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Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them

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Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
List Price: $27.99
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A superb guidebook described in Bookwatch as 'the home astronomer's "bible"', Turn Left at Orion provides all the information beginning amateur astronomers need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects. Large format diagrams show these objects exactly as they appear in a small telescope and for each object there is information on the current state of our astronomical knowledge. Revised and updated, this new edition contains a chapter with ten new spreads describing spectacular deep sky objects visible from the southern hemisphere, and tips on observing the upcoming transits of Venus. It also discusses Dobsonian telescopes, with hints on using personal computers and the Internet as aids for planning an observing session. Also new to this edition are redrawn "Guidepost" figures at the beginning of each season chapter that allow readers to visualize a three-dimensional view of the sky's dome; redesigned seasonal object layouts that provide more space for the naked-eye charts; a new spread on double stars near Boötes has been added to Spring, replacing the "Shrinking Double" spread; and a unique "When and Where to Look" table has been added to the last page, among other new features. Unlike many guides to the night sky, this book is specifically written for observers using small telescopes. Clear and easy to use, this fascinating book will appeal to skywatchers of all ages and backgrounds. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed.


DESCRIPTION:

Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 523
EAN: 9780521781909
ISBN: 0521781906
Label: Cambridge University Press
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2000-10-23
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Studio: Cambridge University Press


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
• Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
• The Backyard Astronomer's Guide
• The Night Sky 30°-40° (Large; North Latitude)
• Astronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: The perfect book to begin and to continue....
Comment: This book should come in the box of all telescopes... It is useful for beginners and for advanced observers.

Customer Rating:
Summary: The perfect transaction.
Comment: This was the perfect transaction. I received the book I ordered in just a matter of days and the price was right. Thanks for your great service.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Good Guide - but set your expectations
Comment: This review is intended for those with minimal observing experience, as a fair number of the more negative reviews are as much about general observing frustration as they are with the book itself.

All observing guides, star charts, and astronomical software present problems. In some respects, taking the road of simplifying things, as this book does, actually makes the situation worse, the simplest example being that the field of view presented in the books (either the finderscope or telescope) probably doesn't match what you have - and might be quite a bit different, in fact. The simple charts, while focusing your attention appropriately on guide stars and brighter stars in the neighborhood of the target, can themselves cause confusion when the new observer sees more or fewer because of equipment or conditions (for better or worse in either case). Naturally, the differing view orientations are going to confuse the living daylights out of new observer, especially as the scope is moved, even though the book presents charts for each orientation.

The conundrum is that in order to compensate for the issues mentioned above, and others of similar ilk, a certain level of knowledge and experience is required ... and the target audience for this book doesn't always have either one. You can easily compensate for differing telescope and finderscope fields of view in most software, for example, as well as setting magnitude, but learning your way around such software (e.g., TheSky), entails its own learning curve and, of course, is an additional expense.

The best and fastest way out of the difficulties is to pair up with someone more experienced. By considerably speeding up acquisition of the target objects, you will rapidly start to reconcile what you're actually seeing to the charts in the book. Short of such help, the answer is simple practice, my advice here being to start with the brighter and more easily-found objects. Once you've found a few objects for the first time, rather than branching out right away to more difficult objects, you might try acquiring the first ones again at other times, other nights, and under other conditions, even swapping eyepieces on your scope to see how that changes things.

Do read the introductory material (the "How to Use This Book" section) - some review complaints about "low power", "medium power", "high power" and other terms not being defined simply aren't correct. They are, with low being appx. 35-40 power, medium 75x, and high 150x. This brief section will also introduce you to the topics I mention above and others. While reading it won't automatically get you around the difficulties, it will help set initial expectations.

The book states that it's intended to be used outside, while observing. Well, yes, ideally, but again, you need to set expectations if you are a new observer. First, you will need a red light, else you will blind yourself at the scope. Reading with a red light, believe it or not, can take some getting used to itself. Second, be mindful of the conditions. Unless you have a nice dry night, the chances of the book getting damp are excellent, with results ranging from minor wrinkling of pages to complete destruction. It isn't for nothing that a lot of people use coated charts! An alternative is copying the pages of interest and taking those outside instead.

The good news is that with a little practice, you will be able to find the objects covered by this book and will learn observing basics, including one of the most important ones of all - star hopping. Turn Left at Orion is a great way to learn the skill, as it literally walks you through the process and the views. It's an excellent book.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good book for beginner
Comment: Good book for a beginner with a small telescope or binoculars. gives detailed explanations about celestial objects and how to easily find them. each section corresponds to a certain season and what can be found in that time of year. where to find the planets and what to look for on the planets. contains a map of the moon. this book will definitely strike an interest in astronomy and leave you thirsting for more. there is a lot of info in the book but i wish there was more.

some people might just want to just get a star chart right away but star charts don't tell you what you can or cannot see with your telescope or what are good targets, and may leave a beginner disappointed. i think this book is a great book if you have very little, or NO experience in star gazing, especially if you have a telescope in the attic or some decent binoculars.

Customer Rating:
Summary: VERY GOOD PURCHASE
Comment: Dear sirs,

I live in Brazil, and I was affraid to get products in other country. But I was confident with Amazon.com site content and security. Then I decided to make my first "out-of-the-box" purchase, and I'm astonished with the extremely professional approach of Amazon.com .
My product was delivered 15 days earlier than planned, and in good conditions, including the package.

The book content is very comprehensible, mainly for amateurs, as I am. I'm very satisfied to get this book, and I reccomend it and Amazon.com also.
Congratulations,

Valter R.Francisco
Santo Andre, S.Paulo, Brazil

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