On a clear, starry night, the jewelled beauty and unimaginable immensity of our universe is awe-inspiring. Star-gazing with binoculars is rewarding and may begin a lifelong hobby! Patrick Moore has painstakingly researched Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars to describe how to use binoculars for astronomical observation. He explains basic astronomy and the selection of binoculars, then discusses the stars, clusters, nebulae and galaxies that await the observer. The sky seen from both the northern and southern hemispheres is charted season by season, with detailed maps of all the constellations. The reader can also observe the Sun, Moon, planets, comets and meteors. With many beautiful illustrations, this handbook will be helpful and encouraging to casual observers and those cultivating a more serious interest. The enjoyment of amateur astronomy is now available to everybody.
• The author, Patrick Moore, is Britain’s best known astronomer
• New edition of an extremely successful and well known book
• Includes many beautiful illustrations
Contents
Preface to the third edition; 1. The night sky; 2. Binoculars of many kinds; 3. Among the stars; 4. Double stars and variable stars; 5. Clusters, nebulae and galaxies; 6. Stars of the seasons; 7. The constellations; 8. The sun and its eclipses; 9. Lunar landscapes; 10. The planets; 11. Comets and shooting stars; 12. Summing-up; Appendices; Bibliography; A note on metrication.
Reviews
From reviews of previous editions: ‘ … this has been the introduction to the night sky that I’ve recommended more than any other … If you know of someone whose enthusiasm for the night sky has been inspired … I can think of no better gift than a pair of binoculars and a copy of this excellent book.’ Brian Kelly, The Observatory
‘ … written in Patrick Moore’s well-known, easy-to-read, personal style … This book is a good general introduction to the night sky using binoculars and it should encourage the reader to go and look for themselves.’ Alan Dowdell, Webb Society Reviews
‘… a useful beginner’s guide to the binocular.’ Sky and Telescope
‘This book would be a good buy for someone new to astronomy as it covers all aspects of observational work at a fairly basic level and would continue to be a useful information source for many years to come.’ Linda Robertson, Astronomy Now
‘Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars is a good book for beginner and casual binocular observers, with enough deep-sky objects to keep them going for a long time …’. Astronomy and Space
‘This book shows Patrick on top form and will not only appeal to the novice. I found it to be a highly informative, well written book with plenty of useful maps and sketches. I would certainly recommend this book, and not just for the beginners it is aimed at. Even for veterans of the night sky like myself those book could be a worthy addition to the collection.’ Dave Fletcher, Popular Astronomy
‘This guide is therefore an ideal start to observe celestial objects using simple instruments as binoculars … an indispensable preparation for further observations using larger instruments.’ Orion (Société Astronomique de Suisse)
