Favorite beginner's book

youngsww · Post by **youngsww** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:10 pm

An informal poll: what book was the one that first got you on track as a beginning amateur astronomer, the one you turned to most often to find out what things were and what things meant. What was it about this book that made it your favorite? Provide, if you can, book title, author(s), publisher, approximate price and age it would approriate for..

Mine was a gift from my wife, The Star Guide, by Robin Kerrod.

What was yours?

Kevin Seal · Post by **Kevin Seal** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:03 pm

The Stars, by H A Ray, when I was probably 8-9 years old. I was a big Curious George fan, and this was a natural extension of that.

Buzzygirl · Post by **Buzzygirl** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:04 pm

The Stars by Rey was one of my faves, too! It's aimed at children for sure. I would say one of the best beginner's books is Nightwatch, by Terence Dickinson. Check for it at Amazon.com. You'll probably find the cheapest price there.

youngsww · Post by **youngsww** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:39 pm

Hi Buzzy,

I am not looking to buy, I just to see what kind of answers I get in case beginners ask.

John

Bill Bynum · Post by **Bill Bynum** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:09 pm

Ditto on Nightwatch as a great beginner's reference. I probably read it cover to cover three times in the first several months after getting going.

365 Starry Nights by Chet Raymo is also a great general introduction book, but not so great as a reference. He writes about astronomy topics and objects based on what is up that night, with successive articles moving from history, to the science, to descriptions of objects in the matter of a few sections. It's an easy read, lots of hand drawn pictures to illuminate the text, and interesting enough that by the time you get to the end of the year, you want to start over again.

patti · Post by **patti** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:22 pm

I'd say that my favorite beginners book is "Turn Left at Orion". It gives you a realistic idea of what you're going to see through a small telescope. I found it to be a real help working on my Messier certificate to know what I should be seeing.

Buzzygirl · Post by **Buzzygirl** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:39 pm

patti wrote:I'd say that my favorite beginners book is "Turn Left at Orion". It gives you a realistic idea of what you're going to see through a small telescope. I found it to be a real help working on my Messier certificate to know what I should be seeing.

This is the 'other' book that I recommend for beginners, right along with Nightwatch.

Jon Hickman · Post by **Jon Hickman** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:26 pm

"The Stars" by Rey, hands down!

Also, Mike Lynch's "Minnesota Star Watch" is a pretty good reference, especially for Minnesota beginners.

Buzzygirl · Post by **Buzzygirl** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:32 pm

Jon Hickman wrote:Also, Mike Lynch's "Minnesota Star Watch" is a pretty good reference, especially for Minnesota beginners.

Y'know, I have to agree with your assessment . I've looked through the book and found it to be a really good reference for beginners. It's nicely illustrated, simple to use, easy to follow, and much of what you'll read is specifically written for viewers living at our latitude, approximately 45 N. I don't have this book in my library yet, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Xena · Post by **Xena** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 10:06 pm

If you're looking for the 'why' of astronomy (what is it that makes us spend so much time looking at dots in the sky) rather than the 'what' or 'how', I'd recommend
'Seeing in the Dark' by Timothy Ferris.

Also, ther'e's a review of Mike Lynch's book in the April issue of Sky and Telescope.

Starforce2 · Post by **Starforce2** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 10:23 pm

well, when i was in elementry school I found a thick book on blackholes. That got me interested in reading other books on outerspace. What acytualy got me started however, wasn't a book it was a 2nd grade play, in which I played the part of planet Earth. I still have the cardboard cutout prop that I held that looks like earth.

lolife · Post by **lolife** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:05 pm

'Twas Nightwatch for me, too.

rbubany · Post by **rbubany** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 6:49 am

Why Gemini, of course.

Jon Hickman · Post by **Jon Hickman** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:47 am

rbubany wrote:Why Gemini, of course.

'course back when Ron was a young guy it was hand carved in stone.....

wkocken · Post by **wkocken** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 10:00 am

Nightwatch by Terrence Dickenson is good intro for observers

and Starwatch by Phil Harrington, is a very nice hands-on for finding specific stuff, including the Messiers

SEmert · Post by **SEmert** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:22 am

I was looking back at this topic, and I couldn't believe that no one mentioned "The Year-Round Messier Marathon" by Harvard Pennington. The charts and drawings in this one are very good, as well as the general info on how to do a Messier Marathon.

Jon Hickman · Post by **Jon Hickman** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 2:10 pm

Well, Steve, now that you've revived the topic I'll add a book published just this past fall that is really quite nice for beginners.

Celestial Sampler by Sue French is a compilation of her columns from Sky & Telescope Magazine. It is a year round "tour" of 60 objects especially suited for small (3" or less) scopes. It is an easy read and organized by month with star charts to use while hopping and includes "through the eyepiece" images to help beginners learn what to expect. Very nicely done!

Mike Fischer · Post by **Mike Fischer** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 4:00 pm

Thanks for unearthing an older topic. Great suggestions everyone. I have to place my votes for Dickerson's Nightwatch and Lynch's MN Starwatch.

While these are good visual references, sometimes one simply wants to get information in an interesting way. For this, I recommend Bob Berman's "Secrets of the Night Sky." Written with Berman's "Strange Universe" wit and style, this is a great book to read and gain some great background for what you are seeing.

Gomanson · Post by **Gomanson** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:23 pm

As far as a "basics" book I really liked "Astronomy: The Definitive Guide" from Barnes and Noble Books. It was under $15 and was a great intro to all areas of astronomy with tons of color photos and diagrams. It includes a decent library of star charts too.

The WORST book I've ever seen is "Atlas of the Skies: Journeying Between the Stars and Planets in the Discovery of the Universe." It would be a good book to get further into all topics, but it is SO FULL of typographical errors, misnumbered pages, etc. that I had to stop using it. A good percentage of the diagrams appear to be Italian or Spanish and haven't been translated. Even some random paragraphs and captions are still in other languages. Give it to your little kid and let them abuse it...if the many photos sparks their interest in the night skies, the book has achieved all it can.

But as far as what got me interested in astronomy, it was "Moon Hunters" by Jeffrey Kulger. It's a history of America's missions to the solar system. Before reading it I had no idea there were so many terrestrial worlds so close.

Chautauqua · Post by **Chautauqua** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 7:34 pm

The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin. Not a lot of astronomy in it, but just enough. A well-written book, highly recommended.

You writing another article, John?

youngsww · Post by **youngsww** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:22 pm

Yes, I am Glenn, but not about beginner's books. I just want some reference points when people ask me about books to start with. As far as articles, I will keep hammering at my tripe mine as long as that D___ Bubany insists I do!

John "Zero PSA" Young

mlfj4901 · Post by **mlfj4901** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:25 pm

John "Zero PSA" Young

I take it you saw the doctor recently?

-matt

youngsww · Post by **youngsww** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:26 pm

Every three months like clockwork.

John

mlfj4901 · Post by **mlfj4901** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:28 pm

Glad to see your concerned about your health.

-matt

Chris White · Post by **Chris White** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:46 pm

Yup;
Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

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