I have a book called Investigate astronomy, authored by Tim Furniss.
It does a very good job of explaining things in lay terms, and is quite comprehsnsive as well. I think Donna bought it at Wallmart here a couple years ago.

I am also reading Steve Hawkings Universe, and am just awed by the man's understanding. I think a teenager could understand it, but only if he/she has an interest in astronomy to beging with.

I'd also like to recommend Deep-Sky Companion: The Messier Objects by Stephen James O'Meara and David H. Levy.

Although not everyone can observe from the top of Mauna Kea like these guys, I found the text to be descriptive and imaginative - it certainly gives you some good ideas on what to look out for

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"The stars are my home"
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark, near the Tanhauser Gate... all those moments will be lost, in time... like tears in the rain..."

"Astronomy- The Definitive Guide" is a very good book for beginners. It's published by Barnes & Noble.

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The Force that through the green fuse drives the flower...drives my green age!
It is only with the heart that things can be seen clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye!

UK residents pop down to your local WH Smith and have a look at their "Complete Guide To Skywatching" at £20. It's about an inch thick, very heavy and solidly made, and full of photos, information and star charts. It even includes pictures of what the planets really look like through telescope eyepieces, which will be very useful to anyone looking at those department store scopes with space probe pictures of the planets on the box (I recently saw one with a picture of Earth on ).

Another magnificent book for beginners is NIGHTWATCH: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, by Terence Dickinson.

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The Force that through the green fuse drives the flower...drives my green age!
It is only with the heart that things can be seen clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye!

I would reccomend a novel if i may:

'Earth' by the astrophysicist Dr. David Brin

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Damien,
International Baccalaureate Physics teacher
Optics, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Instrumentation Major
Admin: Pacific Science and Art

The Neptune File: Planet Detectives and the Discovery of Worlds Unseen (Penguin Press Science) (amazon)



One of the most interesting reads about Planet hunting B) B) B) B) B)

Looking for Earths: Race to Find New Solar Systems



History of the search for extra solar planets. B) B) B) B)

Journey Beyond Selene: Remarkable Expeditions Past Our Moon and to the Ends of the Solar System

The history, ups and downs, also a brilliant read B) B) B) B) B)

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Hi! I just discovered this site tday---the forum, I mean. I never liked H. A. Rey's The Stars. I read it as an adult, and couldn't figure it out. I learned the whole summer sky with John Ciardi's The Summer Stargazer. I checked both Peterson's star guide and Golden's Skyguide, and bought the Skyguide. Much better in MHO. Also, the best book of star maps that I have ever seen is Sky Maps for Beginners by I. M. Levitt and Roy K. Marshall. The maps look strange at first, but they are idiotically easy to use---I caught on right away, and I have A severe right-brain disability. I also really like the Sky&Telescope website interactive map. Not sure if it is for outside the USA, though.

Hi regina

Welcome to the forums!! The S&T interactive star map works outside the US - you just have to change your location. It's very easy to do but without loading it up, I wouldn't be able to tell yuo exactly where to look

zeph, I read the Neptune file last year and it's a superb book. Quite fascinating and very highly recommended. Often with books like this, the text can be quite plodding but that never happened at all with this one.

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"The stars are my home"
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I've watched c-beams glitter in the dark, near the Tanhauser Gate... all those moments will be lost, in time... like tears in the rain..."

Any books by the following authors:

George Gamow (pron. Gam-off) such as "A Star Called the Sun"
John Gribbin, such as "Hyperspace" and many others
Martin Rees such as "Just Six Numbers"

Also

The Inflationary Universe by Alan Guth

The Big Bang by Joseph Silk

There are so many good books and so little time to read them...

MH

It has been 5 months since anybody's posted here. Perhaps some of the newest forum members might be keen to contribute some book titles, or see what others have said in the past.

Kashi

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Climate Change Australia