Amateur Astronomer's Handbook Amateur Astronomer's Handbook Amateur Astronomer's Handbook

by J.B. Sidgwick and James Muirden

Book Overview

Timeless, comprehensive coverage of telescopes, mirrors, lenses, mountings, telescope drives, micrometers, spectroscopes, more. ". . . highly recommended for very serious nonprofessional astronomers."... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486240347
• ISBN13: 9780486240343
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Technical introduction to amateur astronomy

Sidgwick's book is recognized as a classic, but the subject matter is presented rigorously and in the style of a text book. Originally published in 1955, Sidgwick's book relies heavily on British Astronomical Association archives and the overall book has a somewhat European bent. Most of the book is still very relevant and informative, but don't expect unbiased views of currently available super eyepieces or CCD cameras. However, if you want exhaustive information on different types of mounts (and their strengths and weaknesses), hard-to-to-find information on accessories like micrometers and spectroscopes, and analyses of image circles, telescope configurations, and metallic films, this book is for you. Indeed, it is the only book that I've seen with a section that Sidgwick calls "Personal Equation", that is, how much a given observation is influenced by innately human factors like visual acuity, overall health, and fatigue. It is an excellent book: just don't expect a lot of colorful graphs and eye candy.

Great!

This book is the best for amateurs. Recommended for al