I would like to know people's recommendations on the very best astronomy books.

My favourite two would have to be "the universe in a nutshell" and "black holes and baby universes" both by stephen hawking.

Kashi

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For younger readers, say, 7 to 12, I recommend "365 Starry Nights" by Chet Raymo - as the title suggests, it gives the reader something to do and learn in the night sky for every night in the year.

Patrick Moore has written a similarly excellent book for more adult astronomers (taking into account leap years as well ), The Observer's Year: 366 Nights of the Universe - it's a tad pricey but it's worth every penny

Dips

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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..."

My all time favorite astronomy book is "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. Reading that got me re-interested in space and astronomy again after taking a hiatus during my high school years. (That just happened to be between Apollo and the shuttle.)

Another kind of off-the wall book that I really like is "The Overview Effect" by Frank White. It's about how seeing the Earth as a whole from space has profoundly affected humanity. It's pretty idealistic, but I like to think we really could all live together in harmony someday.

As a weekly columnist, I rely on many astronomy books for fact checking and inspiration. Oddly, many are very old. But Chet Raymo's book 365 Starry Nights is a good one no matter what your age. For simple charts of contellations with a detailed description of the celestial wonders, Ian Ridpath's Astronomy (American Nature Guides) is a good one. The Cambridge Illustrated History of Astronomy is excellent. I consult with my original 1958 editio of James Pickering's 1001 Questions Answered About Astronomy. Richard Hinckley Allen's 1963 Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning is an piece of work with star name derivitives. Michael Kitt's The Moon observing guide offered by Astronomy Magazine is a real treasure--the best moon Bible is Antonin Rukl's incredible Atlas of the Moon. But my favorite of all time..the one that started it all--Herbert Zim's (and Robert Baker) STARS, and I have a 1956 hardback verson!

For sheer physical beauty, nothing beats Ken Croswell's Magnificent Universe, a book that weighs some five pounds, measures over 10 by 14 inches, and includes stunning color reproductions of every famous celestial object in the heavens--combined with thorough, up-to-date, white-on-black text.

And yes, Magenta confesses to possessing a copy of Zim's book Stars, dating back to the 1950s. A nice book.

I didn't even have to stop and think on this one. As an amateur astronomer I have many books covering astronomy but the one I go back to again and again is Terence Dickinson's Night Watch. If you're new at astronomy or have a long time interest, as I do, this book is wonderful! Everything you'll ever need to know about telescopes and navigating your way around the sky after you acquire one. Find out what's up there to see. I've spent many evenings paging through this book as if it were a catalog, planning what I will seek out in my telescope when it gets dark. A wonderful book!

kjargirl, if you haven't already, you *must* read Sagan's Pale White Dot. If ever there was a sequel to Cosmos, that was it. A pity it was never made into a televisions series - it would have been quite stunning. I also recommend getting a copy of the Cosmos series on DVD if you can... you can buy it direct from Cosmos Studios at www.carlsagan.com

The DVD set is quite stunning... especially the intro sequence, which is breathtaking.

MarQ, I have a couple of Antonin Rukl's books too... his artwork is superb. I first had one of his books, The Amateur Astronomer, given to me for a Christmas present when I was about 8 or 9. I still have it now - 23 years later

Dips

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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..."

As for me , my favourite books are 'A Breif History of Time' by stephen hawking,
and 'The Origin of the Universe' by john d. barrow.

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Do you mean "Pale Blue Dot" DippyHippy?

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Obviously the answer to this question depends a lot on what exactly you are looking for. Observational astronomy or theoretical? Newbie or old salt? Naked eye, binoculars, or scope? Or all three? Picture book or field guide?

If you are looking for theoretical stuff, then anything by Hawking or Sagan has to be at the top of the list.

If you are looking for a picture book, a new release will be getting a lot of attention, I believe. That is the new one The Universe: 365 Days. It is simply a collection of 365 pictures from the Astronomy Photograph of the Day website. Another book that could fit that category, as well as a field guide, albeit a bit unweildy one, is The Great Atlas of the Stars. It has some wonderful pictures in it, although it seems to have dreams of being the ultimate field guide as well.

