Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe - Hardcover

Dickinson, Terence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 155209300X ISBN 13: 9781552093009

Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

With 250,000 copies in print since its initial publication in 1983, NightWatch has become a standard reference guide for stargazers throughout North America.

The new Third Edition expands on that success with a completely revised and updated text, more than 100 new color photos and diagrams and 16 additional pages that cover such! new astronomical pursuits as computerized telescopes, reviews of new telescope designs and accessories, and astronomy on the Internet.

All charts, tables and diagrams have been updated and, in some cases, redesigned for easier use. Improved spacecraft measurements of the distances to the stars (recently released by the European Space Agency) are included in the charts, along with additional observing tips for stargazers using binoculars and telescopes. An expanded chapter on Astrophotography lists the best modern films and cameras for skyshooting.

The new NightWatch is faithful to the "ultra-simplified, no jargon" philosophy of the original, and at the same time, offers substantially more practical information for the novice and intermediate-level amateur astronomer. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada called the first edition "the best of its kind"- the new Third Edition is better still. It is still an abundantly illustrated, wide-sized volume designed for easy reference during many starlit nights.

About this title

About the Author

Terence Dickinson is a prolific science writer specializing in astronomy. More than one million copies of his previous books are in print in three languages. He is the recipient of many national and international science awards including the New York Academy of Sciences Book of the Year Award and the Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal. He resides in a village just north of Kingston, Ontario.

Reviews

Grade 6 Up?This long-overdue update of a classic handbook for amateur astronomers combines a text both meaty and hard to put down with a great array of charts, boxes, tables, and dazzling full-color photos of the sky. Aiming this offering at new but serious hobbyists, Dickinson guides readers on a tour of the universe visible from any dark backyard, providing frank evaluations of many telescope models; specific advice for photographers; and a simple system for locating stars, constellations, nebulae, and other intriguing sights. Convenient charts track upcoming eclipses and the locations of the five planets visible to the naked eye (both through the year 2010). The author closes with lists of supplementary resources, including books, software, Web sites, and conventions. Dickinson's contagious enthusiasm and vast expertise earn this a place in reference and circulating collections of any size.?John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Van Holt, who teaches stargazing courses at the University of Kansas, explains how anyone living between southern Canada and northern Mexico (basically between latitudes 30 and 50 degrees) can learn to identify star formations and constellations without using complicated charts and equipment. Incorporating outdoor survival techniques with science, legends, and the myths surrounding the constellations, he teaches readers how to tell the difference between planets, comets, satellites, and stars and how to use star patterns to determine time and direction. By combining humor with fact, he has created an entertaining illustrated guide to the nighttime skies. Recommended for larger public libraries. For beginning skywatchers and amateur astronomers who want more substance, Dickinson's Nightwatch?the standard guide since its 1983 publication?is the book to read. Newly revised and updated, this edition claims to allow for use through the year 2010. Dickinson, an award-winning science writer specializing in astronomy, explains how to find constellations, differentiate galaxies, and identify the location of stars according to seasons. He also discusses equipment, including what criteria to use for selecting a telescope, and includes information about astronomy on the Internet, computerized telescopes, astrophotography, and tips for stargazers using binoculars. With a completely updated and revised text and more than 100 new diagrams and color photographs, Dickinson ensures that his guide will retain its position as a classic. Essential for all public and college library astronomy collections.?Gloria Maxwell, Kansas City P.L.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sky Measures

(from page 30)

Just as road maps have distance indicators between cities, our celestial guide maps denote distances between key stars and star groups -- not the distance from Earth to the stars but, rather, the apparent distance from one star to another. This measure is calibrated in degrees (360 degrees in a circle). Using this calibration on the sky is beautifully simple: just hold up your hand. At arm's length the width of the end of the little finger is almost exactly 1 degree -- wide enough to cover the Sun or the Moon, both about half a degree across. The two pointer stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper used to find Polaris are 5 degrees apart, the width of three fingers held boy-scout fashion at arm's length.

For larger sky angles, one fist width is 10 degrees, while 15 degrees is the span between the first and little fingers spread out. An entire hand span, from thumb to little finger, is about 25 degrees, the length of the Big Dipper. Larger dimensions can be measured as multiples of these. For general reference, the distance from the horizon to overhead is 90 degrees. Remember, these hand-reference measurements work only at arm's length.

The system is reasonably accurate for men, women and children, since people with smaller hands tend to have shorter arms. Only the hand-span measure seems to vary from person to person, because some people can extend their thumb and little finger more widely than others can. A quick check against the Big Dipper will indicate whether you have a span closer to 20 degrees than 25. Anyone can become proficient at gauging the distances in degrees from one star or star group to another in just minutes.

It doesn't matter in which season you begin; the Big Dipper diagram on page 34 can be used to locate several prominent stars almost instantly once you have a sense of the dimensions involved. This is the crucial first step toward becoming a backyard astronomer. Orion's seven brightest stars -- three in the belt and four in a surrounding quadrilateral -- are equally efficient as celestial guideposts. Orion's only drawback, compared with the Big Dipper, is that it is prominent in the evening sky only from late November to early April.

Backyard astronomy does not have to be a maze of formulas, calculators, grid lines, nomenclature, mythology and jargon. It can be easy and fun to find your way around the night sky. Most people want to be able to start finding celestial objects from their first night out. That's my goal here in layout out the most straightforward way to do it. In the next chapter, more detailed charts build on the same principles of using distinctive stellar guideposts to lead the observer around the sky. This is a gradual, painless way to come to know the starry sky.

Edition details

• Publisher: Firefly Books Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 155209300X
• ISBN 13: 9781552093009
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Schaller Adolf, Costanzo Victor, Cooke Roberta
• Number of pages: 176