The Practical Astronomer's Deep-sky Companion [Large Print] [Paperback]

Jess K. Gilmour (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1852334746 | ISBN-13: 978-1852334741 | Publication Date: December 5, 2002 | Edition: 1st Edition.

The Practical Astronomer's Deep-sky Companion is an essential item of equipment for deep-sky observers, whether they are interested in imaging or just sightseeing. This large-format full-colour book is designed to be taken out into the field during observing to provide essential detailed, concentrated information for finding and imaging interesting deep-sky objects. Organised by constellation, each spread features the most interesting objects, with images, information, position, locator maps, recommended exposure times for telescopes of various apertures, and much more!

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"The printing quality and the illustrations are superb – some of the best examples of their type. … For astrophotographers, classical or CCD the book is a must. For the amateur or the keen observer it is a valuable work which will give plenty of ideas for new objects to observe. … it is a book I would thoroughly recommend to anyone interested in astronomy." (Albert Renard, Universe, Vol. 52 (2), 2004)

"I was very impressed by ‘The Practical Astronomer’s Deep-Sky Companion’. … The images are really beautiful ... . It is made for outdoor use, it provides relevant basic data for every object, and the entire book … can still be read under dark skies, using a red flashlight. … is reasonably priced. If you are a deep sky observer, beginner or advanced, and you are looking for a ready to go observing list for outdoor use, then I can recommend this book highly." (Backyard Astronomer, November, 2003)

"Designed to be taken out into the field during observing sessions, it provides essential detailed, concentrated information for finding, observing and imaging the most interesting deep-sky objects. The book is organized by constellation. Each spread features images, information, position, locator maps, recommended exposure times for telescopes of various apertures and much more! All the objects in this book are visible in medium-to-large aperture amateur telescopes. Recommended for field observers." (Richard Taylor, Spaceflight, Vol. 45 (11), 2003)

"As part of the Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy series Springer have produced another book on deep sky astronomy. Unlike many of the others this is in a large A4 format with plastic covers, a nice touch if you want to take it into the field. … As a quick reference book for objects to look at I think this is quite a useful addition to the literature." (Owen Brazell, Astronomy Now, September, 2003)

"This is an incredibly useful book, aimed at astronomers of all levels of expertise and experience … . The layout is extremely helpful, each constellation being covered separately, excellent large scale and more detailed individual maps, technical details in a clearly formatted and large print … and actual photographs of every single object covered in the book. These are of greatest use to the ever increasing numbers of CCD equipped astro-photographers … ." (Philip Bridle, BBC Radio, 2003)

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1st Edition. edition (December 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852334746
• ISBN-13: 978-1852334741
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A useful reference, March 11, 2005

By 

Jill Malter ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Practical Astronomer's Deep-sky Companion (Paperback)

This book is designed with the amateur astronomer in mind. But it is useful for professionals as well.

For each of the nearly 400 objects, it has the Right Ascension (in hours, minutes, and seconds to the tenth of a second, Epoch 2000), the Declination (in degrees, minutes, and seconds to the second, Epoch 2000), the size in arcminutes, the constellation, the type of object, the visual magnitude, a small but useful map of the region including the magnitudes of nearby stars (generally 4 minutes of RA by 1 degree of Dec), a nice color photo of the object, and a short note about it. The objects are organized by constellation. There are also overview maps of each of the constellations. Plenty of care seems to have gone into the preparation of this work.

The book is fun to look at just to admire the photos. I recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book for beginner and intermediate astronomers, October 16, 2003

By 

D. Birdwise (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Practical Astronomer's Deep-sky Companion (Paperback)

I just purchased this book to serve as a guide to observing using my new Meade LX200GPS scope. The book is about 8 1/2" wide by 11" tall by 3/8" thick and contains about 140 pages. It contains information on 45 constellations including for each: a one page map with constellation facts and legend followed by 1 to 3 pages of information on 5 to 15 deep sky objects in that constellation. For each object there is a small 1 3/4" by 1 1/2" thumbnail local star chart map and similar sized thumbnail color picture, plus object related data giving R.A., Dec., size, constellation, type, magnitude and short narrative note. There are about 500 objects in total in the book.

This book will be useful to those who want a list of deep sky objects for observing using medium to large aperture scopes, basic information on those deep sky objects and who like to know what to look for when observing.

My only negative comments are that some (estimated to be about 20%) of the objects are not identified on the large 1 page map of each constellation, and that there is not a full sky key map showing the relative locations of all of the constellations. On the whole, I am pleased with my purchase.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" book for the Amateur Astronomer, July 28, 2003

By 

jeff collinson (arthur, ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Practical Astronomer's Deep-sky Companion (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book for night time exploring.
It is well produced in full color and a delight to the eye.

It includes listings of thousands of the best deep sky objects,
each with a photo, a detailed map, and a description.

Whether for a backyard observatory, or a casual observer,
this book is a treasure that may become a classic.

Check it out !