As far as observational goes, take your pick. There are thousands of guides out there, and most of them are at least decent. Plus, then you have to decide do you want something specialized. There are many books just on the moon alone. Probably the two that I would recommend out of that bunch is Night Watch, particularly for beginners, and for binocular observers, Touring the Universe Through Binoculars (and if you have a computer, its associated Sky Atlas, TUBA) by Phil Harrington.

After having said all that, if I had to narrow it down to only ONE book to tell someone that they should buy for astronomy, it would be The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terrence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. It has a little something for everyone. The first edition was an excellent resource and the newly released second edition brings it up to date with all the many recent changes. So, that is the book that would get my vote as the absolute, one and only, must absolutely have astronomy book.

And now no one is EVER gonna believe that I'm shy and not prone to long-winded speeches!

Ken B.

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Lately I've seen too much of city lights,
I want to be somewhere where I can see the stars at night!
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You asked this question 20 years ago and one book that would certainly be mentioned is "Starlight Nights" by Leslie Peltier. It's a feel good tale of this comet-hunting amateur astronomer. I met him a couple times in Delphos, Ohio, near my hometown of Findlay. I was a teenager, and he was a crusty only man!

And nobody has mentioned Timothy Ferris' "Galaxy," that huge coffee table book almost made obsolete by Hubble's images. "Space Places" by Russmeyer is another good coffee table weight. Everyone know the cartoon Curious George. Well that monkeys artist is H.A. Rey, who's 1952 "The Stars" is another classic constellation learner.

And can you believe that nobody has mentioned Norton's Star Atlas? Anybody have a 1910 first edition? I'll give you $50 for it! I have a '59 edition, and first bought one in '66, but gave it away. It was The amateur astronomer's Bible for 6 decades, bar none. Now, I'll bet it's not well known to those joning the stargazing ranks in, say, the past 15 years.

Anyone else remember the starry nights with Norton's?

As a survey of the field, nothing beats Timmothy Farris' "Coming of Age in the Milky Way". This is not an observers book but a history of everything we know about the universe, and how we learned it.

As a backyard guide I recomend either "Turn Left at Orion" or "Nightwatch"

Bud

Ooops kashi - yes, you're absolutely right - don't know what the hell I was thinking when I typed Pale White Dot instead LOL!!! :huh:

*ooops*

I blame the fact that I'm at work at 4am LOL

Dips

__________________
"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..."

I only have a few but A Guide to Skywatching by David H. Levy is pretty good...In the constellation part of it there's a little blurb about each constellation and suggests some of the points of interest (bright stars, nebulae, variable stars, clusters, galaxies, etc.) that you can find in each one.
In the last few pages of the book it gives the titles of a bunch of other books that might be of some interest for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
The only thing that really annoyed me about the book was that it mentiond arc seconds and arc minutes but nowhere in the book did it explain what "arc" meant!!

Fair enough dippyhippy. I haven't actually read that book, but I saw it reviewed and I'm planning to get myself a copy.

Does anybody have a suggestion for an astronomy book for a young person, say 13-14 years old, which will capture the imagination. Hawking's obviously a bit too heavy going!

Kashi

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I have one of those "Klutz" books called Bedroom Astronomy that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago...It came with a bunch of glow-in-the-dark stars and patterns of a few of the constellations that you could shine a flash light through and put the stars on the ceiling.
The book's kinda funny too, (but then again it's made by Klutz so what would you expect!?) One of my favorite parts was when it talks about gravity it gives a warning about why you shouldn't have to pick stuff up in your room!!! I think any kid would really get a kick out of it cuz I know I did!

Hi Kashi:
I'm very new to this world. It's very fascinating.
I was told a good book for children is,
H.A. Rey"The Stars" a new way to see them.
I'm sure you'll get feedback.I'd also like to know opinions on this book.
Summerwind#1

Kashi-
I did a presentation at a conference for teachers about space literature for students, and here is my list of books for middle school students, and I'll add a couple from my high school list. If anyone wants to see the full high school list or the elementary lists, let me know and I'll post them. Enjoy!
Kjargirl

Top Ten Books for Middle School


Get A Grip on Astronomy. By Robin Kerrod. 1999. 192 pages. A “cool” book full of astronomical facts and trivia. Each page is an adventure!

