Astronomy books for beginners.

[BilliGoatsGruff]

What's the best book for someone who is just starting to explore astronomy? Preferably something made for the southern hemisphere?

[inertia8]

Personally I'm enjoying Turn Left at Orion. Yes it's Northern Hemisphere but they cater for us Southerners.

Other than that I've also got Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas and I also get the Astronomy Australia yearbook ($25 del).

[BilliGoatsGruff]

I did consider the Pocket Sky Atlas. I'm going to the library tomorrow, so hopefully they have something good :)

[madwayne]

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.

Enjoy!

Wayne

[BilliGoatsGruff]

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! :lol:

[BeanerSA]

The only books I own are 2 DK books.
http://www.dk.com.au/products/9781405375870/nature-guide-stars-and-planets
http://www.dk.com.au/products/9781409376507/universe-definitive-guide-wonders-cosmos

[blexxx1769]

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.:thumbsup:

[mattyb217]

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 :thumbsup:

[Wombat68]

Backyard Astronomers Guide is supposed to be pretty decent.....don't actually have it myself but it's on my wanted list

[BilliGoatsGruff]

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.

[jamespierce]

The Back Yard Astronomers Guide is a great all round intro to this little hobby.

Pocket Sky Atlas is great.

Interstellarum is fantastic, but expensive, and probably overwhelming as your very first atlas (it might be your last)

I am also partial to the Atlas of the Messier Objects book... some history, some science and beautiful observing notes.

The O'Meara books are quite good too.

[ausastronomer]

Of course it is, it has my picture in it :lol:

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

http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780007424429?redirected=true&v=A75X6&selectCurrency=AUD&gclid=CPCs5NT4msUCFYqCvQod8ZIAMw

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.

http://www.skyhound.com/index.html

If you prefer to use a book form star chart IMO The Cambridge Star Atlas is by far the best for beginner to intermediate level observers

http://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/astronomy/amateur-and-popular-astronomy/cambridge-star-atlas-4th-edition

Cheers,
John B

[Allan]

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.

[Aussie_Dave]

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.

[BilliGoatsGruff]

So it looks like I might be getting The Backyard Astronomer's Guide for my birthday :party2:

[Merlin66]

http://www.amazon.com/Astronomy-Self-Teaching-Eighth-Edition-Teaching/dp/1620459906

Dinah Moche's Self teaching guide is highly recommended.
It covers the basics of astronomy not just observing.....

[BilliGoatsGruff]

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!

[OzStarGazer]

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-Of-The-Southern-Sky-Ellyard-David-Hard-Cover-Science/181418485540?_trksid=p2047675.c1000 11.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC .MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D30984%26meid% 3D0190fa51110b4dc7af7108d2087414af% 26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D2%2 6sd%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/9780732201159/Eyewitness-Hnbk-Astronomy-Southern-Sky-0732201152/plp
However, what you got from your dad is good too, so just wait for it to arrive for now. :)

[BilliGoatsGruff]

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 :lol:

[OzStarGazer]

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...

[julianh72]

I've taken to getting a lot of astro books as downloads from Google Play. (I imagine other e-book services like the iTunes store would be similar.) They have a pretty good range, and you can download them straight away, rather than trying to hunt down or order-in a copy. They're usually cheaper than hard copy as well.

E.g. "Turn Left at Orion" is $17.80 as a Google Play download, or $52 in hard-copy at Dymocks:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Guy_Consolmagno_Turn_Left_at_Orion? id=PexKTfPy3voC
https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/turn-left-at-orion-by-guy-consolmagno-9780521153973/#.VVqzyfm1A40

Google Play has a good range of astro books available for around $15 - $30, including the excellent "Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series": https://play.google.com/store/search?q=practical%20astronomy&c=books . These books can be quite hard to find in book stores, and are quite a bit more expensive when you can track one down.

On Google Play, you can download a free sample before committing to buy, to see if it is targeted at the right level for you, covers the subjects you're interested in, etc.

