Hi Billi and welcome. I would recommend Atlas of the Southern Night Sky and some freeware like Stellarium, www.stellarium.org, so you can load up your observing site, date and time so you can see what constellations are up when. The atlas will then guide you through the bright objects, referred to as DSOs (deep space object/s), and what you are looking at. There are a number of editions of this reference book, I have the original and refer to it often.
There's nearly as many books on astronomy as there types and aperture of instruments.
Thanks Wayne I'll definitely look into that one. I have an app on my S5 called Star Walk. It's pretty good for finding out names and information of different things, but if you don't know a constellation to get you started it's almost impossible to use. Thank goodness we have the Southern Cross and the Saucepan to save us!
Hey Billi,
I'm fairly new to astronomy too and have acquired quite a few books etc. The ones I go to most are Atlas of Southern Night Sky and Astronomy 2015. Both very helpful. And start saving up for a copy of Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas, field edition - outstanding atlas, easy to use, but a tad expensive.
Enjoy your observing,
Ian.
Thanks Wayne I'll definitely look into that one. I have an app on my S5 called Star Walk. It's pretty good for finding out names and information of different things, but if you don't know a constellation to get you started it's almost impossible to use. Thank goodness we have the Southern Cross and the Saucepan to save us!
Hi Billi, i just download Stellarium on my S5 the other week. I think it's a really good app, i did have to pay for it too but from memory i think it was only $3
I picked up the Complete History of the Universe from the newsagents today. I haven't had time to give it a proper look through, but so far I'm impressed there wasn't much else, apart from S&T.
Last edited by BilliGoatsGruff; 29-04-2015 at 02:00 PM.
The Back Yard Astronomers Guide is a great all round intro to this little hobby.
Of course it is, it has my picture in it
On a serious note, I would rate this as the single best book for a beginner to purchase to get started. It is very comprehensive in terms of explaining everything a beginner needs to know about telescopes, eyepieces and binoculars and it has some excellent charts and target listings relevant to both hemispheres. The current edition is about the 3rd revision of this book and each revision has been an expansion and improvement on the previous.
Another book which is a lot smaller basic and more simple, which I quite like as a starting book for beginners is Collins Guide to Stars and Planets
This is set out on similar lines to the previously mentioned Nature Guide to Stars and Planets in Post #6 ; but it is somewhat more detailed and expansive but it also costs a bit more.
In terms of specific charts some of the free planetarium programs are excellent, as are some of those you can purchase. I use Sky Tools 3 Pro which is excellent; but it isn't cheap and caters for all levels of observer. The standard edition for about $US100 is excellent for beginner to intermediate level observers with telescopes under 15" aperture.
I think James has nailed some of the best titles to start you off. One of the best series around is The Night Sky Observers Guide. Plenty of bright stuff listed to start you off with, and numerous faint targets for big telescopes for later on. Start off with volume 3 which is purely the southern sky. Later you can get vols 1 and 2.
Where in the Riverland are you? I grew up in Renmark and started observing there back in my school days. Still remember how dark and transparent the sky was.
Bill if you can get hold of Turn Left At Orion or The Backyard Astronomer's Guide cheap, garb'em, you can't go wrong, good all rounders. Both great books filled with useful info well suited for beginners. I often refer back to these 2 books and don't need any others. I do prefer The Backyard Astronomer's Guide and tend to reach for that one first.
I don't know about the other books mentioned here as I haven't owned them yet but I'm sure they just as good.
The Stellarium program has always been good and a must have even if you don't own a telescope.
So this is what my dad gave me for my birthday, along with the explanation "it's coming in the mail!". Apparently they spent ages trying to laminate the pictures to make bookmarks.
I'm extremely excited for it to arrive!
I bought sooooo many books in just a few months...
Far too many I think, but I bought them at book sales at really good prices and just could not leave them there... Now I am starting to calm down though.
For beginners, and for our hemisphere, this is pretty good I think: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Astronomy...3D301420896312
I like it, but it is not for advanced astronomers. I found it for just 3 dollars and it looks like new!
Cheaper link than the one above: http://www.abebooks.com/978073220115...0732201152/plp
However, what you got from your dad is good too, so just wait for it to arrive for now.
I bought sooooo many books in just a few months...
Far too many I think, but I bought them at book sales at really good prices and just could not leave them there... Now I am starting to calm down though.
For beginners, and for our hemisphere, this is pretty good I think: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Astronomy...3D301420896312
I like it, but it is not for advanced astronomers. I found it for just 3 dollars and it looks like new!
You might not find it for 3 dollars, but I think you can definitely find it at a better price than the one above. However, what you got from your dad is good too, so just wait for it to arrive for now.
Paying full price would definitely set your pockets on fire! It's so great that you got it so cheap I think I might go one book at a time, that way I won't get overwhelmed with information. My memory is horrid so if I read too many books at one time I end up forgetting which one says what
Paying full price would definitely set your pockets on fire! It's so great that you got it so cheap
I think the reason why it is so expensive on so many sites is that it is out of print...
Just the other day I found out that I had a book that had been out of print too for a few months and that they had sold it online for 1,000 dollars on many sites while out of print! Now it is available again... If I had known I could have sold mine and then I could have bought it again, making a profit of about $950...
