Book: "Astronomy, the definitive guide" (for new p

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dew
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Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 10:15 pm

Book: "Astronomy, the definitive guide" (for new p

Post by dew »

this is not a review but i thought this was the best section to put this.

saw this today and thought i better share the information for any new or beginner people out there who might find this useful.
anyway i was at Big Bookshop at clementi just now and i saw this book, "Astronomy, the definitive guide" i flipped through it and it looked really good. i'm not sure if it really qualify's to be THE definitive guide but it was definately quite comprehensive.
the book is small, like the size an excercise book but much thicker, probably 2-3 hundered pages yet quite light for that thickness.
the first half of the book is dedicated to explaining the workings of the universe like how stars form, what they are made of, what a nebula is and all that.
the second half of the book is a guide to stargazing, how to starhop, describing what you can see and describing what exactly you are seeing. it also provides monthly maps of northen and southern skies of the constalations and even provides photographs of the brighter deepsky objects like M42, M31 and M45.

all this for $18.50! (down from $35) in my opinion, looking at the price and the ammount that the book covers, it is an absolute steal and the only reason i did not buy it for myself is because i have other books which together cover the same thing but i probably paid several times more than $18.50

conclusion: A great single book for the beginner to tell you what is what in astronomy. i'm not too sure if there is discussion of equipment though (eg. refractor vs. reflector) but if your looking for a good introduction to astronomy and star gazing but on a budget, then this is the book for you.


eu-wen
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Post by Guest »

I have this book too and its great. An alternative book to buy would be [Space Watching -An Australian Geographic Guide] Consultant Editor Dr john O'Byrne. It write from the view of nature of our universe to the introduction of astronomy and a write up on scopes. After, detail articles on objects of our solar system, and beyond. It ends with a comprehensive starhopping guide. Great for beginners.
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chrisyeo
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Post by chrisyeo »

I was down at Clementi and I managed to see the book. I liked it enough to buy it, and would highly recommend it for beginners.

Its almost 2 books in one, a 'Discovering the Universe' part and a 'Guide to Celestial Objects' part, consultant editor: Robert Burnham and maps by Wil Tirion. The maps do not cover all the constellations but are star hopping guides to interesting regions of the sky. Enough for any beginner though.

Its 400+ pages of beautiful full colour pages. Good enough to be a coffeetable book (its small though).

So at (now) $16.90, I think its a steal. In fact, dealers might want to consider bulk buying them and then selling to new telescope owners. :)
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ALPiNe
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Location: In the Ladies. *Censored*

Post by ALPiNe »

So at (now) $16.90, I think its a steal. In fact, dealers might want to consider bulk buying them and then selling to new telescope owners.
Argh!!! It is indeed a steal! I bought this book too at Kinokuniya a couple of months back for $39.50!! Daylight robbery!! :cry: :cry:

Anyway, I agree that this is a great book! When I first flipped through the pages, I found that not only are there alot of beautiful full colour pages, the content itself is also simple and easy to grasp, while explaining in detail certain fundamentals in great clarity. It covers a wide range of topics, ranging from the understanding of the Universe to the choosing and using of both binoculars and telescopes. A great book worth considering for newbies! :D :wink:

With Regards,
ALPiNe :)
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