Astronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky
by Barbara Fritchman Thompson, Robert Bruce Thompson
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Book Reviews of Astronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky
Book Review: Boring and nearly useless
Summary: 1 Stars
I don't know which is sadder, that this miserable and embarrassing book exists - or is it a marketing brochure for the eyepiece industry? - or the overwhelmingly positive reviews of equally dubious merit that is has received. If you know nothing about astronomy and telescopes, do NOT read this book and put down this review - get thee to Sidgwick, Muirden, Menzel and the like from earlier days. In the past, astronomy had a dignity that placed it beyond "hacking" and consisted of a solid body of knowledge that was passed on from one generation to the next. Today, the books likely to be found are either exercises in hyperbole and logorrhea over pure speculations, rather than solid presentations of established facts which demand some effort on the part of the reader beyond a gaping mouth - or else marketing pamphlets for the cheap Dobsonian and ultra expensive eyepiece market. These modern books (and the one under consideration is one of the worst) impart neither knowledge nor ability, and tend to be inadvertent confessionals of the author's ignorance and worse, his lack of even understanding the intellectual ethos in which astronomy once was, and properly should be, surrounded. He knows neither the facts nor the rules, and acts an embarrassing oaf among good company.
I will not even begin to list the countless whoppers in this horrible work, starting with its smart-aleck title. It may as well have been gracelessly copied directly from the author's note pads, which might have been filled with "star party" and online folk wisdom, something that exists solely to justify the endless chase after equipment at the expense of developing observing skill. I would be frankly embarrassed to be associated with it in any way.
-antimatter33
Book Review: Good general read for beginners, especially those buying a dobsonian.
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this book to be a fun read. The authors are clearly passionate about their hobby and write with a style that is engaging, unpretentious and clear. This book is targeted towards beginners who are new to the hobby. I especially enjoyed the front chapters dealing with topics such as observing site etiquette, what to wear and what to bring. The beginner will certainly benefit from reading this and learn not to commit the faux pas of driving up to a star party with headlights blazing. There is also useful and clear introductory information such as finding constellations, star hopping, reading star atlases and observing tips and skills. The authors are clearly very skewed towards Dobsonians and this book reflects this bent. A bulk of the book is devoted to these instruments such as cleaning the mirror, center spotting a mirror, collimation and improving the Dob. This is great if you have one but not too great if you have chosen to start out with an equatorially mounted telescope or a SCT. There is consequently no information on polar alignment and the more rigorous drift alignment. There is also scant/no information on attainable basic astrophotography techniques that are accessible to an amateur with a tracking mount, such as planetary webcaming and guided deep sky photography with a short focal length scope or a mounted 35mm camera. I would encourage those with these pursuits in mind to consider other options besides a Dob before making a choice. All in all, this is a useful book and a welcomed addition to bookstore shelves. There are so many over-colorful over-graphic introductory astronomy books that are of little value to the serious beginner, and thus this book is entirely relevant.Book Review: This Book is a must for the Amateur Astronomer!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been all over the Internet and have perused just about every bookstore in the Dallas area searching for books and information on amateur astronomy. I was very fortunate to make this book one of my first purchases. The authors are very experienced and passionate amateur astronomers and they provide a wealth of valuable information from purchasing telescopes and equipment all the way through observation techniques and astronomical concepts. This book is a very recent publication and is filled with ideas or "hacks" that center around the very latest technology and equipment that is available in the field of amateur astronomy. The main philosophy around the book is that one does not have to spend thousands of dollars on telescopes, mounts, lens', etc in order to enjoy the hobby at a very high level. This was something that was very important to me since I do not have a very large budget for purchasing my first serious amateur telescope.
It is also worth mentioning that the authors are very biased torwards using Newtonian Reflector telescopes with Dobsonian style mounts, however they do cover all of the telescope types and thier respective advantages, disadvantages, etc.
Overall, this book is a must purchase for anyone who is interested in amateur astronomy and who is looking for that first step. There is information in this book that will also appeal to the more experienced telescope enthusiasts, especially where the telescope modifications are concerned. Amateur Astronomy can get quite expensive and this book will certainly save many beginners from needlessly wasting money on telescopes and equipment!
Book Review: Slightly silly title for a great book
Summary: 5 Stars
While it is true that this book is "biased" in the sense that it concentrates mainly on Dobsonion Reflectors (and the cover is therefore somewhat misleading), that doesn't bother me at all since a Dob is what I own! In any case Dobs are easily the most common telescopes amongst amateurs in my part of the world (New Zealand), where SCTs are rarer than in the USA. It is also clear that the authors prefer reflectors. This book really is a must for anyone starting out with a Dobsonion. It is packed full of great tips and handy advice. I use it as a reference book. If I had bought this before buying my first eyepieces, I would have saved several hunded dollars. They were right, I was wrong. It is quite common with technical books for reviewers to say that the book will save you more than its purchase price, but in the case of this book it is absolutely true. This book represents the best money you will ever spend on your hobby. I have only two (very minor) quibbles. Firstly, it is written with an American readership in mind rather than an international one. I can't hold a quarter at arm's length, I'm not certain what the milk jug referred to is (is it the same as our plastic milk bottles?), and I will pass on the authors' advice to take a revolver with me when I observe out in the countryside!! The other tiny quibble is that the glossy paperback cover has a tendency to curl a bit. Nevertheless, I don't hesitate to give this book the full 5 stars, since if I ever lost it I would simply have to buy another copy immediately. It will really help you get the best performance out of your telescope.Book Review: Best observation book I've read!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is absolutely the best book on observing the night sky that I've read. It's excellent and without a doubt written by some real pros. I've been thinking of buying a telescope, and I'm glad I read this book before I put down any money-I might not have purchased the right telescope for my needs.
The authors begin with a really good explanation of the various types of telescopes available, the range of prices, and what to expect (in terms of quality and optics) in each category, as well as some general recommendations depending on what your interests might be (e.g. astrophotography vs. general observing).
Of course, the book contains an excellent section on the constellations and their locations. Additionally, the authors illustrate how to read star charts and describe a couple of the most popular stellar catalogs. There are also quite a few tips and ideas for improving your observation experience including different ideas on how to dark-adapt. I just figured that living near a lot of lights would make it impossible to see anything in the night sky. As the authors point out, light can make the observation experience more difficult, but it can still be enjoyable and rewarding.
I would absolutely recommend this book to the amateur astronomer who is really serious about improving the night time viewing experience. This is an excellent book that really increased my understanding and appreciation of astronomy.