The 50 Best Sights in Astronomy and How to See Them: Observing Eclipses, Bright Comets, Meteor Showers, and Other Celestial Wonders

Fred Schaaf

John Wiley & Sons, Jul 13, 2007 - Science - 256 pages

"Fred Schaaf is one of the most experienced astronomical observers of our time. For more than two decades, his view of the sky--what will be visible, when it will be visible, and what it will look like--has encouraged tens of thousands of people to turn their eyes skyward."
--David H. Levy, Science Editor, Parade magazine, discoverer of twenty-one comets, and author of Starry Night and Cosmic Discoveries

"Fred Schaaf is a poet of the stars. He brings the sky into people's lives in a way that is compelling, and his descriptions have all the impact of witnessing the stars on a crystal clear dark night."
--William Sheehan, coauthor of Mars: The Lure of the Red Planet and The Transits of Venus

The night sky holds endless fascination for anyone who chooses simply to look up and observe, but with so much to see, it can be difficult to know where to start. This remarkable book introduces you to the fifty best sights in astronomy and tells you exactly how to see them. In no time at all, you will learn how to find and appreciate the Orion group of constellations; the Summer Triangle; Venus, Jupiter, and Mars; the best meteor showers; man-made satellites; star clusters; novae; variable stars; and more.

The sights are presented according to the field of view necessary to see them. Your eyes and a clear night sky are all you need to view the sights in the first part of the book, before moving on to those that can be observed through binoculars and, finally, a telescope. Concise descriptions and explanations of these spectacular visual wonders will deepen your appreciation of them and spur further exploration. You will also find the essential basic information on astronomical observation you need to get started, including observing conditions, techniques, telescopes, and astronomical measurements.

Once you start gazing, you'll see that the sky really is the limit--and discovering its amazing treasures will become your lifetime passion.

What people are saying

Review: The 50 Best Sights in Astronomy and How to See Them: Observing Eclipses, Bright Comets, Meteor Showers, and Other Celestial Wonders

User Review  - Pete daPixie - Goodreads

Published in 2007, Fred Schaaf's 'The 50 best sights in Astronomy' is, I think, purely for the practical astronomer. I think I've had most of these sights in my telescopic eyepiece over a period of ...

Review: The 50 Best Sights in Astronomy and How to See Them: Observing Eclipses, Bright Comets, Meteor Showers, and Other Celestial Wonders

User Review  - Kingspence - Goodreads

This book sucks.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Basic Information for Astronomical Observers: 5
• Field of View 180 THE WHOLE SKY TO 100 NAKEDEYE SCAN: 11
• Field of View 100 TO 50 THE WIDEST FIXED NAKEDEYE FIELD: 45
• Field of View 50TO 15 MODERATELY WIDE NAKEDEYE FIELD: 59
• Field of View 15TO 1 NARROW NAKEDEYE FIELD BINOCULARS FIELD AND WIDETELESCOPIC FIELD: 99
• Field of View 1 TO 01 OR LESS MEDIUM TO NARROW TELESCOPIC FIELD: 179
• Appendix A Total Solar Eclipses 20082024: 262
• Appendix B Major Meteor Showers: 263
• Appendix C Total and Partial Lunar Eclipses 20072017: 264
• Appendix D The Brightest Stars: 265
• Appendix E Transits of Venus and Mercury: 266
• GLOSSARY: 267
• SOURCES: 271
• PHOTO CREDITS: 273
• INDEX: 274
• PHOTOS: 281

About the author

FRED SCHAAF, the writer of two popular long-running features in Sky & Telescope magazine, is the author of eleven books on popular astronomy, including Seeing the Deep Sky and Seeing the Solar System, both from Wiley.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The 50 Best Sights in Astronomy and How to See Them: Observing Eclipses, Bright Comets, Meteor Showers, and Other Celestial Wonders
• Author: Fred Schaaf
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2007
• ISBN: 0470128313, 9780470128312
• Length: 256 pages
• Subjects: Science / Astronomy