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Average Customer Review
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant book!, April 19, 2009
I received this book today and it's everything the hype says it is. Hard-cover, beautiful, and complete. Everything is here, the comprehensive history, Messier's own notes, drawings and stunning pictures, all the basic facts about each object, a map of the full sky showing the location of all 110 objects, etc, etc. When I saw the photos of Messier's observatory at Hotel de Cluny in Paris, I realised with some dismay that I had been there without realising it's connection to Messier (It's now the Museum of the Middle Ages)! The book contains much more than just information about the 110 objects. For example the diagrams on the spectral types of stars and stellar evolution are superb. This book is so complete, if you want just one book on the Messier objects this is it. Very strongly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Really good, November 17, 2008
How comprehensive?
*4 catalogs from Hevelius, De Cheseaux, Lacaille, Bode and, mini-bios of many famed observers before, at and after Messier's time, so how they influenced Messier, how Messier's catalog evolved into what we see today. Glad to learn European point of view(this book was originally published in German, 2006).
*A complete copy of Messier's catalog(in English).
*Historical observations of each object.
*Stoyan gave his descriptions on each object through an ARRAY of optical aids-a 10x50, a 4.7-inch refractor and 14-inch, 20-inch reflectors, when appropriate naked-eye, 8x30, 20x100...
*Astrophysical data is the latest; findings from Chinese, Japanese, Korean astronomers are mentioned.
How beautiful?
*Charts? Some remind me of the charts in The Night Sky Observer's Guide, but in color!
*Pictures? Most are 30min. to 1 hour exposures(so beautiful some amateurs may think they are in the same league as NASA's) through some light buckets, taken by amateur astrophotographers while Hubble images are basically used to zoom in on particularly interesting spots.
*Drawings? Imagine yourself watching 7 drawings done by 8 19th-century observers and 4 by Stoyan(4.7-inch refractor, 14-inch Newtonian, 20-inch Cassegrain) just on Orion Nebula!
Practical info?
*Detailed info about all pictures is given-aperture, used focal length, camera, exposure time, site...; with drawings, aperture, magnification, date, site...
*Recommendations for visual observation like filters; for photography, focal lengths.
*Messier Marathon.
Lackluster objects like M40 get the least-one full-page treatment(because of this volume's larger size still much space is left for the text) while Orion Nebula gets 11 pages, Andromeda Galaxy gets 9, Ring Nebula gets 8, Pleiades gets 7...
Overall, the aesthetic and the quality recall Dickinson's The Backyard Astronomer's Guide.
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Creative, passionate, and fresh look at the old time favourites "The Messier Objects", November 3, 2009
Few books come along and address a subject that has been previously extensively covered and manage to make an impression; well this is on of them. If you have never heard of the "Messier Objects", if you are getting to know the "Messier Objects", or you have had enough of them and accumulated a few books on the subject, is this book for you? Well, Absolutely YES!
Experience the Messier Objects in whole new way, starting with the history of "Charles Messier" the comet hunter [if I may call him that], old Paris, historical publications from the archives, and of course the 110 Messier Objects. The book reads like a little adventure of astronomical history which is quiet enjoyable and refreshing, its not a mere list and co-ordinates but a passion building exercise that gets you eager to read about each fascinating object and go find it for your self and relive the moment. Nothing feels as wonderful and exhilarating than being able to relive history and view it with you own eye(s) or telescope.
How about the objects? Each "Messier Object" gets it moment of glory with little "Bullet Notes" about its Coordinates, Constellation Magnitude and few others; but then comes the "History", "Astrophysics" and "Observation" and some nice drawing of how the object visually looks and a Good Quality Image.
So is this the ultimate book? There is still space for improvement, let take for example my favourite object "M16 - Eagle Nebula", I would expect a Map showing the Constellation Serpents with the key stars and Co-ordinates and the location of the Eagle Nebula highlighted clearly. The included map is too small and may not be practical for locating objects, but rather to give you a broad idea where its located. It would be nice to have a little "Eyepiece" view at different magnifications of how the Nebula will look for the Amateur observer using an average telescope on a typical night, but that is missing. Oh, the drawing of the Nebula is good and gives you a clear idea of how the object will eventually look once you locate it, and the High Quality Images are superb, but I would argue that we all have a nice Star Atlas that shows all of these objects and a few books on how to locate and zoom in on a specific object using its co-ordinates, GOTO or proximity to other stars and objects.
I love the book; and I'm torn between giving it 4 or 5 stars. I guess I got so hooked on this book that I want other books to have the same quality as this book does while keeping the door open for improvements.
Hand in hand with a Sky Atlas you have a historical adventure ahead of you!! Enjoy!!
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Messier Masterpiece!, December 9, 2008
This visual atlas of the Messier Objects is a one of a kind item that no person with a real interest in the night sky should be without. I especially love the hand drawings of many of the objects from astronomers of old from the likes of John Herschel, Lord Rosse, and others. The inclusion of their drawings from a bygone era makes this a most unique work and well worth even the $70.00 suggested retail price. Of course, this work, as good as it is, doesn't supplant the wonderful work by James O'Meara regardless what some might think. O'meara's writing skills and his own drawings make his encyclopedic work most endearing, even enchanting! But enough on O'Meara, this newly published (in English) Altas of the Messier Objects is a keeper; it will be treasured for years to come! I just received it today and will want to devour every inch of the text to explore the wealth of information from cover to cover. However, after a cursory browse through the book, I did find at least one glaring typo on page 266 where M77's degree of difficulty to spot is said to be a "33 (of 5)."
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