- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 3 edition (Oct 23 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0521781906
- ISBN-13: 978-0521781909
- Product Dimensions: 27.8 x 22.2 x 2.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#113,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11 in Books > Science > Astronomy > Solar System
- #26 in Books > Science > Astronomy > Star-Gazing
- #26 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Ecology > Star Gazing
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"...an excellent book for small telescope users...As the resurgence in small telescopes continues, this book will be of use to all users of such instruments. Since many of the objects covered in Turn Left at Orion can be seen from light-polluted skies, this book is a valuable asset even if you live in a large urban area." Deep Sky
"...should be packaged with every first telescope. It's as nearly perfect as such a book can be." Sky & Telescope
"...for those intent on doing some serious observing with a small telescope, Turn Left at Orion has much to recommend it." Stardust
"I think the format is perfect for beginners but even more advanced observers may learn a thing or two. It's like having one of the KAS's many experts right next to you at your 'scope! It is commonly available in bookstores and libraries (including the KAS library). Two thumbs up (both of mine)." - Robert Havira, Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews
"...should be packaged with every first telescope. It's as nearly perfect as such a book can be." Sky & Telescope
"...for those intent on doing some serious observing with a small telescope, Turn Left at Orion has much to recommend it." Stardust
"I think the format is perfect for beginners but even more advanced observers may learn a thing or two. It's like having one of the KAS's many experts right next to you at your 'scope! It is commonly available in bookstores and libraries (including the KAS library). Two thumbs up (both of mine)." - Robert Havira, Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews
Product Description
A superb guidebook described in Bookwatch as 'the home astronomer's "bible"', Turn Left at Orion provides all the information beginning amateur astronomers need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects. Large format diagrams show these objects exactly as they appear in a small telescope and for each object there is information on the current state of our astronomical knowledge. Revised and updated, this new edition contains a chapter with ten new spreads describing spectacular deep sky objects visible from the southern hemisphere, and tips on observing the upcoming transits of Venus. It also discusses Dobsonian telescopes, with hints on using personal computers and the Internet as aids for planning an observing session. Also new to this edition are redrawn "Guidepost" figures at the beginning of each season chapter that allow readers to visualize a three-dimensional view of the sky's dome; redesigned seasonal object layouts that provide more space for the naked-eye charts; a new spread on double stars near Boötes has been added to Spring, replacing the "Shrinking Double" spread; and a unique "When and Where to Look" table has been added to the last page, among other new features. Unlike many guides to the night sky, this book is specifically written for observers using small telescopes. Clear and easy to use, this fascinating book will appeal to skywatchers of all ages and backgrounds. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Getting Oriented: The Moon is rich and complex in a small telescope; under high power, you can get lost in a jumble of craters and all the mare regions seem to meld together. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Getting Oriented: The Moon is rich and complex in a small telescope; under high power, you can get lost in a jumble of craters and all the mare regions seem to meld together. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Missing Element!,
By
This review is from: Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope - and How to Find Them (Hardcover)
I thought of _Turn Left At Orion_ the other day while browsing, during Christmas season, at a local discount store. Several families were pushing shopping carts with $225.00 telescopes in them, and I envisioned those instruments, two months hence, languishing in closets. If only they had the book! It's truly the missing element that can turn an unexpected present into a lifelong hobby - if not preoccupation. Without a book like this, you look at the moon. If you're lucky you find Jupiter and Saturn. They're great. What next? Well for anything else, you require a mentor... or this book. Contrary to conventional wisdom, computer controlled telescopes are not the answer. In practice, you have to know star names to use them, and most of them don't center objects reliably - especially in the hands of a neophyte. If anything, frustration with these devices is apt to drive beginners away from astronomy, rather than encourage them. _Turn Left At Orion_ is written for lone users of small telescopes. It provides the reader with seasonal guide stars to use in locating more obscure objects, and in so doing it conveys the skill and the joy of star hopping. Perhaps I should emphasize the joy aspect, because joy emerges clearly from the narrative. So many astronomy books are written from the standpoint of cold science, but experienced amateurs are in it for the beauty, the awe, and the wonder. That is, they are in it for the joy. To share in this aspect, you have to find objects in the sky. To do that, you have to know where they are, and you have to want to find them. Consolmagno et al tell you where to look, and they make you want to look. Those are the two missing elements in every new telescope. Those are the elements the book provides. I do have two complaints about the book, however. My primary complaint is that a few of the dimmer guide stars are invisible in light polluted skies. For example, I can see the star, Gamma Sagittae, only in binoculars, and that star is used to locate the Dumbbell Nebula. Similarly, Wasat is used to locate the Clownface Nebula, and that too is not visible to the naked eye from my viewing site. In these cases, I am forced to look up the right ascensions and declinations for the guide stars or for the objects themselves. (These are available in the back of the book.) The objects are typically too dim for the finder scope, and are difficult to find if they do not, by chance, appear in the field of the telescope after such dead reckoning. This, of course, it is exactly the problem with GoTo telescopes, particularly those with narrow fields of view like the Meade ETX90. The guide stars from the book, however, are always visible in the finder scope, and dead reckoning or GoTo invariably gets them within its precincts. The book takes me the rest of the way. My second complaint is that the book is hard to read in the dark, where it is meant to be read. I get around this imperfection by choosing my objects ahead of time. In the light and warmth of my house, I read the instructions into a multi-message digital recorder. Then I simply play them back as I need them. _Turn Left At Orion_ is an outstanding selection for any astronomy enthusiast, regardless of experience or equipment. Most importantly, though, it is the missing element for the lone neophyte. Buy this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for beginners,
By
This review is from: Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope - and How to Find Them (Hardcover)
Astronomy has been a longtime but fairly casual hobby of mine. I think this book offers a great introduction to see exactly what's out there under the night sky. Most objects are easy to see even under suburban light pollution. I like how all the sketches are in black in white, because it sets up realistic expectations in terms of what you will actually see at the eyepiece of your telescope (i.e. don't expect glorious Hubble-like pictures you see on books or TV). There's a nice assortment of star clusters, galaxies, nebula and double-star targets.But I do think the book could've used larger sized finder charts for some objects, so you can get a better frame of reference of where the object is placed in the sky. Other than that, everything else about the book is great. It will remain an important reference book even for those who aren't new to the hobby.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By RJ (Winnipeg, MB, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope - and How to Find Them (Hardcover)
I just got a telescope and without this book I would not have been able to find Saturn, M42 and many other celestial bodies. Well written and completely understandable.
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