The Backyard Astronomer's Guide
by Alan Dyer, Terence Dickinson
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Book Reviews of The Backyard Astronomer's Guide
Book Review: The Backyard has gotten bigger and better
Summary: 5 Stars
This classic introduction to amateur astronomy has gotten a much improved revised edition. Dickinson and Dyer have updated this indispensable resource for the 21st century. This book is divided into three main parts. The first covers the hardware. The authors explain the workings of the different types of scopes and accessories and give suggestions based upon budget and the type of viewing to be pursued. They tell you what hardware is essential, what is nice to have, and what you can live without including new scopes and accessories that have come out since the previous edition. Also covered is how to set up the scopes properly, and what mistakes to avoid setting up a new scope for the first time.
The second part is a crash course on the sky, starting with what you can see with the naked eye, observing conditions based on your location, and then how to observe the various objects in the sky with the equipment from the first part.
The final part is an introduction to photographing the sky with a camera (film or digital) or a dedicated CCD imager. Coverage includes simple camera on a tripod or barndoor mount setups, piggybacking on a telescope, and thru the telescope photography. Enough to get one started.
The text is not the only part of this book to be updated. Hundreds of color photos have been sprinkled liberally throughout this guide. If you are just getting one book before plunging into amateur astronomy, make this the book. It is great for beginning and intermediate amateurs.
Book Review: Great first reference and resource book.
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on recommendations from the astronomy newsgroups, I bought this book. This is a great first book to get. It is very comprehensive, giving you all the necessary background before diving into Astronomy.I would call this the "Astronomy Survey Book (101)" cutting a wides swath through many different facets. There is a section on binoculars which I am following. They tell you to start with binoculars before buying a telescope. It forces you to learn the sky, and could save you some $$ if you later decide this isn't for you.
I find myself going back to the book to find other books (Star Atlas for example).
I like to 'rate' my collection (various books) by the number of slips of paper are hanging out of the pages (marking 'important' sections). There are quite a few slips of paper hanging out, besides the layout of the book is quite intuitive, I find myself flipping to sections without a bookmark quite easily.
This is a hardcover book, it is not meant for field use (and I have not seen the need to carry it with me outside).
Because of this book, I have ordered a 'slew' of other astronomy books and star charts.
Book Review: Fantastic book for the beginning amateur astronomer
Summary: 5 Stars
My boyfriend is big into astronomy and took me to an observatory one night - from my first glimpse through a telescope, I was hooked. I asked him if he could recommend any books, and he said this one seemed like a good choice. After reading through the reviews, I was very excited to get it and read it - like so many others here, I read it cover to cover in two evenings.
This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in getting into amateur astronomy. It doesn't complicate the topic with long, confusing words but explains things thoroughly without making the reader feel stupid. It has lots of gorgeous color photos and one of the best parts is that most of the photos were taken by amateur astronomers (the authors). The information on telescope purchasing may be a little outdated, but you can also visit [...] for updated information on that particular topic.
If you are even considering getting into amateur astronomy or know someone who is, buy them this book!
Book Review: Maybe the best comprehensive astronomy volume available
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot heap sufficient praise on this gargantuan effort! Authors Dyer and Dickinson are to be highly commended for this gift to the amateur astronomic community...the sheer amount of practical information packed within this volume is enough to keep the budding ( as well as experienced ) enthusiast "woodshedding" through many a cloudy night! Telescopes of all brands and types are thoroughly examined, along with all the makes of eyepieces, digital equipment, etc...yet this isn't a mere technical treasure trove. These two guys clearly convey their passion for astronomy, along with frank, down-to-earth advice for everyone ranging from the novice to the serious amateur. If I have a single frustration, it's that this gem is far too practical a volume to be a somewhat unwieldy "coffee table" book...I want to order a second copy to chop up into manageable chapters bound individually (!) It's just that good! And did I say anything about the spectacular photographs?Book Review: My most prized Book on Astronomy
Summary: 5 Stars
I have bought around ten books on astronomy and this one is my favorite. It is a joy to read. It is written in a style of english that is understandable and a pleasure to read. It has hundreds of high quility pictures of state of the art information to date. It covers everything that you could possibly want to know about astronomy. It covers types of telescopes and which ones to stay away from buying to how to observe planets and deep sky objects. It covers the basics on how to use your first telescope. I love this book so much that I would recomend to anyone that want to know about the fun stuff that one would want to know on this subject. I'm not kidding this book is beautiful and I spend more time on this book reading over and over subjects that I want to know more about. If you want my honest opinion you will be very happy with this fine book.