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by Wayne Kuhn
The Backyard Astronomer's Guide
Authors - Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer
Sky Publishing - $39.95
less 10% NPMAS discount - $35.95
There is something deeply compelling about
the night sky. Those fragile, flickering points of light in the
blackness beckon to the inquisitive mind. So it was in antiquity, and so
it remains today. But only in the past decade have large numbers of people
decided to delve into stargazing - recreational astronomy - as a leisure
activity. Today, more than half a million people in North America call
themselves amateur astronomers.
Not surprisingly, manufacturers have kept
pace with the growth of the hobby, and there is now a bewildering array
of telescopes and accessories to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands
of backyard astronomers. This development has produced a gap in the reference
material available to stargazers, a gap that this book attempts to bridge.
I have just read the first two paragraphs
of the introduction titled "A New Stargazers Guide Book". As stated
by the authors, this book focuses on practical information concerning telescopes,
binoculars, and accessories available in our hobby today. This includes
comparing different brand names and types of telescopes to help the reader
select the appropriate equipment to fit their style of observing.
The book also acts as a guide on how to best use
this equipment, how to avoid buying unnecessary gadgets and, most important,
how to feel comfortable that we are using the equipment we have as well
as we can.
In many respects this book is a sequel to
Terence Dickinson's Nightwatch: an Equinox Guide to Viewing the Universe,
which emphasizes preliminary material for the absolute beginner. The
Backyard Astronomer's Guide, on the other hand, provides extensive
reference material for enthusiasts who have already decided that amateur
astronomy is an activity worth pursuing.
The book was first printed in 1991 and updated
in 1994, so most of the information on particular brands and models is
still valid and relevant. |
Full chapters are devoted to binoculars, telescopes, eyepieces and
filters, accessories, naked eye observing, observing conditions, observing
planets, and exploring the deep sky. Three chapters are devoted solely
to astrophotography.
No matter what your particular interests are
in astronomy, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide offers something for
everyone.
Next Month - Star Atlases for the beginner.
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