Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars

By Patrick Moore

Book Overview

This book describes bow the owner of binoculars can use them for astronomical observation. A full description of the 'binocular sky' is given, with details of all the most interesting objects. On a clear dark night, with a myriad stars shining down, the jewelled beauty and the unimaginable immensity of our universe is awe-inspiring. Some people make the investment that is required to buy a telescope, but for many others, stargazing through binoculars can be just as rewarding and may lead to a deep interest and lifelong hobby! Patrick Moore has painstakingly researched this book to cater for such people. He carefully explains the rudiments of astronomy and the selection of suitable binoculars before discussing in more detail the array of beautiful astronomical objects that await the binocular observer - stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies. The night sky that is seen by observers in both northern and southern hemispheres is charted season by season before a detailed presentation is made, with maps, of all the constellations. The use of binoculars for observing the sun, the Moon, the planets, comets and shooting stars is then described. The illustrations throughout have been prepared by the artist Paul Doherty working in close collaboration with the author.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521307562
• ISBN13: 9780521307567
• Release Date: November 1986
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.3" x 0.8" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

condensed material - not a book for dabblers

Its one of the well written books I've come across about scanning the night skies through binoculars. If you simply want to point your binoculars anywhere in the sky after consulting a map, this book will not likely appeal too much. The first chapter takes us through the big dipper and sets a good foundation for understanding the movement of stars during night and during the year (every star sets 4 minutes earlier than the previous night; orientation of big dipper around the year; how to measure angular distances using anchor points; characteristics of stars and Hertzsprung-Russell sequence etc.) All in the first chapter, and really a good amount of information presented briefly to give any intelligent reader the tools necessary for finding his/her way across the sky.