Customer Reviews

The Astronomical Companion

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This is a great resource for either the beginning hobbyist, or the well-experienced professional.

Ottewell is a master geometer, and the crown jewel of the book is his series of drawings, showing, in great detail, the structure of the Universe, from a larger and larger perspective. Each sphere has a small sphere drawn in the center, which represents the previous sphere. Each drawing also labels the well-known objects which we can see from Earth.

Some unusal features include a distance-scale chart, a treatment of the difference between the actual and the apparent, a discussion of the various planes used to chart the sky, and he also does a wonderful job covering comets, asteroids, and other 'transitory' phenomena.

An exemplary book; if you like astronomy, this one is essential, as it offers a wonderfully accurate perspective.

....This is the most highly condensed, concise, complete, professionally illustrated text you will find on astronomy for the lay person. After studying this priceless volume, you will no longer be a lay person. The publishers of this item also publish other similarly priceless astronomical publications, "The Astronomical Calendar 2001", and for children, "To Know the Stars", among others. The Astronomical Companion and the other two mentioned are the best buys on the market, bar none, if you have any interest in astronomy or a child to whom you wish to impart such an interest. The Companion starts at your front yard and carries you through to the edge of the universe, explaining in text and graphically, everything in between, so simply and obviously you will find yourself thinking you should have bought this book years ago and saved all the money you spent on any others.

One of those books I would want to have with me on a desert island.

The Astronomical Companion covers basic questions of time, space,and even history, in an easy-to-understand format.

On its own, this book is wonderful. Combined with the author's Astronomical Calendar (which is published anually), I can spend the evening under the stars, and know what I'll find there for every month of the year.

Suitable for "naked eye" stargazing as well as for those using binoculars, small or large telescopes, the knowledge contained in these oversize volumes is amazing and easily understood. A real "find"!