Astronomy books for beginners?

MG1962 said:
First - Never buy a telescope from a department store

Second - Never purchase a telescope that uses X magnification as a selling point

Third - Consider binoculars. A good start and if the astronomy stuff does not pan out they have other applications.

Fourth - Chinese telescopes actually have very good optics.
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MG1962 said:
Turn Left at Orion is considered the quintessential starter book for those interested in starting visual observations
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Thanks.... I remember reading once that binoculars are a better starting point. I was thinking, though, that for a five year old, the chance of breaking them would be high.... and then I remembered knocking over my telescope when I was about eight... :p I think binoculars can take more of a beating!

I'll look for Turn Left at Orion. Rushing to get my kid off to school right now. Thanks again.
 
Turn Left at Orion gets the kudos from me as well, there has never been a better book for those starting out with astronomy and a smaller telescope.

And it ####es me off that none of my book reps carry Cambridge Books as one of their lines so I never have it in the store. :mad:
 
kookbreaker said:
Turn Left at Orion gets the kudos from me as well, there has never been a better book for those starting out with astronomy and a smaller telescope.

And it ####es me off that none of my book reps carry Cambridge Books as one of their lines so I never have it in the store. :mad:
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I also liked David Levy's The Sky A Users Guide
 
Foolmewunz said:
Thanks.... I remember reading once that binoculars are a better starting point. I was thinking, though, that for a five year old, the chance of breaking them would be high.... and then I remembered knocking over my telescope when I was about eight... :p I think binoculars can take more of a beating!

I'll look for Turn Left at Orion. Rushing to get my kid off to school right now. Thanks again.
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5 might be a little on the young side to introduce to astronomy. Once you see Saturn, moons of Jupiter and M42. There are not a lot of show stoppers to hold such a young ones attention
 
MG1962 said:
First - Never buy a telescope from a department store

Second - Never purchase a telescope that uses X magnification as a selling point

Third - Consider binoculars. A good start and if the astronomy stuff does not pan out they have other applications.

Fourth - Chinese telescopes actually have very good optics.
Click to expand...

Care to recommend a starter telescope/binocular?
 
The most important thing to consider for an astronomical instrument is the light collecting area. Look for something with a big aperture.
 
MG1962 said:
5 might be a little on the young side to introduce to astronomy. Once you see Saturn, moons of Jupiter and M42. There are not a lot of show stoppers to hold such a young ones attention
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Well, he's closing on six but he started first grade (school year here is May-Feb with a one month break in Oct). For him, I'm thinking more of looking at the moon... he's fascinated with it. The book and sky map interest is for me. But as long as I've got a relatively clear sky here (and we may move inland out of the ambient light somewhat next year), I figured I could think of getting a telescope (or binoculars) and he's normally inquisitive, so they'll be there as he gets more into science at school.
 
wollery said:
The most important thing to consider for an astronomical instrument is the light collecting area. Look for something with a big aperture.
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But that you can carry without getting tired, annoyed, or frustrated.
 
kookbreaker said:
But that you can carry without getting tired, annoyed, or frustrated.
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Yeah, up several flights of stairs, in particular. Our current abode is a "shop house" and since we're at or below sea level, the best vantage would be our roof. If we move further inland, there are some slight elevations in some areas, but I'd be looking at a second floor balcony or rooftop there, too.

Oh, and for anyone following the trials and tribulations thread in FC... I'm not planning on running out and getting anything immediately. We're only just now financially stable for the first time in two years and binoculars or telescope would be sometime in the future. Just thought I'd toss it in as long as the thread was here.
 
Mudcat said:
Care to recommend a starter telescope/binocular?
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With telescopes, I probably would not touch anything under about $250.00. The biggest weakness in low end scopes are the tripods. To much vibration through the scope means it is almost impossible to really look at anything through the eyepiece.

I would join one of the astronomy forums out there. Cloudy nights, has a good balance of beginners and experienced observers, they should be able to get you in the right direction
 
wollery said:
The most important thing to consider for an astronomical instrument is the light collecting area. Look for something with a big aperture.
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Yes the general wisdom is go as big as you can handle, and forgo eyepieces and other accessories until later. You can always expand you selection and quality a bit at a time, but the scope itself is usually the major capitol expense
 
Foolmewunz said:
Yeah, up several flights of stairs, in particular. Our current abode is a "shop house" and since we're at or below sea level, the best vantage would be our roof. If we move further inland, there are some slight elevations in some areas, but I'd be looking at a second floor balcony or rooftop there, too.

Oh, and for anyone following the trials and tribulations thread in FC... I'm not planning on running out and getting anything immediately. We're only just now financially stable for the first time in two years and binoculars or telescope would be sometime in the future. Just thought I'd toss it in as long as the thread was here.
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Then weight and portability is going to be a major factor for you. Something like one of the tabletop scopes in the market might work for you. Some of those can be pretty good investments, though I have never used one myself
 
Foolmewunz said:
Well, coincidentally, I am looking for the books that the OP has said she's not looking for.

