work of Andreas Cellarius. Van Gent also discusses the historical and cultural context and significance of the atlas and provides detailed descriptions of the astronomical and iconographical content of the plates, allowing modern readers to fully appreciate the masterwork of Andreas Cellarius and his publisher, Johannes Janssonius.
The book's detailed appendix includes a list of constellation figures with short descriptions of their origin and mythology, a list of star names found on the plates, a glossary of technical words, and a bibliography.
Customer Reviews:
Simply lovely.......2007-06-21
There are many of us who just can't afford the time and money to get many Cellarius pieces for the home. This is the solution in a lovely, well printed and compiled edition of the book, from start to finish. It is large (slightly larger than the original). It would be perfect on a library table or similar. If you are interested illminated manuscripts, astronomy history, mythology, early scientific understanding of the heavens... then this is of great interest to you.
Great Book to have!.......2007-01-15
A great source book, with beautiful illustrations of cosmos seeing thought the ayes of the 15 Century Artists.
Gorgeous!!!.......2006-12-15
Taschen never seems to disapoint and this latest issue in their series of oversized classic texts is no exception. The Harmonia Macrocosmia is a lavish oversized book of 17th century celstial maps that are reproduced with stunning clarity and brilliance. This volume should appeal easily to anyone with an interest in astronomy, art or fine books.
Customer Reviews:
Millenium Star Atlas PAPERBACK Edition.......2007-08-26
Great reference star atlas as expected. Would recommend that anyone who orders this should also have a copy of the pocket star atlas (Sky & telecope publication, also available at Amazon) as well. In addition, if you are using an atlas outdoors in adverse weather, the Sky Atlas 2000, laminated edition is great to have. Only complaint was that of "false" advertising, in that the description of the item stated that it was a hardcover edition, which is not.
Millennium Star Atlas.......2006-07-16
The overall quality is good and it was received as described by the book seller. However, Volume 3 is missing 129 sky charts. It seems to be a publishing error as it doesn't look like any pages were removed from the binding. Charts #1070 to #1196 simply do not exist in this Atlas! Can't find them anywhere!
RA 19h00m to 23h20m and Dec +21 to +27 are included in the missing charts.
It's what an atlas should be.......2006-07-01
Given that this atlas is the first to show stars to 11th magnitude, it is a pleasure to see it so well executed.
Each of the three volumes covers one gore (strip of sky from pole to pole) of 8 hours of right ascension. This arrangment has the advantage of keeping the part of the sky visible at a given time in the same volume.
Roll the drums! Write the headline: someone in the star atlas business actually gets the message. Sequencing charts in ascending right ascension is backwards. After decades of frustration, users finally have an atlas with charts sequenced in descending order of right ascension. One has to try it both ways to appreciate the difference. In atlases with north at the top and charts in ascending order, users are constantly fighting against their instinct as to which way to turn the page on reaching the edge of a chart. But in the Millennium, the user who reaches the right edge of a chart simply continues rightward to the next page; from the left edge, leftward to the previous page. This arrangement makes navigating the charts so intuitive that within the gore the numbers of adjacent charts at the left and right edges are unnecessary and have been omitted. Atlas writers who unthinkingly follow the tradition of ordering charts in ascending right ascension should take note.
Charts are clear and detailed without being crowded. Top and bottom of each page give the numbers of the adjacent charts; this greatly simplifies navigating through the atlas. A minor complaint is that adjacent chart information does not extend to charts in other volumes. Charts at the edges of a gore should say at their edges something like "Continues on Vol II Chart 235."
A measure of how good this atlas is is that other suggestions for improvement are merely speculative. The charts could maybe be bigger to cover more area and simplify navigation, maybe like the Sky Atlas 2000.0, but would bigger pages make the atlas awkward to use? Would they make it impracticable to print charts on both sides of the page? Numbered tabs for quick chart access are helpful, but are they practicable for an atlas which contains so many pages? Would tabs every 25 to 50 pages be helpful? Hard to say.
What is not hard to say is that this atlas is a superbly useful work.
It works nicely in combination with the Pocket Sky Atlas. Use the Pocket for quick basic finding and the Millennium for going deep in pursuit of the challenging stuff.
