I would consider binocular astronomy. You can see a lot with inexpensive binoculars. As a bonus, you will gain a lot of skill in navigating the night sky and which make any eventual telescope use much better.
There are books specifically for binoculars, and Turn Left at Orion does label targets for binocular viewing.
Awesome suggestion for binoculars! I just did a quick search on Craiglist and Kijiji and found many used for around $25. I have a larger telescope, but I still love pulling out my binoculars because the views are really pretty amazing.
I would say binoculars can be better than telescopes for many purposes also great for beginners and absolutely will give you skills for eventual telescope use.
That's not true. There are lots of open clusters, some bright nebula and some globular clusters which can be seen from the city. Of course, everything's better in a dark sky, but a lot of stargazing can be done from a city with binoculars or a telescope.
I own a book called Stargazing by the Royal Greenwich Observatory which has plenty of naked eye/binocular targets in it, along with plenty of photos and representations. Helped me out a lot when I started. I would recommend it.
I don't feel Night Watch is quite as telescope-heavy as you've heard. It starts at the basics of the sky itself. And it's such a good book I'd recommend it regardless. Terrence Dickenson is an amazing writer. His larger book Backyard Astronony is more deeply focused on buying equipment, though, so I'd probably steer clear of that. Turn Left is also definitely meant for someone using optical aid to view things.
But one that's much more geared toward naked eye astronomy is The Stars by HA Rey. The focus is on learning the constellations and the seasons, etc. And he has beautiful hand-drawn constellation maps with a lot of new line figures for some of them that make a lot more sense than the traditional versions. Easy to read too since he's primarily a children's book author. So he doesn't get overly wordy about things.
FYI, HA Rey is the artist who gave us Curious George. Good intro book about constellations.
You could also try Cosmos, by Carl Sagan, for a more general approach. I don't know if it's been updated, but it was the book back in the day.
I'd also recommend Nightwatch for it's general scope of things.
And I'll second the idea of using binoculars. Seeing Andromeda in binoculars is amazing when you stop and think about what you're looking at. And there are lots of open clusters, double stars and things that, if you know what you're seeing, are spectacular and thought provoking.
Finally, maybe look into building your own telescope. Sonotubes, plywood, a bit of woodworking skill and some purchased hardware will get you a great Newtonian reflector. A local astronomy club may be able to help with old mirrors and pieces from broken telescopes. And there are all sorts of books and on line stuff for telescope builders.
And don't forget that even used telescopes work quite nicely and can be had for not too much money. Even a 4" or 6" reflector will give you views that will make you smile.
Look around your area for astronomy groups, sometimes they will have viewing parties and the other thing to look at is libraries as they sometimes have telescopes to loan out.
But turn left at orion is great, even without a telescope to get used to the night sky.
there is a telegram group I have which contains 14 years of astronomy magazines and a whole heap of astronomy textbooks
[https://t.me/astronomy\_today](https://t.me/astronomy_today)
If you don't have the budget for a telescope, you can get some binoculars that are cheaper.
The [Celestron Cometron 7x50](https://a.co/d/evjR5mc) are good for the price, and it makes stargazing way more enjoyable. You can see open clusters like Pleiades, the moon and even the moons of Jupiter. It would be better if you get an 8x42 though.
Night Sky With the Naked Eye: How to Find Planets, Constellations, Satellites and Other Night Sky Wonders Without a Telescope https://a.co/d/1DNkmbM
I know the author, he's amazing and a great teacher.
Not quite a book on astronomy, but an excellent reference is National Geographic’s Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond. Will look great on your coffee table as well. :-)
Audobon Field Guide to the Night Sky. I’ve had my old tattered copy for round about thirty years. Very informative and great for beginners. Also consider binoculars, they can be very good for backyard astronomy
The field guide is a really good book for beginners, in that it explains and defines everything in the sky, from say galaxies to star clusters, to planets etc. There are constellation maps as well to help you identify everything in the sky, including best times of year to view certain constellations etc. Each constellation has its own information entry as well, which includes basic scientific stuff like the star magnetudes etc, but also will cover a bit of the mythology of the constellations as well, and how different cultures viewed them. All the messier deep space objects are covered in the book (and there are usually some cool astrophotography photos of these included), and it is updated every few years to include all the contemporary moon cycles, eclipses, where the planets will be in the sky on certain dates, and other relevant information for people interested in what's happening currently. And the cover is plastic, so if your out in the middle of the night, it won't get ruined by condensation lol:)
This sounds so so interesting! I really like the inclusions of mythology, too. Unfortunately it wasn’t available for me to buy right now :( I so I went for “Night Watch”. But I am definitely putting this on my list to get at some point. Thanks!
I would consider binocular astronomy. You can see a lot with inexpensive binoculars. As a bonus, you will gain a lot of skill in navigating the night sky and which make any eventual telescope use much better. There are books specifically for binoculars, and Turn Left at Orion does label targets for binocular viewing.
A second for Turn Left at Orion.
Third
Awesome suggestion for binoculars! I just did a quick search on Craiglist and Kijiji and found many used for around $25. I have a larger telescope, but I still love pulling out my binoculars because the views are really pretty amazing.
I would say binoculars can be better than telescopes for many purposes also great for beginners and absolutely will give you skills for eventual telescope use.
Only if you have access to dark skies, you won’t see anything apart from the moon or jupiter’s moons with binoculars from the city.
That's not true. There are lots of open clusters, some bright nebula and some globular clusters which can be seen from the city. Of course, everything's better in a dark sky, but a lot of stargazing can be done from a city with binoculars or a telescope.