The Planet Hunters. By Dennis B. Fradin. 1997. 148 pages. An extremely readable and interesting book about humanity’s search of the heavens, from early astronomers to the Hubble Space Telescope.

How Do You Go To The Bathroom in Space? By Bill Pogue. Skylab astronaut Pogue answers questions on almost every aspect of spaceflight, including the most often asked question.

The Illustrated A Brief History of Time. By Stephen Hawking. 1996 (Original 1988). 248 pages. Pictures and illustrations make this version of Hawking’s classic more readable for students.

Flying To The Moon and Other Strange Places. By Michael Collins. A middle school version of “Carrying the Fire.” Collins’ sense of humor makes this an entertaining book.

Space Exploration Projects for Young Scientists. By Gregory Vogt. 1995. 144 pages.
Written by a science teacher, this book focuses on activities to explain such topics as rocketry, orbit, and microgravity. Thorough procedures and explanations of experiments.

The Adventures of Sojourner: The mission to Mars that thrilled the world. By Susi Trautmann Wunsch. 1998. 62 pages. A close-up look at the spacecraft and people that captured the world’s attention during the summer of 1997.

Moon Landing: Race For The Moon. DK Books. By Carole Stott. 1999. A typical DK book; lots of pictures and information on each page.

Opening The Space Frontier. Ray Spangenburg and Diane Moser. 1989. The history of spaceflight, from the dreams of Tsiolkovsky to the X-15 to the moon landings.

Spacefarers of the 80’s and 90’s: The Next 100 People in Space. By Alcestis R. Oberg. 1985. 238 pages. A look at the education and experiences that are required for astronauts, with interviews with some of the early shuttle astronauts.

Top Ten (Or So) Space Books For High School


A Man On the Moon. By Andrew Chaikin. 1994. 670 pages. The Apollo Bible.

Orbit: NASA Astronauts Photograph the Earth. By Jay Apt, Michael Helfert, and Justin Wilkinson. National Geographic Society. 1996. 224 pages. A fascinating look at our Earth from space. A unique geography aid. I never tire of looking at this book.

The Handy Space Answer Book. By Phillis Engelbert & Diane L. Dupius. 1998. 576 pages. Answers to 1,200 questions about almost any space topic you can imagine.

Apollo 13 (Lost Moon). By Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger. 1994. 418 pages. Jim Lovell’s original story, a little different from the movie.

The Dream of Spaceflight: Essays on the Near Edge of Infinity. By Wyn Wachhorst. 2000. 225 pages. A philosophical and sometimes spiritual discussion of why we explore space mostly focuses on the Apollo program. A unique book.


To Rise From Earth: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Spaceflight. By Wayne Lee. 1995 . 310 pages. An excellent book to explain things like thrust and orbital mechanics to non-rocket scientists.


Apollo: An Eyewitness Account. By Alan Bean with Andrew Chaikin. 1998. 176 pages. A collection of paintings and anecdotes by astronaut Bean of real and imagined events on the moon. Also looks at works in progress and various painting mediums and techniques.

I have to agree that Magnificent Universe is a treasure to have in any library but my favorite is Great Atlas of the Stars. The conversations that have been sparked in my living room are many.

When I meet anyone who is new to viewing the wonders of the night sky, I suggest they look at Turn Left at Orion. I have found, as I am sure many others have, that beginning viewers sometimes expect to see Hubble views from their scopes! Turn Left offers a realistic view of the sky of what someone can expect from that first scope.

Patty

kjargirl,

I'd love to see your whole list. I thought I had a pretty good astronomy library, but out of all the books you listed, the only one I have is the Handy Space Answer Book! If you'd rather e-mail the list than post it, you can e-mail me at fleetwizard@yahoo.com.

kashi,

The one that summerwind listed by H. A. Rey is a good one. He also has another book about constellations. But, I can't remember the title right now! It's pretty good for teaching any beginner about the shapes in the sky.

__________________
Lately I've seen too much of city lights,
I want to be somewhere where I can see the stars at night!
--Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Simple Life

Fleetwizard-
I'll email you the list so I don't clog up the forum. If there are more people out there interested in seeing it, I'll post it. Let me know. Thanks!