A Jewel in the Crown.......2006-04-04
The MSA is an astronomer's delight, and the 'bargain' soft-cover edition was well worth waiting for. Amazon's helpful and sympathetic management of the production/delivery delay experienced by some (myself included) has been much appreciated, and I offer them my thanks.
This splendidly resourced and detailed work is the 'jewel in the crown' of star atlases. Its virtues are many: the quality of paper and clarity of print impress one immediately on opening. As does, after a little study, the ease of navigation in this large-scale work. Then there is the delight of exploring the 'on-map' detail: info on variable star amplitudes and types, proper motion of speedy stars, double-star separations, l.y. distances of nearer stars, in addition to all the usual symbolic information on galaxies, nebulae, clusters etc. And of course magnitudes down to V.11.
Cloudy night frustration is vastly eased by the hours of happy research and study to be enjoyed turning the pages of text (admirably lucid) and atlas, so that one might well be tempted to save such valuable volumes for indoor use. Not so: the very manageable page size (13" x 9 1/4") ensures a comfortable efficiency alongside the telescope. It is, to my mind, the most versatile of formats.
If it is a jewel, it must be set in the crown. None of us travels far along the astronomical road before discovering that the resources we gradually gather are much less duplicative, far more complementary. This is essentially true with star atlases. Thus, as a 'setting' for the MSA most will require resources such as the SkyAtlas 2000.0 to give the wide-angle view (though, interestingly, its wide-format makes it not the easiest of tools in the field), and Uranometria 2000 which provides a heftier supply of deep-sky objects in addition to its invaluable DS Field Guide.
Conversely, I suspect that owners of these, and other, excellent tools of the trade are not going to be satisfied so long as this ultimate star gem eludes their grasp.
My standard star atlas I judge all others by.......2006-03-27
Although there are a LOT of features I would like to add to the *MSA*, as I call it, it is top-of-the-line for me. What I really like is its generous scale, nearly the same as the focal plane of a F.L.-80" telescope, such as the popular 8" f/10 SCT, and its magnitude limit of about 11, which was about that of my very 1st real telescope, a 3" f/10 reflector, back in 1965. The index maps make it fast and easy to find anything in the sky in the MSA. An added bonus for me is the over 1500 charts, with the white space all around them an irrestible temptation for my inveterate notes and musings. Now if only the stars were colored and the Milky Way contours were shown...
Customer Reviews:
Great Star Atlas.......2007-09-21
This is a wonderful little star atlas. Very useful for doing the Astronomical league's Messier Club. In the back of the book (last page, very easy to find) is the messier list with the page number of the item.
In the front of the book are other lists.
It's very portable but at the cost of small pages and constellations often run off the page. The pages do have a decent amount of overlap which helps when star-hopping.
The one thing I wish it had and was why I gave it four stars instead of five, I wish the pages were somehow coated so that dew wouldn't make the pages soggy. The pages are tougher than standard paper, but not dew proof.
Great Little Atlas.......2007-09-01
This atlas fills a real need for a pocket atlas that is easily carried and consulted in the field. Highly recommended.
Great Pocket Atlas.......2007-06-27
Features I like:
+ Highly detailed & labeled however not over-detailed.
+ Spiral bound is very handy.
+ Made of good quality paper.
+ Small (like medium notebook) and light weight - great for backyard observations. You don't sprain your hand when you carry it.
+ Great bargain for small price!
+ Good Index including Messier objects.
+ Detailed maps of pleaids, Virgo clusters etc.
Features I like less:
- Its size is also a disadvantge: divided to many charts that sometimes makes you confused. Can be difficult to navigate if you don't have a basic knowledge of sky.
- The spiral bound might cause pages to deteriorate in time.
- Lack of monthly maps that show the sky and the constelations change.
In a nutshell: Great bargain for the price. Very handy for observations. Best for the average stargazer.
Pocket Sky Atlas "For Large Pockets!".......2007-03-14
This rating should probably be closer to a 4 however I just can't get over the misleading description "Pocket" Sky Atlas. Over all it is what you would expect from a sky atlas. Decent easy to read maps, affordable price. However if you want a true "pocket" sky atlas to take in the field that will fit in your pocket, I would suggest looking elsewhere.
