Customer Reviews

Binocular Astronomy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm not a huge fan of binocular astronomy, but I bought this to learn more about it. I'm still not a huge fan of binocular astronomy--but this book has added very considerably to my telescope-based observing. The reason is that many of the targets discussed (beautifully) in this book are tough for binoculars esp. in suburban skies such as mine, but are easy and extremely rewarding through a small telescope (e.g. my 5 inch reflector). Yet these very rewarding objects are largely omitted from telescope gudebooks (perhaps since they're too easy!). Thus, this book provides a huge collection of great targets for a small scope. And it is far more than a mere list (though convenient lists are provided). The astronomical and astrophysical context of the objects described is provided very nicely--but learning this is optional, so the user of this book can create the desired balance between "theory" and pretty observations. There are only a few things I don't like about the book--no index (but the organizatin and table of contents are excellent, so essentially make up for this), no discussion of the moon, which is a great binocular object, and nothing about sketching your observations. Nevertheless it is a tour de force, filled with great information, organized well, and with very high production quality. I would strongly recommend this to all amateurs with telescopes (and maybe binoculars,too!).

If you're serious about binocular astronomy you'll want to get this book and probably Harrington's Touring the Universe Through Binoculars too (see my review of that book too). You may want to consider buying this book directly from Willman-Bell, since Amazon claims a 4-6 week wait time. Binocular Astronomy gives a good narrative account of the best binocular sights in the sky, well illustrated with beautiful black and white photos and excellent sky maps. In fact, the book contains the entire Tirion Bright Star Atlas, which sells for around $11 itself. One can easily photocopy that (oops, I hope that's not a copyright violation) and take it with him/her observing. Coupling these objects' descriptions with a sky map just makes it easier to find them.

Binocular Astronomy excels in its organization of the constellations by seasons (as opposed to alphabetically), choosing to discuss a limited number of objects (but discussing them thoroughly), including key statistics (magnitude, stellar type, distance, etc.) without overdoing it. The book is also hardbound and printed on thick durable paper, another plus.

Owning Binocular Astronomy is like having an experienced buddy, helping point you towards all the interesting things in our sky.

All in all, an incredible value.

This high quality and well written book will certainly join Burnhams three volume set as a long term classic, for those wanting to explore the sky with binocs. The numerous drawings and charts are priceless in locating interesting objects. It's a pity this excellent book is listed as "buy it used" by Amazon, with none shown as available used, since mine arrived spanking new in three days from Richmond to Maine via UPS in a highly professionally wrapped box for only a... handling fee and zero shipping charges from Willman-Bell the publisher. The inclusion of the outstanding Tirion Star Atlas is a huge plus, highly useful with only the naked eye, as well as with binocs and small telescopes. A Best Buy for anyones library. When you or the children in the family are ready to go beyond Rey's priceless "The Stars-A New Way to See Them", this book should come next.

This book is INCREDIBLE. It covers many deep sky objects for binoculars and also increases your understanding of our galaxy. The writer does not only explain deep sky objects for binoculars by season but also explains why some kinds of objects are very dense at some constellations and rare at some other part of sky. Also this book explains what actually happens in the objects that we look. Also this book includes Bright Star Atlas. So you don't need any other atlas to follow the book. This book is for both beginners and intermediate level observers.

This 2nd edition was edited and published without the consent of the original author (Crossen), because of a dispute with the publisher over an unrelated work published elsewhere. According to Crossen, the updates were sloppy added with other parts altered, in any case done without the author's consent.

If you plan to buy this book, get the original first edition.

I have dabbled with binocular astronomy in past and I am now "into it" with both feet, with a variety of instruments up to 25X100 mm.

I have a large collection of star charts and I'm a fairly proficient star-hopper but I was looking for a binocular astronomy text that would provide me with a handy list of accessible and appropriate DSOs for the binocular. I ordered Gary Seronik's "Binocular Highlights" and Crossen/Tirion's "Binocular Astronomy Second Edition."

I can't say enough good things about the Seronik book. It presents 99 deep space objects that are appropriate for the binocular. Each one gets a page of text along with a very useful star chart (in colour) to find it (with a 10X50 binocular field of view highlighted). The text is well written and adds context to what you're seeing. The inside covers of the book feature excellent scaled-up "total sky" maps for the seasons of the year). The book is a handy size (roughly 9 inches by 9 inches) and is wire-bound so that it lays flat nicely. The pages are coated with what appears to be a waterproof coating (important for taking into the field and combatting dew). Haven't tried it yet, so I can't confirm that.

In sum, I would give it a "9" on a 10 point scale.

The Crossen/Tirion book is a major disappointment. It's 8.5X11" in size and several hundred pages long. Conventionally bound, so it's hard to open fully and stay open. It contains several chapters on astronomy that are of little relevance to the book's topic. The star charts are black-and-white, appear in no obviously logical order, and have very skimpy notations of the DSOs to be found on them. I'd have to say the star charts are among the least useful (and most boring) charts of their kind that I've seen in years. And the writing, finally, is dull and academic.

I have liked some of Will Tirion's other books; I didn't see his "hand" in this one. On a 10 point scale, I would give it a "2." I returned it for a refund.

I am a writer and I dislike being this negative about the product of another writer (or team of writers). But honestly, in its writing and graphic presentation this book reminds me of astronomy texts published about 20-30 years ago.