I have a visible sky for the first time in probably my adult life, or since late adolescence, actually. Since '65 I've lived in major cities and the occasional star visible through the smog, city light, and clouds didn't lend to stargazing other than the big city cry of "Oooh, look! You can see a star! Oh, wait, it's a plane... never mind."

I find myself looking at the sky at night and not knowing a damned thing about what I'm looking at. I'm abysmally ignorant about astronomy. But I'd like to know what I'm looking at? Too bright to be a star... is that Venus? But why do they call it the "morning star" if it's only 8:45 PM.... (Stuff like that.... I found the answer re Venus... it was probably Venus and the "morning star" nickname isn't exactly accurate at all times.)

So I'm looking for Stargazing For Dummies, or its equivalent. I'd just like to know what those things are and be able to give my son a correct answer if he asks.

Also.... since some of you are actual astronomers.... when I was a kid you could buy a serviceable telescope for about thirty bucks. I assume that's now about a hundred, but I have no idea if they're considered viable. I've got a very inquisitive first grader. Are there any good but relatively inexpensive beginner telescopes out there? (And it needs to be something I can have shipped half-way around the world. I'm in Thailand!)
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You might be able to source one from Australia. I have a 15 cm (6 inch) Dobsonian mounted reflector, that set me back $300. I wouldn't bother with anything smaller than 6 inch, and also don't buy anything that's advertised on its magnifying power, that's basically screaming out "I am crap, don't buy me".
 
Damien Evans said:
You might be able to source one from Australia. I have a 15 cm (6 inch) Dobsonian mounted reflector, that set me back $300. I wouldn't bother with anything smaller than 6 inch, and also don't buy anything that's advertised on its magnifying power, that's basically screaming out "I am crap, don't buy me".
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I see your point re: a 6 inch, but I actually find I use my 80 mm more. Probably because I can get it in and out of the house quickly. And of course everyone saying binoculars is quite right. I own 2 telescopes, and yet I do the majority of my stargazing with my $80 celestron stargazer binoculars. It's quick and easy, and I can see quite a bit with them. They are 15 x 70, but a bit big for a 5 year old. Good old 7 x 35s or 7 x 50s should be find for looking at the moon. And remember, the full moon is the WORST time to observe it, it's too bright. A good quarter crescent moon is perfect. You can see craters and mountains, etc. Pretty awesome.
 
Something like these? Probably okay for daddy, but I doubt Marcello could wield them.... but with a tripod and a nice little set-up on the roof...?

(Plus, we have stuff wandering around in the bush here within meters of our shop. I made a whole thread on the dinosaur (water monitor) who came visiting the shop.... and birds and such. During the rainy season our back lot which is normally a back lot that is a roadway turns into a pond and we even get what look to be egrets or other small wading birds. )

http://www.spectrum-scientifics.com/Giant-Binoculars-s/1995.htm

ETA: Before anyone runs and starts criticizing the product, I should mention that's a member's site/shop.
 
Foolmewunz said:
Something like these? Probably okay for daddy, but I doubt Marcello could wield them.... but with a tripod and a nice little set-up on the roof...?

(Plus, we have stuff wandering around in the bush here within meters of our shop. I made a whole thread on the dinosaur (water monitor) who came visiting the shop.... and birds and such. During the rainy season our back lot which is normally a back lot that is a roadway turns into a pond and we even get what look to be egrets or other small wading birds. )

http://www.spectrum-scientifics.com/Giant-Binoculars-s/1995.htm

ETA: Before anyone runs and starts criticizing the product, I should mention that's a member's site/shop.
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In my opinion Orion does not have a bad product.

Konus is an Italian brand, that tends to the low end of the market in telescopes. I have never seen one in the flesh so I have no idea of their quality. But I do know they have a butt ugly range of yellow scopes lol
 
Rinky said:
I tried to search for threads mentioning something like this, but failed miserably...

Anyway, I was just galaxy-zooing (www.galaxyzoo.org) to pass the time and I realized I want to know more about stars, galaxies, the universe and everything :D. What would be the best places to start and good books to read? I know some very, very basic stuff but that's about it. Many searches on the net just seem to list books on stargazing, but that's not what I'm looking for. How about any of these?

http://space.about.com/od/astronomybooks/tp/astronomybooks.htm

Thanks for any suggestions!
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I know you asked for books, but if you're open to other media, you might want to have a look at this 96-lecture course:

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1810
 
DuvalHMFIC said:
I see your point re: a 6 inch, but I actually find I use my 80 mm more. Probably because I can get it in and out of the house quickly. And of course everyone saying binoculars is quite right. I own 2 telescopes, and yet I do the majority of my stargazing with my $80 celestron stargazer binoculars. It's quick and easy, and I can see quite a bit with them. They are 15 x 70, but a bit big for a 5 year old. Good old 7 x 35s or 7 x 50s should be find for looking at the moon. And remember, the full moon is the WORST time to observe it, it's too bright. A good quarter crescent moon is perfect. You can see craters and mountains, etc. Pretty awesome.
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I've observed a comet through a good pair of binoculars while standing on the balcony of a 154".... if that doesn't speak to how good a pair of binoculars can be I don't know what does ;)
 
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