A great little atlas.......2007-03-08
I am an active amateur astronomer with several star atlases. I bought this atlas almost a year ago, and I have ended up using it more than any of my other atlases. The format is compact and convenient, it points out the major sky features very well (even providing outlines of larger nebulae), and is a great complement to a medium- to small-sized telescope. I even find this atlas makes interesting bed-time reading, helping familiarize myself with the locations of objects that I haven't commonly observed in the past, like carbon stars (cool, deep-red stars that are particularly beautiful in a low-power star field). The atlas is quite sturdy and has held up well. My only quibble is that in the edition that I have, there are a few small areas (roughly a half-inch in diameter) on a few of the maps that are blanked out, as if a small piece of scrap paper were in the way during printing. I believe this error may affect many or most copies of the first edition, but I am not certain about that.
Book Description
"A lively, up-to-date account of the basic principles of astronomy and exciting current field of research."-Science Digest
For a quarter of a century, Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide has been making students and amateur stargazers alike feel at home among the stars. From stars, planets and galaxies, to black holes, the Big Bang and life in space, this title has been making it easy for beginners to quickly grasp the basic concepts of astronomy for over 25 years. Updated with the latest discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics, this newest edition of Dinah Moché's classic guide now includes many Web site addresses for spectacular images and news. And like all previous editions, it is packed with valuable tables, charts, star and moon maps and features simple activities that reinforce readers' grasp of basic concepts at their own pace, as well as objectives, reviews, and self-tests to monitor their progress.
Dinah L. Moché, PhD (Rye, NY), is an award-winning author, educator, and lecturer. Her books have sold over nine million copies in seven languages.
Customer Reviews:
Astronomy: A self teaching guide.......2007-06-15
I have always been fascinated with astronomy but the language/references have been a bit over my head sometimes. I am looking forward to becoming a more savvy "star gazer". The book seems to be what I have been looking for.
good introduction, but...........2006-03-11
This book is a good introduction to astronomy, but, they put the answers for all the tests right next to (and often directly underneath) the questions. That makes it very hard to take the tests sincerely because it's so easy to accidentally glance at the answers.
a nice little book for intro to astronomy.......2001-12-18
Obviously there are no people who are completely clueless about astronomy since we all were taught as children (at least I was) about the planets in our solar system and about other galaxies. Beyond that most people would not know much about astronomy; which is where this nice little book comes in handy. It has enough information on astronomy subjects without mathematics and without being textbook-like. I think the value of this book is the combination of illustrations and text that stimulate an interest to explore the topics (in another, more extensive book) if this is so desired. And if not, then it is still a good overview of astronomy. Good book for the price!
Yet another deceptive book..........2001-07-04
Wanting to teach myself a little astronomy, I purchased this book, since it somehow had acquired a noble status among similar literature. Upon receiving the book and looking through it, I simply wondered "how?". It seems that most books of this type suffer from similar defects. The design seems to be based off a children's activity book. Wide margins, plentiful empty, white space, and text that is big and ugly. Is it possible to publish a book of this purpose with a crisp, small font, several paragraphs per page, and clean, sharp diagrams/illustrations? Apparently not. Perhaps I'm alone in desiring an efficient, textbook-like layout. It seems possible that the complete text of this book could have been printed on 50 pages. Anyway, there's more. The book has been reprinted several times due to its popularity. Again, I'm at a loss for why. Though the cover, perhaps, has changed, the photos that litter its pages, seem to have not. Imagine for a moment taking a photo of Jupiter through a sheet of black tracing paper. Now imagine the resultant sharpness and resolution. Breathtaking, no? The overall quality of diagrams, illustrations, and photos is woeful. Lastly, this book, in sharing the rudiments of astronomical science felt compelled to discuss the wonderful world of SETI!!! SETI is a money-sucking escapade in speculative failure. This book, as most others do, discussess the pseudo-scientific merits of the SETI program, complete with reproductions of the diagrams we've sent along into outer space of a generic ( though peaceful looking), naked man and woman. Hmmm... You will find some science in this book, but if you hope to master the basics of astronomy and take part in an honest discussion regarding the limited understanding we still have of many things universal, I recommend looking elsewhere.
