SingAstro

Few days ago i used this book, "Turn Left At Orion", to look at the sky. It definitely is a great book, as recommended by the pros in here!! I'd recommend it too, to all skywatching beginners like me

However, I think we have to tweak the book a little.. Is it just me or can anybody find the objects using their instructions?! I took 2 hours that night to try using their instructions, but gave up because i couldn't even get M41 from their instructions!!! :roll: In the end, i gave up and used only their diagram, complemented with my own sky atlas, and found REALLY alot more objects than i did..

Anybody for the idea of compiling Singapore's own Turn Left? The diagrams too need abit of tweaking, because they're mostly for when you observe in the Northern Hemisphere, and over here at the equator i gotta turn the book around here and there and even try to visualise a mirror image of that diagram just to get to the object.. It'll be a tough job for beginners who can't visualise the diagrams..

Hi,
I don't know bout Turn Left, cos I only borrowed it from the library once and didn't have time to really bring it to the field, but I like this book - StarWatch by Phil Harrington. I think it really introduces beginners to the night sky and describes the objects very well, breaking down the descriptions into bino, small/med scopes and large scopes.
There are simple instructions to find the objects but the star maps are really easy to use cos they focus on a few particular sections of sky each season making their star maps very simple.

Just my 2 cents,
Jeremy

True, I would recommend StarWatch by Phil Harrington too. Just returned it on my last trip to the library, and really found it useful in find the DSOs!

it was highly recommended in the US, so I bought a brand new one when I first started on astronomy. but then, hopelessly useless at star hopping, I soon found the book difficult to use. I preferred that they outlike the constellation as a guide. eventually sold it off.
I do recommend the Backyard Astronomer's Guide instead. its not for star hopping but practicallt everything basic you want to know is covered in the book.
cheers

Richard, which book you talking about that's useless? Turn Left@Orion or StarWatch? =)

jermng wrote:Richard, which book you talking about that's useless? Turn Left@Orion or StarWatch? =)

hi jeremy
I was talking about Turn Left at Orion...but not saying it is useless. many will find it very useful. just that for me who is hopeless in star hopping, I could do with charts that show relative position to constellations clearly..

Yupyup, the star hopping in Turn Left is really madness. But i quite like their descriptions of the objects, and their highlighting of nearby objects to the main one that are of interest to see too. I eventually took the book as only a rough guide and fell back to my great big atlas instead.

So the book isn't as fabulous as it was intended, especially in Singapore? Hm.. Anyway, anyone's got interest to write our own Turn Left? As mentioned in the first post, so hope this isn't going off topic ^^