Post it, the forum can take it.

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Fraser Cain
Publisher
Universe Today - Free space news delivered by email every weekday.

O.K., Fraser, thanks, and here is it minus the books from the earlier post:


Top Ten (Or So) Space Books for Elementary Grades
(The books are in no particular order)

Grades K-2


Me And My Place in Space. By Joan Sweeney, Illus. by Annette Cable. 1998. 28 pages. Discusses Earth and our solar system and proposes the possibility of other life in the universe.

Roaring Rockets. By Tony Milton and Ant Parker. 1997. 21 pages. Covers launch, flying through space, zero-G, going to the Moon and re-entry in rhyming verse.

The International Space Station. By Franklyn M. Branley. Forward by Scott Carpenter. Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science Series. 2000. 32 pages. A comprehensive introduction to the ISS by renowned author and Astronomer Emeritus Branley. Other elementary space books by Branley: The Sky is Full of Stars (1981), The Planets in our Solar System (1981), The Moon Seems to Change (1960), Floating in Space (1998)

All About Space. A Scholastic First Encyclopedia. 1998. 77 pages. A good introduction to a wide variety of topics about space and space exploration with a mixture of pictures and illustrations.

Mars. By Seymour Simon. 1987. Approx. 30 pages. Compares Mars and Earth. Pictures from the Viking Lander. Discusses our fixation with Mars. Good pictures and descriptions of the planet.

The Life of An Astronaut. By Niki Walker. 2001. 32 pages. Eye On The Universe Series. A good explanation of all the things as astronaut does, from training to post-mission debriefing. Introduces students to Space Camp.

One Giant Leap. Written and Illus. by Mary Ann Fraser. 1993. Approx 34 pages. A moment-by-moment re-creation of Apollo 11. Nicely written, to read to younger students.

Exploring Space. By Cynthia Pratt Nicolson. Illus. By Bill Slavin. 2000. Discusses how we have been long fascinated with the stars, events in astronomy and space exploration. Includes a few good activities for younger students.

Grades 3-5

To Space and Back. By Sally Ride and Susan Okie. 1986. 96 pages. The best book about what its like to be an astronaut in the Space Shuttle. Great pictures and descriptions of life in space.

International Space Station: A Space Mission. By Michael D. Cole. 1999. Countdown to Space Series. 48 pages. Begins with Michael Foale’s adventures aboard Mir, discusses why we need a space station and how it will be built. Good pictures and illustrations. Complete with glossary, chapter notes, and suggested further reading. A good book to use for writing a report or paper.

Cosmic Science. By Jim Weise. 1997. 120 pages. A great book, full of over 40 fun activities for understanding space and space sciences. Detailed procedures and explanations of the activities that are easy to read and understand.

Space Station Science: Life in Freefall. By Marianne J. Dyson. Forward by Buzz Aldrin. 1999. 128 pages. An excellent introduction to the ISS with several first-rate activities to help students learn about the space station and life aboard it.

How to Fly the Space Shuttle. By Russell Shorto. 1992. 46 pages. A unique approach to explaining the shuttle and what a shuttle mission entails. Good for space buffs.

The Stars: A New Way to See Them and Find The Constellations. By H. A. Rey. 1952 & 1954. These are the classics in stargazing and astronomy.

Above and Beyond Series. NASA. By Dr. Jon Hakkila & Adele D. Richardson. 2000. 32 pages. Astronauts. By Adele D. Richardson. 2000. 32 pages. Published by Smart Apple Media in Mankato, Minnesota. Examines NASA and the impact of space exploration, and the history of manned spaceflight, and the training and duties of astronauts and cosmonauts.

I Want To Be … Series; I Want To Be An Astronaut. By Stephanie Maze. 1997. 48 pages. What its like to be an astronaut, how to prepare for this career, and related careers. Great pictures.

The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth From Space. By Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy. 1994. 47 pages. Discusses how the shuttle and Earth-observing satellites have helped us learn about our planet, and the changes in the Earth that are occurring.

