The Book Thread

[cyber3d]

If you have a book recommendation list it here!

"A Guide to the Galaxy" by Nigel Henbest & Heather Couper
ISBN: 052145882X
Copyright 1994
:dance: Awesome book. Photographs are astounding and the information outstanding.

[redshifter]

"Nightwatch" by Terence Dickenson

Excellent book for beginners and beyond.

[parallaxicality]

"The Stars", by H A Ray. Yes, the guy who wrote Curious George. Still the best beginners' star map around; his depictions of the constellations are the best I've seen anywhere.

"Solar System Voyage" by Serge Brunier: the most comprehensive coffee table book on the Solar System until the next one comes along. Beautifully written with a great deal of imagination (he begins each chapter by depicting what you would see standing on the surface of each planet) though perhaps a touch too romantic for the hardnosed skeptics around here. Like all books on the Solar System, it's now a bit out of date, but then that's par for the course these days.

"Planet Quest" by Ken Croswell. Published in 1997, it's still a fascinating history of planetary discovery. I've pretty much read it to bits by now.

[Romanus]

My "indispensibles" are Norton's Sky Atlas and Burnham's Celestial Handbook.

The Golden Book Skyguide was my first "handbook" of sorts, and I still considerit excellent for beginners, in spite of its age.

As for "book"-books, probably the best one I've read is Ken Croswell's The Alchemy of the Heavens.

[Kaptain K]

"Bad Astronomy" by Phil Plait - maybe you've heard of him!

[Dave Mitsky]

"Nightwatch" by Terence Dickenson

Excellent book for beginners and beyond.

Three other books that I recommend for novices are Phil Harrington's Star Watch, Turn Left at Orion by Dan M. Davis and Guy Consolmagno, and the Peterson Guide Stars and Planets by Jay M. Pasachoff.

For intermediate and advanced observers, George Kepple and Glen Sanner's The Night Sky Observer's Guide is indispensible.

Dave Mitsky

[mike alexander]

For those on the mechanical side there are

Amateur Telescope Making, Vols 1-3 Albert Ingalls, ed

How to Make a Telescope Jean Texerau

Classics of classsics. You may not have my copies.

[Crimson]

"Planet Quest" by Ken Croswell. Published in 1997, it's still a fascinating history of planetary discovery. I've pretty much read it to bits by now.

If you like Planet Quest, you'll probably also like Beyond Pluto by John Davies--an outstanding book about the discovery of objects in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Although published before the discovery of the tenth planet Eris, the book is a remarkable synthesis of the distant denizens of our solar system. Highly recommended!

[publiusr]

I'll have to look at that.

[parallaxicality]

If you like Planet Quest, you'll probably also like Beyond Pluto by John Davies--an outstanding book about the discovery of objects in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt. Although published before the discovery of the tenth planet Eris, the book is a remarkable synthesis of the distant denizens of our solar system. Highly recommended!

I have seen that book; I'll need to check it out. Maybe I'll get it out of the British Library

[Palomar]

"The Stars", by H A Ray. Yes, the guy who wrote Curious George. Still the best beginners' star map around; his depictions of the constellations are the best I've seen anywhere.

Agreed! :) Was my first astronomy book. I read and re-read it in childhood until the covers began falling off. The illustrations are now "retro" in style; always wonderful.

[Kyle Edwards]

If you are interested like I am in writing astronomical software, Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus is a very helpful book.

[SteveTheEgg]

Can anyone recommend some software?

[cyber3d]

Try making another post at the root folder. This thread is for books.
cheers