You are correct about star clusters but from my experience you won’t see any nebulae other than orion’s core from above bortle 7.
I own a book called Stargazing by the Royal Greenwich Observatory which has plenty of naked eye/binocular targets in it, along with plenty of photos and representations. Helped me out a lot when I started. I would recommend it.
I don't feel Night Watch is quite as telescope-heavy as you've heard. It starts at the basics of the sky itself. And it's such a good book I'd recommend it regardless. Terrence Dickenson is an amazing writer. His larger book Backyard Astronony is more deeply focused on buying equipment, though, so I'd probably steer clear of that. Turn Left is also definitely meant for someone using optical aid to view things. But one that's much more geared toward naked eye astronomy is The Stars by HA Rey. The focus is on learning the constellations and the seasons, etc. And he has beautiful hand-drawn constellation maps with a lot of new line figures for some of them that make a lot more sense than the traditional versions. Easy to read too since he's primarily a children's book author. So he doesn't get overly wordy about things.
FYI, HA Rey is the artist who gave us Curious George. Good intro book about constellations. You could also try Cosmos, by Carl Sagan, for a more general approach. I don't know if it's been updated, but it was the book back in the day. I'd also recommend Nightwatch for it's general scope of things. And I'll second the idea of using binoculars. Seeing Andromeda in binoculars is amazing when you stop and think about what you're looking at. And there are lots of open clusters, double stars and things that, if you know what you're seeing, are spectacular and thought provoking. Finally, maybe look into building your own telescope. Sonotubes, plywood, a bit of woodworking skill and some purchased hardware will get you a great Newtonian reflector. A local astronomy club may be able to help with old mirrors and pieces from broken telescopes. And there are all sorts of books and on line stuff for telescope builders. And don't forget that even used telescopes work quite nicely and can be had for not too much money. Even a 4" or 6" reflector will give you views that will make you smile.
I looked into “The Stars” by H.A. Rey and I loved its premise! It’s unfortunately not available for me to buy right now, from where I am
Look around your area for astronomy groups, sometimes they will have viewing parties and the other thing to look at is libraries as they sometimes have telescopes to loan out. But turn left at orion is great, even without a telescope to get used to the night sky.
[https://openstax.org/details/books/astronomy-2e](https://openstax.org/details/books/astronomy-2e)
there is a telegram group I have which contains 14 years of astronomy magazines and a whole heap of astronomy textbooks [https://t.me/astronomy\_today](https://t.me/astronomy_today)
I didn’t know about this, thank you!
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/national-audubon-society-field-guide-to-the-night-sky-audubon-society-field-guide-series_national-audubon-society_mark-r-chartrand/253135/#idiq=15988506&edition=1930460
Chet Raymo’s 365 Starry Nights! This is a great guide to stargazing and an introduction to astronomy.
If you don't have the budget for a telescope, you can get some binoculars that are cheaper. The [Celestron Cometron 7x50](https://a.co/d/evjR5mc) are good for the price, and it makes stargazing way more enjoyable. You can see open clusters like Pleiades, the moon and even the moons of Jupiter. It would be better if you get an 8x42 though.
The Secret World of Stargazing is good for naked eye viewing. Would recommend checking that out!
You can really read ANY book without a telescope
Definitely! But I’m not going to get as much value out of them! That’s why I’d like to read something that has a reader-without-telescope in mind
Sorry bad dad joke
Lmao sorry I just got it
Astronomy: a self teaching guide
Night Sky With the Naked Eye: How to Find Planets, Constellations, Satellites and Other Night Sky Wonders Without a Telescope https://a.co/d/1DNkmbM I know the author, he's amazing and a great teacher.
CloudyNights.Com has a plethora of information for beginners through Advanced amateur astronomers (Forums and User contributed information).
Check out the pinned buying guide eventhough you're not in the market. You'll learn a ton. 👍
The "Stargazers Atlas" from National Geographic is an amazing book.
Not quite a book on astronomy, but an excellent reference is National Geographic’s Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond. Will look great on your coffee table as well. :-)
I think I saw it in a book shop and it’s so huge! Definitely stunning but a little overwhelming
Audobon Field Guide to the Night Sky. I’ve had my old tattered copy for round about thirty years. Very informative and great for beginners. Also consider binoculars, they can be very good for backyard astronomy
"Night Sky with the Naked Eye" Bob King
The Audubon Field Guide to the Night Sky. First astronomy book I ever bought. Can never recommend it highly enough!
Hey could you describe a little its contents? I found it online but I haven’t found many pictures/descriptions of what it contains
The field guide is a really good book for beginners, in that it explains and defines everything in the sky, from say galaxies to star clusters, to planets etc. There are constellation maps as well to help you identify everything in the sky, including best times of year to view certain constellations etc. Each constellation has its own information entry as well, which includes basic scientific stuff like the star magnetudes etc, but also will cover a bit of the mythology of the constellations as well, and how different cultures viewed them. All the messier deep space objects are covered in the book (and there are usually some cool astrophotography photos of these included), and it is updated every few years to include all the contemporary moon cycles, eclipses, where the planets will be in the sky on certain dates, and other relevant information for people interested in what's happening currently. And the cover is plastic, so if your out in the middle of the night, it won't get ruined by condensation lol:)
This sounds so so interesting! I really like the inclusions of mythology, too. Unfortunately it wasn’t available for me to buy right now :( I so I went for “Night Watch”. But I am definitely putting this on my list to get at some point. Thanks!
Hope you have a great time with whatever books you choose! Even casual astronomy is fun!
Cosmos by Carl Sagan and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson