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: Astronomy Hardware in a Nutshell
Summary: 5 Stars
"Astronomy Hacks" represents an extraordinarily useful tool for amateur astronomers at every level of experience. There is something new and useful for everyone from the beginning novice to the most seasoned astronomer. It is a book that will be referenced again and again.
As usual, the Thompsons speak with the clarity and authority of experience. Every one of the hacks in this book have been tried out by the authors. Consequently, they are able to offer their own unique insights, opinions, suggestions and first-person experiences of what does and does not work.
This is not a "tour-guide of the heavens" book with seasonal start charts and planetary location information. Rather, it is a guide to the nuts and bolts of the hardware required for successful observing. For those familiar with the Thompsons' other works, they could just as well have named this "Astronomy Hardware in a Nutshell".
The sections I found most interesting were the ones pertaining to collimation of reflecting-style telescopes and tips for a successful Meissier Marathon. Mr. Thompson's first-person account of his marathon has at least inspired me to consider doing one of my own.
Book Review: Great Book for Sky Watchers
Summary: 5 Stars
The best thing about this book is that it is aimed at the beginner. Lots of Astronomy books have the cover flap that says it's for the beginners, and the first page has stuff even an expert who's been an amateur astronomy for years has trouble understanding. Or you have the "expert tome" that doesn't know what the Big Dipper is, let alone how to find something in the night sky.
And yet, even though this book is aimed squarely at the beginner, there is information for even seasoned veterans to learn from it.
I especially like that they tell people about binoculars. You do see a good number of books that note them only in passing, and not how important they really are. Binoculars are good for just looking up at the night sky. Especially if you want to wander out to some non-flat surface area where setting up even a simple scope would be difficult, if not impossible. Some of the weird sites I gone are swamps and grassland, and getting a mounted scope there was something I wouldn't even attempt.
This is a book I would buy for anyone interested in taking up the hobby.
Book Review: A must-have for Dobsonauts :)
Summary: 5 Stars
I couldn't put this book down, I read it from the first page to the last in a couple of days. The style is very reader-friendly and the text is a joy to read. It's full of practical advice for the amateur astronomer. Practical tips that you can use in observing, and to fix or shape-up your scope and accessory case. And what I like most about it, is the attention to detail. Every hack is very well thought out and thorough. Do you know that you can use those refrigerator magnets to keep your charts at hand? Do you know how to use junk CDs to improve the motion of your Dobsonian telescope? No? Then go and get this book! Downside? Nothing really. Maybe only one thing. The book is strongly and admittedly biased towards Dobsonian type telescopes. If you own a refractor on an equatorial mount, then there will be some hacks that can't be applied to your gear. But you'll still be able to profit from the majority of the other hacks.
I really beleive this book deserves a place in every amateur's bookshelf, along with such classic astro-gear titles like Star Ware. So, go out and grab one. You won't regret it.
Book Review: A great book and resource
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've ever wanted to learn astronomy as a hobby or as a serious amateur you'll find everything you need to get started and well along the path in this book. In addition to the things you would expect to find in a book like this (star names, constellations, Messier objects, etc.) the authors also cover things like etiquette when observing with groups, how to choose binoculars and the right telescope for you. The tips on how to choose the right telescope and how to avoid being cheated is well worth the price of the book by itself.
Of course it is filled with information on identifying stars and constellations, using the celestial coordinate system, observing in different environments, observing shallow-space and deep-space objects, and photographing the stars. But the tips on things like eliminating astigmatism, eliminating diffraction, and tuning your telescope are some of the most interesting as well as the most likely to make your hobby really enjoyable. Astronomy Hacks is highly recommended to anyone interested in astronomy and can move you from novice to advanced amateur.
Book Review: Well worth reading
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an interesting and useful book, though it is quite different from most of the other books in the "Hacks" series. While the others are mostly collections of, well, hacks-- clever workarounds, ways to exploit little known or undocumented features, etc.-- this book is a combination of hacks and equipment reviews.
The authors clearly love astronomy, and the point of the book is to help others have a good experience with astronomy by ensuring that they have the right equipment and use it to maximum advantage. Though equipment decisions are, of course, matters of personal preference, they are careful to describe multiple options, even when they clearly favor one of them. In addition, they are very conscious of the costs of the hobby, and they usually offer a range of options when they are discussing equipment. The observing and equipment maintenance tips are well explained and illustrated.
Regardless of one's experience, there is almost certainly going to be some useful hint, bit of advice, or technique in the book. It's well worth having in one's library.