An armchair guide to the cosmos.......2001-01-23
I'm an armchair astronomer. While I save up to buy that telescope, I read books like this, attend star parties (dark sky gatherings where amateur astronomers let wannabes like me peek through their scopes) and daydream about the day when my future telescope sees first light.
This is a great book for people like me. It's the equivalent of a very thorough undergraduate "Introduction to Astronomy" class. The author makes good use of illustrations throughout the book to explain difficult concepts like stellar spectra, distances to astronomical objects, and how astronomers determine the temperature, mass, and composition of stars.
New discoveries are being made every day in astronomy,and of course it's impossible for a book to be as current as today's newspaper. Readers of this book will want to update themselves on certain topics, such as extrasolar planets, human spaceflight, SETI, the explosion of CCD photography in amateur astronomy, among others. A list of resources to do just that is provided in the back of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to be entertained and enlightened at the same time. If you're like me, preparing to morph from armchair to amateur status, this book provides an excellent foundation.
Book Description
Double & Multiple Stars, and How to Observe Them is written specially for practical amateur astronomers who not only want to observe, but want to know and understand the details of exactly what they are looking at.
Increasing light pollution throughout the world does not affect the viewing of double and multiple stars, unlike most classes of deep-sky objects. More and more amateur astronomers are turning to this interesting – and scientifically useful – area.
The concept of the book – and of the series – is to present an up-to-date detailed description of the objects, their physics and their evolution (part one); and then (part two) to consider how to observe and record them successfully.
Double & Multiple Stars, and How to Observe Them is a mine of information for all levels of amateur observers, from the beginner to the experienced; it is equally fascinating for practical astronomers, and also for those who simply want to find out more about these unusual star systems.
Book Description
Compiled by a team of experts, this textbook has been designed for elementary university courses in astronomy and astrophysics. Beginning with a discussion of our nearest star, the Sun, the volume then considers how astronomers study the basic physical properties and life-cycles of more distant stars. Exotic objects such as black holes are also introduced. The text contains numerous useful learning features such as boxed summaries, student exercises with full solutions, and a glossary of terms. It is also supported by a website hosting further teaching materials. Written in an accessible style that avoids complex mathematics, this book is suitable for self-study and will appeal to amateur astronomers as well as undergraduate students.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Second Book.......2006-08-08
This is another introductory astronomy text similar to "Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies" by Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff but with a little more math. I bought this book with the intention that it would take me a step further than "Voyages". Unfortunately I've been somewhat disappointed with it. Not that "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" is not a good book. It is, and it has some noteworthy features, but overall it is not as clearly written as "Voyages".
What I did like about "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" were the problems. In this respect the book succeeded perfectly in what I was looking for... a step beyond "Voyages". At an introductory level the problems were ideal. They required nothing more than a decent high school math background, but they were well considered to support, highlight, and illuminate the text. Also, the answers to the problems were well written, and helped to clarify many concepts.
Another nice feature of "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" are the many excellent diagrams. These really helped to clarify numerous points in the text.
As it's title suggests "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" is limited in scope to our Sun and stars in general. It does not cover anything related to galaxies or cosmology. For that you would need the companion book, appropriately titled "An Introduction to Galaxies and Cosmology". So two books are required to cover the same material as "Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies", (though admittedly in somewhat more depth). The contents of "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" include:
1. Seeing the Sun
2. The Working Sun
3. Measuring Stars
4. Comparing Stars
5. The Formation of Stars
6. The Main Sequence Life of Stars
7. The Life of Stars Beyond the Main Sequence
8. The Death of Stars
9. The Remnants of Stars
Bottom line is this is an excellent book for introductory problems in astronomy, but if you are looking for an introducory book to give a clear overview of astronomy, I recommend "Voyages to the Stars and Galaxies" by Fraknoi, Morrison, and Wolff. If you already have a pretty good grasp on the big picture, then "An Introduction to the Sun and Stars" provides a gentle stepping stone into a bit more detail including an excellent set of introductory problems. It is certainly a worthy addition to any astronomy library.
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Astronomy
| Astronomy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Astronomy: A Self-Teaching Guide, Sixth Edition
The Backyard Astronomer's Guide
Astronomy For Dummies (For Dummies (Math & Science))
Exploring the Night Sky: The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Beginners
Astronomy Today (5th Edition)
