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: Stellar (pun intended)
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered this book encouraged by enthusiastic user reviews, and it actually surpassed my wildest expectations. The book will guide, teach and even entertain you. One doesn't expect a sense of humor in a collection of highly specialized technical advice - yet there it is! I've had my first telescope (an 8" Dobsonian) for less than a month, yet thanks to this book I'm already achieving wonderful things with it.
The authors state that one of their goals in writing this book was wanting to "pay forward". In other words, they can't pay back the many experienced astronomers who helped them learn the ropes, so now they're helping others to learn and enjoy the hobby. This reminded me of something that happened to me when I was a student. I hitched a ride, and the guy who pulled over told me: "But you must return this favor". When he saw the puzzled expression on my face, he continued: "Not to me, just give someone else a ride, when you have a car". And that's what I've done. Many times. And I truly appreciate gifts such as delivered by Robert and Barbara, the authors of this book.
Book Review: Excellent, but very biased
Summary: 3 Stars
I have been doing Astronomy since I got my first scope (Edmund Scientific 3" reflector) in 1954, and I teach Astronomy at the college here. I still found a lot of useful tips and tricks in this book. The reason for my rating is the author's complete bias toward Dobsonian scopes (and Orion). Plus, they don't like computerized scopes at all. In a field like Astronomy, where the technology is flying forward, it is all too easy for old-timers to get caught up in the "always been good enough for me" syndrome. Just because I learned to find that elusive object by star hopping doesn't mean everyone should. I was particularly struck by their comparison of go-to scopes with auto transmissions in cars. It was obvious they prefer stick shifts as well as Dobsonian scopes. If the Schmidt and Mak scopes were so bad, why are so many experienced astronomers buying them? Same with goto. They are very popular for a reason. If you can ignore the glaring bias, you will get a lot of useful info from this book.Book Review: Outstanding Practical Book on Astronomy
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent book. It contains information about choosing an eyepiece, how to tune your telescope for best results, and observing tips among many, many others. What I liked best is that the authors are very specific--on eyepieces, for example, they discuss which models of which brands will do what best, and what the difference between a $30 and a $600 eyepiece is. You could spend quite a bit of time in the hobby before you figure this kind of thing out on your own. This book will save you time, and save you money especially if you are just starting out. The authors are careful to state that they are offering their opinions, and opinions differ (sometimes between the authors). Most of the "hacks" are a page, or a couple of pages long, so this book lends itself well to bathroom reading. There is an excellent table of contents that will help you find the information you are most interested in. It's also fun just to browse this excellent book.Book Review: Bias - Shmias
Summary: 5 Stars
If the worst complaint people can bring against this book is that it has more hacks for Asian Dobs than anything else - then who cares!
The scope hacks do tend to focus on one style of scope, but Asian Dobs are easily the top seller these days and focusing on getting the most out of them is verbiage well spent.
Fortunately, the MAJORITY of the book deals with hacks that address all types of scopes and observing styles. Tips on how dark adaptation works as well as star party etiquette are great examples of scope/style neutral topics.
This book is perfect for the rank beginner (things you need to know), for the seasoned vet (things you knew but had forgotten), and everyone in between (things you thought you knew, but didn't really understand) =-)
Don't just buy this book, buy this book and expedite the shipping so that you can have it before the next clear night!!!
Book Review: Highly Recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
This book covers a wide range of subjects related to Astronomy. It is well written and thought out. It is a must have for any newbie and even experienced astronomers will benefit from it too. I was one of those people who spent a lot of money on a telescope and after a few uses let it sit for over a year in a corner collecting dust out of discouragement from not seeing the spectacular DSO's found on most web sites. This book explains what you can expect to see along with techniques to see them. It has helped me locate objects I have never been able to find before and given me information on care of my telescope. It has given me the comfort and confidence to do maintenance on my telescope I was too afraid to do out of my own lack of knowledge. It has re-sparked my interest in the hobby and I found I am using my 8" DOB more and more.