1. what would you recommend as a good beginner text on AA, maybe one that you have used to further your own knowledge and understadning in the early days; and

2. are there any videos out there that cover constellations, the celestial
sphere, the apparent motion of the sun and stars, co-ordinate systems and time, including the analemma. Most astronomy videos appear to cover the pretty picture end of astronomy whilst ignoring more fundamental concepts.

many thanks

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The Heavens Declare the Glory of Mathematics

The Mechanical Universe
http://www.learner.org/resources/series42.html

These are on-line videos, mostly related to physics, but some are astronomy related.

Understanding the Universe
http://www.teach12.com/store/course....%20Mathematics

These are videos on general astronomy, and are very good. But a bit expensive. There's also a "What's New In Astronomy" which addresses new findings since the release of the original series.