The Everything Kids’ Space Book. By Kathiann M. Kowalski. 2000. 139 pages. Choc-full of space facts, activities and fun facts.

Top Ten (Or So) Space Books For High School

Dragonfly: An Epic Adventures of Survival in Outer Space. By Bryan Burrough. 1998. 528 pages. A no-holds-barred look at NASA, and the Russian space program, highlighting the Phase I Program of astronauts aboard Mir.

Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot. By Carl Sagan. These are classic books by the beloved astronomer Sagan Soon to be read by billions and billions!

Voyage to Mars: NASA’s Search for Life Beyond Earth. By Laurence Bergreen. 2000. 354 pages. An inside look at the NASA scientists and engineers who are at the forefront of recent and current projects that to explore the Red Planet. Very well written.

Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys. Michael Collins. 1974. 478 pages. Collins writes with clarity and humor. A candid, inside look at the Gemini and Apollo programs.

Failure is Not An Option. By Gene Kranz. 2000. 415 pages. A first hand account of NASA’s mission control teams from Mercury through Apollo.


The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution. By Frank White. Forward by Gerard O’Neill. A somewhat idealistic look at how space exploration and seeing our planet as a “whole” has affected humanity. Includes interviews with astronauts and cosmonauts in the last section.

Compiled by Nancy Atkinson
for the "Space Science Across the Curriculum" Conference
Science Museum of Minnesota, March 2001
Session Topic: 'The Mind is a Fire to Be Lighted': Exploring Literature in Space Science

Now that there's over a thousand users on the forum, let's see if we can breathe some new life into this "old" topic.

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I'd like to add Sky & Telescope to the list of recommended, in fact necessary, reading. And for every observer in the northern hemisphere, the current issue of The Observer's Handbook published by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. It contains a wealth of information for everyone from the newest beginner to the most seasoned observer.

Clear skies

I believe that nobody's mentioned the Peterson Field Guide _Stars and Planets_, a book that every amateur astronomer should own. Other notables not mentioned: _The Night Sky Observer's Guide_ (the current bible of deep-sky observing), _Burnham's Celestial Handbook_ (increasingly dated but a unique work on many levels nevertheless), and Phil Harrington's _The Deep Sky: An Introduction_ and _Star Ware_.

While not a book, Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar is well worth purchasing.

Dave Mitsky

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De gustibus non est disputandum.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

I got the Brief History of Time when I was 14-15, and yes it is quite a lot to read for most people that age, including me :)

I love browsing through a good big coffee table book with top quality photos, recent purchases being:

"Full Moon" by Michael Light - superbly cleaned up Apollo photos assembled into the sequence of an idealised trip to the Moon from launch through orbit, lunar exploration etc. to splashdown. I particularly liked the landscape photos taken on the Moon, my favourite being one looking along Hadley Rille - so clean, silent and utterly alien. There are two editions of this book, the original and more recent "compact" version, which I have. It's smaller, but having compared both in the shop I don't think it has actually lost any detail or impact.

"Beyond" by Michael Benson - photos from interplanetary probes arranged into chapters covering the Solar System from the Sun to Neptune, including a couple of asteroids. Again these have been really well cleaned up and processed to make mosaics and colour images. There are lots of fantastic views, and the one looking down on a red Mars with a black moon passing under the spacecraft was very memorable.

"Heaven and Earth unseen by the naked eye" - well, the second half of this counts as an astronomy book. It contains photos through microscopes and telescopes of all sorts of things on different scales, ranging from atoms through bacteria, body components, planets, galaxies to the Hubble Deep Field.

So did I Parker, but I don't think it's suitable for everyone. The person who I had in mind is not an astronomy enthusiast. I actually tutor him in high school mathematics, and I'm trying to find something that will get him inspired about the universe.

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Kashi-
In my earlier post, I mentioned that Hawkings' Illustrated version of A Brief History of time would be good for younger cosmologists:

"The Illustrated A Brief History of Time. By Stephen Hawking. 1996 (Original 1988). 248 pages. Pictures and illustrations make this version of Hawking’s classic more readable for students."

Has anyone read "A Brief History of Everything" by Ken Wilbur? How about a review?

Thanks,
kjargirl