Through the Telescope: A Guide for the Amateur Astronomer, Revised Edition [Paperback]

Patricia Barnes-Svarney (Author), Michael Porcellino (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071348042 | ISBN-13: 978-0071348041 | Publication Date: November 26, 1999 | Edition: 2

In the ten years since this award-winning book was originally written by Michael Porcellino, the field of astronomy and its discoveries has grown by leaps and bounds. From the astounding images sent back by the Hubble Space Telescope, to the bright comet Hale-Bopp from the fleet of Martian probes, to the long-distance explorations of the Moon, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn--the universe has become more accessible than ever. And thanks to this revised and thoroughly updated new edition by astronomer and science writer, Patricia Barnes-Svarney, anyone with an interest can delve into its wonders. From the very close up to the far reaches of space, THROUGH THE TELESCOPE presents a uniquely "user-friendly" view of the universe, and offers both novice and advanced amateur astronomers some of the best tools available to watch the nighttime skies. You’ll learn all about: * Setting up a good, user-friendly telescope system * How to look at the universe in order to really see it * Upgrading your telescope for peak performance * How to spot a star cluster, a nebulaÖeven a supernova * Forming your own network of amateur astronomers. Complete with a web site appendix and fully updated charts on eclipses and planetary oppositions well into the year 2000, this edition of an acclaimed book will be an invaluable users guide for aspiring astronomers entering the new millennium.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Explore the craters of the moon, the satellites of Jupiter, and the rings of Saturn. Travel as close as you wish, or as far as your imagination can take you. With this practical, hands-on guidebook for the amateur astronomer as your roadmap, the universe can be more accessible than you ever dreamed. In the ten years since this award-winning book was originally written by Michael Porcellino, the field of astronomy has advanced by leaps and bounds. From the astounding images sent back by the Hubble Space Telescope, to the dramatic visit by comet Hale-Bopp, from the fleet of Martian probes, to the long-distance explorations of the outer planets, the universe has become more accessible than ever. Thanks to this revised and thoroughly updated new edition by amateur astronomer and science writer, Patricia Barnes-Svarney, anyone with an interest in all facets of amateur astronomy can delve into its wonders.

From the very close up, to the far reaches of space, Through the Telescope presents a uniquely "user-friendly" view of the universe, and offers both novice and advanced amateur astronomers some of the best tools available to watch the nighttime skies.

• You'll learn all about:
• Setting up a good, user-friendly telescope system
• Spotting comets and asteroids
• Upgrading your telescope for peak performance
• How to spot star clusters, nebulae, even a supernova
• Forming your own network of amateur astronomers

Complete with a web site appendix and fully updated charts on eclipses and planetary oppositions well into the 21st century, this new edition of an acclaimed book will be an invaluable users guide for aspiring astronomers entering the new millennium.

About the Author

Patricia L. Barnes-Svarney is the author of more than twenty books on popular science for adults and children, as well as numerous articles in such journals as Popular Science, Air & Space, Astronomy, Final Frontier, Omni and Ad Astra. Her extensive background in the physical sciences includes degrees in Geology and Geography, and professional experience in astronomy, geomorphology, and physical oceanography.

Michael Porcellino was an amateur astronomer for more than 30 years, as well as an active member of the Chicago Astronomical Society, the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, and the American Association of Variable Star Observers. In addition to publishing extensively in the field of astronomy, he also scripted training films, manuals and brochures on the subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (November 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071348042
• ISBN-13: 978-0071348041
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,505,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Telescopes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Warning: bad book!, March 4, 2000

By 

Geoff Gaherty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Telescope: A Guide for the Amateur Astronomer, Revised Edition (Paperback)

This is the worst astronomy book I've encountered in forty years as an amateur astronomer! It is full of errors and has some of the poorest illustrations (out-of-focus, incorrectly labeled) I've ever seen in a commercial publication. Anyone interested in buying and using telescopes would be much better served by NightWatch by Terence Dickinson, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Dickinson and Dyer, or Phil Harrington's Star Ware.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Badly in need of copy editing, July 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Through the Telescope: A Guide for the Amateur Astronomer, Revised Edition (Paperback)

It's amazing McGraw-Hill let this one out at all. There are typographical and syntactical errors on almost every page. I can't comment on technical accuracy, as I am a beginner at astronomy. But I do know when I've seen the same photograph twice with different, and inconsistent, captions. The publisher did a real disservice to the author of this edition--and to the memory of the author of the original version--by rushing this to market without at least showing it to a copy editor.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide, January 31, 2002

By 

Kevin W. Parker (Greenbelt, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Through the Telescope: A Guide for the Amateur Astronomer, Revised Edition (Paperback)

This is an excellent guide for the amateur astronomer, with copious information on both what to look at in the sky and what to buy to do so, including both binoculars and telescopes. It has copious information on every aspect of skywatching, down to the best filters to view the various planets through. It's very supportive of amateur astronomy, consistently pointing out the contributions that amateurs have made and continue to make to the science (one of the few sciences where this is still possible).

Quibbles: a few formatting problems, where the formatting notation shows up instead of italics or whatever was intended. And they repeat the urban legend about Galileo going blind from observing the sun (though admittedly I just recently found out that this is mistaken).

Other than that, it's an excellent book, though more of a reference than a "sit-down-and-read" book, which is what I did with it, at least for now.

Meanwhile, I wonder if some of the other reviews (below) apply to the earlier edition of the book, since I did not encounter the same problems.