The Sky Observer's Guide: A Handbook for Amateur Astronomers (Golden Guide) [Paperback]

R. Newton Mayall (Author), Margaret W. Mayall (Author), Jerome Wyckoff (Author), John Polgreen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Golden Guide

Discusses how to select and use binoculars and telescopes, how to observe planets, meteors, comets, and other celestial bodies, and how to use star charts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Golden Guides first appeared in 1949 and quickly established themselves as authorities on subjects from Natural History to Science. Relaunched in 2000, Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press feature modern, new covers as part of a multi-year, million-dollar program to revise, update, and expand the complete line of guides for a new generation of students.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Golden Books Pub Co (Adult) (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307240096
• ISBN-13: 978-0307240095
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,265,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for learning about Astronomy, October 18, 2000

By 

James Wilcock (Meridian, ID USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sky Observer's Guide: A Handbook for Amateur Astronomers (Golden Guide) (Paperback)

If you just want a working knowledge of Astronomy, and you want it quickly and easily, read this book first. I think you'll be impressed with how much information is there, and how understandable it is. I know I am!

If you want comprehensive up-to-date coverage of the meterial, you can find other sources later.

When my children have a question about the sky, this is where we go. We were driving home one night and my son asked me if I had ever seen a shooting star. Actually, I was surprised he HADN'T ever seen one. I explained about Meteor Showers and asked if he wanted to know when the next one was. We got out this book and looked it up. He was so interested he read the entire book, and now I catch him explaining things to his brothers and sisters. This book has a TON of information.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated, but still one of the best beginners guides, January 22, 2000

By 

J. Hansen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sky Observer's Guide: A Handbook for Amateur Astronomers (Golden Guide) (Paperback)

I've been a pretty active amateur astronomer for the past 34 years. I would agee with the first reviewer "The Sky Observer's Guide" is dated and in need of new material covering Catadioptric systems (Schmidt-Cassegrain,Maksutov)and the just as popular Dobsonian now so ubiquitous among those who like me build their own systems. This has not occured I believe because possibly all the original authors have passed on. But after saying that, if your just getting into astronomy, this is still one of best guides to getting started with a small telescope around. It tells you what you can observe, how to do it, and what to expect. You could easily buy a dozen other popular guides now on the market that won't cover as much material, as clearly, as the Mayalls, Jerome Wyckoff,and John Polgreen put into the 160 pages of this little book. I still have the 1965 edition I bought when I was 12 in 1966, and though I've gone way past the material covered, I've kept it as a sentimental favorite because I probobly learned as much from it early on as I have from any other single source since then. So Golden Guide, if your looking at these reviews, add something about the two telescope types I've mentioned above and maybe something about CCD cameras too, but please don't drop anything from this still great little book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, small astronomy handbook for young people., July 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sky Observer's Guide (Hardcover)

Pictures and graphs on every page. All topics of astronomy presented in a concise, easy-to-understand way for children or adults. Includes a list of dates for repeating meteor showers. Low price. Frequently found in used book stores or thrift stores.