Customer Reviews

City Astronomy (Sky & Telescope Observer's Guides)

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

 

 

I HAVE READ ALOT OF ASTRONOMY BOOKS LATELY AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY HOW MUCH I ENJOYED THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK COVERS ALOT FOR ASTRONMERS WHO CANNOT GET OUT OF THE CITY AND HAVE TO PUT UP ALOT WITH LOUSY SEEING CONDITIONS, THIS BOOK EXPLAINS HOW CERTAIN TELESCOPES WORK BETTER FOR SUBURBAN SITES VERSUS SCOPES FOR CITY FOLKS. THE BOOK ALSO GOES INTO DETAIL ABOUT HOW BY USING CERTAIN FILTERS WE CAN HOPE TO DO BETTER AT A CERTAIN SITE. A REALLY GOOD BOOK FOR THE AMATUER WHO WANTS TO GET THE MOST FROM HIS TELESCOPE.

Having read this book through several times, I admit I am baffled by the disparaging reviews of this book by others here. I have a shelf full of books, and this book is one of two that I keep going back to again and again.

Most books start out with the "find dark skies" order, and assume you won't do any real observing from your light polluted yard. Mr. Scagell takes a different approach, essentially encouraging us to view the sky as "half full" rather than "half empty." By listing targets (and the methodology in selecting targets) and explaining the challenges and solutions to many of the problems we run into while in the city, this book shows that astronomy doesn't have to be done from remote locations, and that it is possible to enjoy this grand hobby from locations that are as far from ideal as we can imagine.

This is one of the poorest books I have read on the subject of amateur astronomy. In principal, the ideas behind this book are sound. I especially liked the instructions on how to build a 'barn door' mount for a camera. Unfortunately, these 2 pages were the exception to what should have been a much better book. There are quite a few editor's mistakes - including a picture of Orion that is printed backwards. I found some of the information helpful, but the errors and simple mistakes were so much of a distraction as to preclude my suggesting this book to anyone.