NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
by Terence Dickinson

NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
List Price: $35.00
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Author: Terence Dickinson
Photographer: Terence Dickinson
Illustrator: Adolf Schaller
Illustrator: Victor Costanzo
Illustrator: Roberta Cooke
Illustrator: Glenn LeDrew
Foreword: Timothy Ferris
Edition: Spiral-bound
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-12
ISBN: 155407147X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Firefly Books
Product features:

Book Reviews of NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

Book Review: PERFECT for beginners
Summary: 5 Stars

This is way you should start out with visual astronomy. Period. Trust me on this. I read dozens of books when I first started out. This one is THE #1 BEST. Start here FIRST.

Summary of NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

Thoroughly revised, updated and expanded.

The first three editions of Night Watch sold more than 600,000 copies, making it the top-selling stargazing guide in the world for the last 20 years. The key feature of this classic title is the section of star charts that are cherished by backyard astronomers everywhere. Each new edition has outsold the previous one because of thorough revisions and additional new material.

Night Watch has been acclaimed as the best general interest introduction to astronomy. The fourth edition has revisions in every chapter, including: - The famous charts, ideal for stargazers using a small telescope or binoculars - A complete update of the equipment section, including computerized telescopes - An enlarged photography section, including how-to instructions for using the new generation of digital cameras for astronomical photography, both with and without a telescope - The tables of future solar and lunar eclipses, planetary conjunctions and planet locations, updated through 2018.

This edition includes for the first time star charts for use in the southern hemisphere. There are also dozens of new photographs throughout the book that show the latest thrilling discoveries made by current space observatories and probes.


The third edition of Nightwatch continues its tradition of being the best handbook for the beginning astronomer. Terence Dickinson covers all the problems beginners face, starting with the fact that the night sky does not look the way a modern city-dweller expects. He discusses light pollution, how to choose binoculars and telescopes, how to pronounce the names of stars and constellations, telescope mounts, averted vision, and why the harvest moon looks especially bright. Most of the lovely photographs in the book were taken by amateurs, which gives the section on astrophotography a particularly inspirational gleam.

Dickinson's star charts are very handy, each covering a reasonable field of view and mapping the most interesting amateur objects. He gives good advice for planet watching, which he notes "is one of the few astronomical activities that can be conducted almost as well from the city as from dark rural locations."

Altogether, the watchword for Nightwatch is indeed "practical"--this is a book to be used, not just read. Spiral-bound to lie flat or to fold back undamaged, it's a field guide that pulls its own weight in the field. Author Timothy Ferris says, "Like a good night sky, Nightwatch is clear and wind-free. Try it and see for yourself." --Mary Ellen Curtin

Astronomy Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Astronomy Books
Rocks from Space: Meteorites and Meteorite Hunters ImageRocks from Space: Meteorites and Meteorite Hunters
by O. Richard Norton
Mountain Pr; Published: 1994-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.95
Price in other shops: $20.00
Coming of Age in the Milky Way ImageComing of Age in the Milky Way
by Timothy Ferris
San Val; Published: 1999-10; School & Library Binding; Book
Best price: $26.95
Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders (DIY Science) ImageIllustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders (DIY Science)
by Robert Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
O'Reilly Media; Published: 2007-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.42
Price in other shops: $29.99
The Universe ImageThe Universe
by Patrick Moore, Iain Nicholson
Prentice Hall College Div; Published: 1985-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $188.18
Astronomy Hacks ImageAstronomy Hacks
by Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
O'Reilly Media; Published: 2005-06-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.46
Price in other shops: $24.95
The Backyard Astronomer's Guide ImageThe Backyard Astronomer's Guide
by Terence Dickinson, Alan Dyer
Firefly Books; Published: 2008-09-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.99
Price in other shops: $49.95
Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe ImageNightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe
by Terence Dickinson
A & C Black Publishers Ltd; Published: 2006-12-15; Hardcover; Book
A Man on the Moon (A Man on the Moon, Volume 1-3) ImageA Man on the Moon (A Man on the Moon, Volume 1-3)
by Andrew Chaikin
Time-Life Books; Published: 1999; Hardcover; Book
Cosmos ImageCosmos
by Carl Sagan
Ballantine Books; Published: 1985-06; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $4.95
Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) ImageRocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1)
by Homer Hickam
Simon & Schuster Audio; Published: 1998-11-30; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $95.71
Similar Books and other products
Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope ImageOrion SkyQuest XT4.5 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
Orion; Digital Camera
Best price: $219.95
Orion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope ImageOrion SkyQuest XT6 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
Orion; Digital Camera
Best price: $279.95
The Night Sky 40?-50? (Large) Star Finder ImageThe Night Sky 40?-50? (Large) Star Finder
by David S. Chandler
David Chandler Co.; Published: 1998-01-01; Map; Book
Best price: $11.50
Price in other shops: $11.95
Celestron SkyMaster Giant 15x70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter ImageCelestron SkyMaster Giant 15x70 Binoculars with Tripod Adapter
Celestron; Digital Camera
Best price: $49.99
Price in other shops: $99.99
Orion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope ImageOrion StarBlast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope
Orion; Digital Camera
Best price: $219.95
Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas ImageSky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
by Roger W. Sinnott
Sky Publishing; Published: 2006-03-30; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $12.64
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Night Sky 30?-40? (Large; North Latitude) ImageThe Night Sky 30?-40? (Large; North Latitude)
by David S. Chandler
David Chandler Co.; Published: 1998-01-01; Map; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $11.95
Orion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope ImageOrion SkyQuest XT8 Classic Dobsonian Telescope
Orion; Digital Camera
Best price: $329.95
The Backyard Astronomer's Guide ImageThe Backyard Astronomer's Guide
by Terence Dickinson, Alan Dyer
Firefly Books; Published: 2008-09-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.99
Price in other shops: $49.95
Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them ImageTurn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them
by Guy Consolmagno, Dan M. Davis
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2000-10-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops: $27.99