NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
by Terence Dickinson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Terence DickinsonBrand: Firefly
Photographer: Terence Dickinson
Illustrator: Adolf Schaller
Illustrator: Victor Costanzo
Illustrator: Roberta Cooke
Illustrator: Glenn LeDrew
Foreword: Timothy Ferris
Edition: Spiral-bound
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-12
ISBN: 155407147X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Firefly Books
Product features:
- New Fourth Edition
- Perfect for any beginner or advanced astronomer
- Star Charts for stargazers
- Great for telescopes and binoculars
- Hard Cover, 192 pages, 11'' x 10 3/4'' x 7/8''
Book Reviews of NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
Book Review: An impressive gift for any budding astronomer
Summary: 5 Stars
Growing up on the prairies, far from any city lights, I took the splendour of our star-filled night sky for granted.
These past thirty years I've been living in the bloom of a large always-bright-at-night city skyscape. Light pollution in the suburbs means that only the nearest planets and the brightest stars are visible from our backyard. Whenever I get the opportunity to leave the city's light behind it's always a pleasant surprise to once again experience the brilliance of an unpolluted night sky.
What with all there is to see amidst such a profusion of celestial objects, it's a good idea to bring along a guide to get acquainted with all that glitters overhead. The best guide I've found so far is Terence Dickinson's "NightWatch".
Terrance has devoted his life to the study of the night sky. He has authored fourteen books on astronomy and is the editor of SkyNews, a Canadian astronomy magazine. In the 1960s and 70s he was an astronomer at two major planetariums; and since 1976, has been a full-time astronomy writer and editor.
Terrance's fascination and sense of wonderment with all things celestial is infectious. Thumbing through any NightWatch chapter makes you want to linger longer with this book. It is a real incentive to setting up a lawn chair in the backyard to spend some time staring up at the night sky.
The fourth edition of this practical guide to viewing the universe was published in late 2006. Casual night sky observers, amateur astronomers and professionals alike will marvel at the wealth of information, incredible pictures, ingeniously easy-to-use sky charts and eloquent prose found within its 192 ring-bound pages. Besides being well-engineered for outdoor use in dim light, it is simply gorgeous and would do well on display in your favourite conversational room.
I really like the fact that even if your eyes are the only equipment you own for stargazing, this guide will provide many hours of enjoyment as it takes you on a tour of the local planets and spectacle of the spring, summer, autumn and winter night sky. You won't have to travel further than to your own backyard to appreciate how informative this book can be. For those with binoculars, or telescopes and a car (to get beyond the city lights), NightWatch contains a wealth of star charts to help you probe the depths of our galaxy and those far beyond. You'll find easily navigable directions to double stars, variable stars, star clusters, globular clusters, nebula, and the galaxies.
This guide is of particular value for those considering the purchase of stargazing equipment, and who hasn't had the craving to own their own telescope. Too often though the first time buyer falls victim to purchasing a high-power department store "trash-scope" and later regrets having parted with their money. Terrence devotes an entire chapter to acquainting us with the many varieties of binoculars and telescopes. In a very understandable manner he guides us through the many factors to consider when selecting our first set of equipment.
If photography is your thing, you'll love the chapter on photographing the night sky. Cameras do a superb job of gathering and recording starlight. This fourth edition has been thoroughly updated to keep pace with the current digital revolution.
Even if you never set foot outdoors to gaze up at the night sky, this book is a wonderful educational tool for becoming more aware of galaxy we live in and our place in the universe. Spend a few hours with NightWatch and you'll find yourself always coming back for more.
Summary of NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
Thoroughly revised, updated and expanded.
The first three editions of NightWatch sold more than 600,000 copies, making it the top-selling stargazing guide in the world for the last 20 years. The key feature of this classic title is the section of star charts that are cherished by backyard astronomers everywhere. Each new edition has outsold the previous one because of thorough revisions and additional new material.
NightWatch has been acclaimed as the best general interest introduction to astronomy. The fourth edition has improvements over the 3rd edition in every chapter, including:
- The famous charts, ideal for stargazers using a small telescope or binoculars
- A complete update of the equipment section, including computerized telescopes
- An enlarged photography section, including how-to instructions for using the new generation of digital cameras for astronomical photography, both with and without a telescope
- The tables of future solar and lunar eclipses, planetary conjunctions and planet locations, updated through 2018.
This edition includes for the first time star charts for use in the southern hemisphere. There are also dozens of new photographs throughout the book that show the latest thrilling discoveries made by current space observatories and probes.
(20061217)Astronomy Books
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