Advanced Skywatching: The Backyard Astronomer's Guide to Starhopping and Exploring the Universe (The Nature Company Guides)

Offers tips on choosing skywatching tools, gives hints for sketching and photographing the night sky, and provides celestial charts

YA?Intended as a companion to David Levy's Skywatching (Time-Life, 1995), this volume contains a wealth of material that will be of interest to dedicated amateur astronomers and effectively stands on its own. Apt quotations from literature sprinkled about the pages are a nice bonus. As in so many nonfiction titles these days, most topics are treated on two-page spreads. However, captions are brief and sidebars used carefully, resulting in a clean, uncluttered format. Introductory chapters discuss the various types of equipment that may be used for conducting skywatching projects. While many of the items will be beyond the financial means of most students, the authors stress that much can be done with just a good pair of binoculars and careful record keeping. Additional chapters provide information on the various observable phenomena, with an emphasis on what to look for and how to get the best views possible. The last third of the book consists of 20 "telescope tours" through various regions of the sky. Each area is presented first via star maps, with constellations noted in simplified insets, then with photographs of some of the more interesting features to be found in that region. The extensive bibliography includes videos, Web sites, software, and a list of organizations. Report writers are not the primary audience for this book although information can be extracted for that use. However, anyone with a serious interest in astronomy will benefit from the instructions and advice it provides.?Elaine Fort Weischedel, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.