This is the only binoculars-specific astronomy book I own, but it is a beauty. Craig Crossen is a wonderful writer, one who makes you want to run out with your binos and check out the things he describes. He also manages to cram an entire mini-course on the structure of the Milky Way into his Binocular Astronomy book, and includes a good serving of the famous E. E. Barnard photographs of Milky Way starfields. Add to this the fact that the book ends with a reprint of Tirion and Crossen's Bright Star Atlas, and you are ready to go out and observe (provided you've remembered to bring your binoculars!). ALL amateur astronomy books should be this good, this complete and this inspiring.

Wow, this one has all the information you want or need for binocular observation, and maybe more. If you enjoy astronomy and want one book for binocular astronomy, get this one. It will keep you busy with your binoculars for a long time.

The first chapter introduces the basics of star-watching: constellations, the celestial sphere, seasonal changes, and so on. It also includes a short discussion about choosing and using binoculars. The technical information is a little dated (the optics world has changed in the past 15 years!), but the rest is good solid information.

The next four chapters cover the sky by season. They each introduce the seasonal constellations, and the move straight to the good stuff. And what good stuff it is. Terrificly detailed descriptions of hundreds and hundreds of targets for you to look at, with drawings, charts, and photographs to help you find and identify them.

But be forewarned, this book is by and for amateur astronomers. If your interest in the night sky is very casual, a "twice-a-summer" affair, this book may overwhelm you. For example, it uses the Bayer and Flamsteed IDs for stars (Greek letters and numbers, respectively), and gives directions using degree measurements. You will need and use the star atlas at the rear of the book. Most of this can be quickly learned, but it does demand that you pay attention. This is a good thing. :-)

Chapter 6 describes and illustrates the structure of our own galaxy. It's interesting and very instructive.

Chapter 7 sends you out looking for galaxies. Galaxies, my friends, and with binoculars no less! But with a decent pair of household 10x50 binoculars and a dark sky, you'll be amazed at how the universe unfolds before you.

Appendix A covers the history of the constellations we use to navigate the sky; I found it good "cloudy night" reading. Appendix B covers the basics of stars (e.g., formation, evolution, and categorization), but there are better resources for this information. Appendix C is a very outdated bibliography; the most recent book noted is from 1991.

Finally, the book include indices for every object type, and the ten star charts of the "Bright Star Atlas", which as I said you will need and use.

Anyone with even a passing interest will learn something on nearly every page of this book.

I will say that this book could use an update in look and feel. It doesn't have the polish of, say, "Nightwatch" or even "Turn Left". With an edit and format makeover, a revised edition would just blow the competition away.

As it is, this book expects some effort on your part (which, repeat this, is a good thing). It has numerous detailed charts to guide you, but it could use even more.

Not all objects described are illustrated; that would triple the page count. And the photographs, printed on ordinary (non-glossy) paper stock, are poor cousins of what we've become accustomed to. But they're serviceable in the sense that you get an idea what the field will look like when you get to your target. But don't buy the book for the pictures.

These few negatives don't add up to even a one-star drop in my rating. For the amateur astronomer, this is the cream even if you're just starting the hobby.

But for the person with a passing, post-barbecue curiosity about the darkening sky, this is too much. For you, this is a two-star book; S&T's "Binocular Highlights" may be a better choice for you.

With this book in hand, a red flashlight to read by, and a clear sky above your lounge chair, your binoculars will reveal brand new beautiful and awesome sights for many years to come.

This is a must have book for the amateur astronomer. It has in-depth coverage of deep space objects. It lacks detailed charts, however, this is not the authors purpose. It rates a 5 on the strength of its meaty content. If you need a chart, buy one to accompany this book. A star wheel will also be useful.

I wrote this review in 2002 for a very well known astronomy website. In my opinion, this is an outstanding resource for the binocular observer. It is not a stand alone book/atlas. Few astronomy references are stand alone. In fact, in my original review I also stated, " The intermediate amateur not only uses a good set of star charts but also might own a deep sky object reference book. The charts are the road maps to the sky but the object references are the library in which we discover the meanings of the objects we view. No one reference seems to have it all. Where one reference book is found, usually another is not far away." Binocular Astronomy is one such object reference. A bonus is that it also provides a quick use atlas in the back of the book. However, the person wishing to become an avid observer will own and use a set of star charts along with this outstanding reference.

Ed Zarenski, CN Binocular Forum Moderator

from 2002
Binocular Astronomy, by Crossen and Tirion, $24.95, $30 to $60 used, 182 pgs. 8.5x11 hard. Organized by season. Lists about 250 objects visible in binoculars. Has a ten-page set of mag 6.5 star charts, The Bright Star Atlas, in the back of the book, nice for the binocular enthusiast who might not have a separate atlas. Chart scale is 29mm per 10 degrees. This book includes a data table to chart reference for every item identified in the text of the book. Larger size detail charts are included in each seasonal section. A great strength of the book is the outstanding sky photos with deep sky objects identified, making this a great choice for the beginner or avid novice. Some of these sky photos look exactly like the views thru my 10x50s and 15x70s. This can definitely be usable as more than a binocular guidebook and could easily be recommended for the avid novice telescope user. A great reference. Highly Recommended!