Books about Stargazing from Amazon.com

With the advent of inexpensive, high-power telescopes priced at under $250, amateur astronomy is now within the reach of anyone, and this is the ideal book to get you started The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders offers you a guide to the equipment you need, and shows you how and where to find hundreds of spectacular objects in the deep sky -- double and multiple stars as well as spectacular star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies.

You get a solid grounding in the fundamental concepts and terminology of astronomy, and specific advice about choosing, buying, using, and maintaining the equipment required for observing. The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders is designed to be used in the field under the special red-colored lighting used by astronomers, and includes recommended observing targets for beginners and intermediate observers alike. You get detailed start charts and specific information about the best celestial objects.

The objects in this book were chosen to help you meet the requirements for several lists of objects compiled by The Astronomical League (http://www.astroleague.org) or the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (http://www.rasc.ca): Messier Club.

• Binocular Messier Club
• Urban Observing Club
• Deep Sky Binocular Club
• Double Star Club
• RASC Finest NGC List

Completing the list for a particular observing club entitles anyone who is a member of the Astronomical League or RASC to an award, which includes a certificate and, in some cases, a lapel pin.

This book is perfect for amateur astronomers, students, teachers, or anyone who is ready to dive into this rewarding hobby. Who knows? You might even find a new object, like amateur astronomer Jay McNeil. On a clear cold night in January 2004, he spotted a previously undiscovered celestial object near Orion, now called McNeil's Nebula. Discover what awaits you in the night sky with the Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders..
Price: $17.28 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A practical, concise beginner's guide to viewing the night sky through binoculars.

Stargazing with Binoculars is ideal for newcomers to astronomy Authors Robin Scagell and David Frydman include the wide range of binoculars on the market and provide advice on features to consider when making a purchase. The book guides the beginner through the first steps of using binoculars to observe the night sky, describes what will be visible, and shows how to find specific objects.

Illustrated throughout and filled with handy tips, the book covers:

• What to expect from binoculars and how they actually work
• Buying binoculars for the first time
• Upgrading after the first purchase
• Observing the sun, the moon, planets, comets, asteroids, stars, clusters, variable stars, double stars, novas, nebulas and galaxies
• The effects of light pollution
• Observing from the city and from the countryside
• Terminology.

Stargazing with Binoculars is a practical, easy-to-read handbook for newcomers to astronomy, whatever their age.

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Price: $12.29 [Notify me when price goes down.]

From 1946 to 1994, Sky & Telescope magazine featured a column called Deep-Sky Wonders, in which amateur astronomer Water Scott 'Scotty' Houston captured the wonder and delight of exploring the farthest reaches of the deep sky. Sky & Telescope contributing editior Stephen James O'Meara presents a month-by-month selection of Scotty's columns along with insightful observations and warm recollections of his time with Scotty. More than a field guide, Deep Sky Wonders is the work of a man who was a major influence on the development of amateur astronomy for nearly half a century. 6 by 9 inches.
Price: $8.30 [Notify me when price goes down.]

When Peter Hill, a student at Dundee College of Art, answered an ad in the Scotsman seeking relief lighthouse keepers, little did he imagine that within a month he would be living with three men he didn't know in a lighthouse on Pladda, a small remote island off the west coast of Scotland. The year was 1973, Hill was nineteen, and, with his head fed by Vietnam, Zappa, Kerouac, Vonnegut, Watergate, and Hendrix, he was to spend the next six months in various lighthouses, "keeping" with all manner of unusual and fascinating people. The resulting book is a charming and beautifully written memoir that is not only a heartfelt lament for Hill's own youth and innocence but also for a simpler and more honest age..
Price: $4.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]