Customer Reviews

Star Clusters and How to Observe Them (Astronomers' Observing Guides)

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

 

 

I’m an optimist: I believe Man will wake up to Global Warming before we turn our planet into Venus, that there are some honest politicians, and that proofreading will return to the forefront of book publishing.

Alas, today is not that day. Allison’s book so badly needed a proofreader that a fifth-grade teacher, armed with a red pen, would have run out of ink before getting out of the first couple chapters. I think good writing should not only be engaging, but should be free from obvious grammar and spelling errors—it makes it easier to read for the inexperienced reader, and considerably less distracting for the experienced reader.

Allison’s book has so many errors in grammar, including punctuation and tense, that the book is quite distracting to read.

I admire the intent, though, and I would have grudgingly given a nod to the book were it not for the Fatal Flaw that seems to inhabit so many astronomy-oriented books these days: the inclusion of basic information unnecessary to the text or content of the book.

On point: does a book about the structure, history, and observing of star clusters really need basic information about finders, telescope types, Barlows, diagonals, and filters? If you think it does, because the book might be read by a novice stargazer who is not so familiar with the basics of observing, then why include information on cluster classification systems, stellar spectra, and hard-to-observe faint clusters that are test objects for large dobs? Does the reader who understands the science of stars and their classifications, or to whom the difficult clusters would be interesting challenges, really need a primer on finders and Barlows?

I think not. Perhaps the author didn’t either, but was asked to include this information by the publisher. Whichever is the case, it’s there, but it surely didn’t need to be.

Lastly, there is the “meat” of the book; its catalogue of 109 star clusters, replete with finder charts, photographs, basic data, and observation reports. This is the part of the book that might have, despite the other problems aforementioned, redeemed the book in the eyes of this 43 year veteran of star cluster observing.

It was not to be. I could not believe some of the sky’s most spectacular clusters, such as NGC 7789 in Cassiopeia, were left out, while truly difficult (and somewhat mundane) clusters, such as G1 in the Andromeda Galaxy, were included. If the intent is to inspire people to look at star clusters of all types and sizes, with all levels of difficulty, then a more comprehensive approach is necessary. If you compare this to “Star Clusters” by Archinal and Hynes (pub.Willmann-Bell), or “The Night-Sky Observer’s Guide” by Kepple and Sanner (pub.Willmann-Bell), or “Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects” by Luginbuhl and Skiff (pub.Cambridge Univ.Press), the truly poor nature of this book’s contents becomes glaringly apparent.

I do not recommend this book without a major rewriting and the inclusion of a lot more star clusters. Save your money and get one of the books mentioned—your interest will be far better served.

Don Pensack, Los Angeles, May, 2006.

Books specifically about Star Clusters are a rare breed (there are 2, Archinal & Hayes book AND this one!) So I ordered this book with bated breath.

I am glad to report that it did not dissapoint. The scientific data is fresh, non-technical and bang up-to-date and covers all types of clusters including remnants, extragalactic clusters and asterisms. The observing guide and object list is thorough and accessible, and unlike most general deep sky books, the content is geared specifically towards star clusters. Would I recommend this book to cluster enthusiasts and beginners? You bet!

I am an amateur living in suburban conditions, so star clusters are ideal targets for my small scope. I found this book invaluable. It gives not only up-to-date information on all aspects of clusters - but in an easy to read format, and no maths in sight. I also found the observing guide and 'hit list' very useful. In my humble opinion, this book is worth every cent.

This book is easy to read yet goes quite deep into star cluster science and physics - but with a down to earth approach. As a newcomer to astronomy, I found the observing guide very helpful. Even the sections on equipment and techniques were useful as they are geared to star cluster observation. The list of objects is thorough and well thought out - but It could have been larger!

The author states he is an amateur astronomer himself - and his passion for the subject certainly shows. Highly recommended!

I found this book both interesting and factual. It does not contain any history of observing, or mythology but the author mentions that this was intentional. The book covers the science of star clusters very well and most of the latest discoveries are documented.

I did find a few small errors in the text but they don't distract the from the content too much, and I must admit that Springer books in general appear to have more typos than usual.

The sections on observing will appeal to beginners - though advanced amateurs may find these sections too simplistic - I guess the author is trying to appeal to all types of observer?

The list of objects is comprehensive and covers the range from very easy, to pretty hard - some are a little obscure - but at least this presents a challenge. The star charts are very clear - but some of the CCD images are a little ropey - but they are produced by amateur astronomers.

Archinal & Hynes book 'Star Clusters' is a much larger book and covers the history of star clusters and many pages are dedicated to its star cluster catalogues. But if you require a smaller book that concentrates on star cluster science and observing, then Allison's book will suit you better.

I would recommend this book to any star cluster enthusiast.

This book reads like a "C" paper hurriedly written by a junior high school student by mining data from the Internet the night before the paper was due. I'm amazed that this book actually got to print. Have standards become this low?

I gave it an extra star because it does contain *some* useful information.

After the first few pages, I almost gave up on this book. Like Mr. Pensack in his review, I was quite unimpressed that Springer would allow a book to go to print with so many glaring grammatical issues. If this is a new model for book publishing, I don't like it; and the author, Mark Allison, deserved better. Springer owes all of us an apology.

However, I kept with it. I found the information on Cluster Science (Part 1) fascinating, if not without issue in its presentation. But the love that Mr. Allison has for his hobby/trade became clearly evident in Observing Star Clusters (Part 2). At that point, I was hooked.

Sure, the blurry, grainy nature of some of the images is a bit amateurish. But, at the same time, there is strange comfort, to this amateur anyway, in knowing that the cluster photos throughout the book required only brief exposures to acquire, perhaps something I could also do with a small outlay in time and resources.

I also would have liked more information about the author himself. Through the process of reading the book, I learned of his modest observing equipment and his obvious skill in using it. But I could find no biographical sketch anywhere. On Page IV, next to his name, is the acronym 'FRAS', which I assume to be 'Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society'. This would be an impressive title! What's behind it?!

And one reviewer suggested that the information on observing equipment was unnecessary. However, I take strong exception to that comment. The title itself suggests that the book is about 'observing' as much as the science. Mr. Allison's take on equipment specifically from the vantage of star cluster observing should be very useful to any amateur looking to broaden their experience in this particular area. I much appreciated this portion of the book, and this is one reason why I rate the book so highly overall.

Mr. Allison's love for the subject covers a multitude of the book's defects. And at the end of the book, in the postscript, he says "if the reader... is inspired enough to go out and actually observe [star clusters], then my mission has not been in vain.'

In my case, it most certainly wasn't in vain. And once my 8-inch Newt is back in action, I'm very much looking forward to putting Mr. Allison's personal observing list to use.

I bought this book to learn and to be inspired. It did both.