I still find a tree-book is easier to use than an e-book for reference use, or if it is full of detailed graphics etc, but the convenience of having your whole astro-library on your tablet wherever you are has to be considered as well. I buy more e-books than I used to buy tree-books (so even though they're cheaper, I'm probably spending around the same in an average year), but I'll still get an occasional hard-copy of a particularly good book (or if I see it in the bargain bins at my local book store).

My "Norton's Star Atlas" is a good example, where I have both formats - the general reference material is fine to browse as an e-book, but the star charts don't work well on a small screen, and need to be seen in full-size hard-copy to be appreciated properly.

[julianh72]

By the same author, "The Southern Sky Guide" (Ellyard & Tirion, 3rd Edition 2008, Cambridge University Press), probably more suited to an adult reader than the Collins book, and just $18.14 as an e-book download:

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/David_Ellyard_The_Southern_Sky_Guid e?id=JdkLAQAAQBAJ

The sky charts are fairly simple, so they scale well on a small-screen device like my 7" Android tablet.

[OzStarGazer]

I've got quite a few ebooks too, like "Turn Left at Orion" and a couple of moon atlases (I also have real moon atlases, but not the super expensive ones, which I only have in digital format), but I still prefer real books. I must write a list of the books I have one of these days. I wouldn't have bought so many real books of course if they hadn't been incredible bargains, as I said. I like to go to book sales (for example the one at the Sydney Uni in September), and they have incredible bargains. Wonderful astronomy books for less than $5 each, some looking really like new.
Anyway, Billi, if you have the chance to have a look at a second-hand bookshop or a book sale, give it a go. :)

[BilliGoatsGruff]

It came today :D :D :D now I have HEAPS of reading to do!

[OzStarGazer]

I hope you are enjoying it! Guess what... Today I walked past a shop with second-hand books for students and found its "predecessor"...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20488227-advanced-skywatching

:)

[OzStarGazer]

By the way... I have noticed that almost ALL astronomy books I bought second-hand look like NEW. I guess we all know what that means... Many people give up too soon!

[BilliGoatsGruff]

I don't think people realise how much science is involved with astronomy. It seems silly now, but to start off with I didn't think about the science side of it at all. It could be to do with bad weather, maybe? There's so much available on the internet now, so perhaps books aren't as necessary as they used to be. It's all a bit overwhelming sometimes!

[hilbat]

Another Beginners book I would recommend can be found at:
http://www.spaceinfo.com.au/learnastrobooks.html

[BeanerSA]

I found the whole cosmology thing hurt my tiny brain, so I've just decided to call it stargazing, and literally think about the night sky like they used to a couple of hundred years ago. If I think about the night sky as a glass sphere that rotates around us, with lots of pretty sparkly things and faint fuzzies painted on it, I find it a lot more palatable.

I was interested in "how did we use telescopes to learn what we know", and I found an awesome book called Galactic Encounters, which is a history of modern astronomy.

I like magazine articles, because they give more complicated issues an explanation in bite sized chunks. I like kids books, because, well, they're written for kids :D

That said, I'm starting to become interested in star clusters and star colours, so I'm starting to expand my horizons.

[BilliGoatsGruff]

I've decided to bump this up again so I can ask another question; what's a great book/website for learning about specific space objects? I would love to learn more about individual things, like how different nebulae form and different star types or what defines a "dwarf" planet etc, but the scientific terms hurt my brain. I'm not a big fan of watching tv series because my kids seem to think that Mummy's tv time is the best time to be REALLY loud.

So basically, I would like to know stuff about the things I'm looking at and then be able to share that information with others.

[rustigsmed]

Hi Billi,

firstly i think the Astronomy 2015 yearly books have a lot of information in them which are good.

I was actually doing some investigating yesterday and stumbled across http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Roger-Freedman/dp/142923153X/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439458674&sr=1-6&keywords=Universe I haven't read it but plan to buy it and read it. it has great reviews and is the text book for the Swinburne astro courses, that may mean its a bit advanced i don't know.

[OzStarGazer]

This is the list of the books I have.
I found most of them at book sales for incredibly good prices in spite of mostly looking like new. They are not all very good, but I think that most of them are good enough for a beginner.
Anything else you would recommend? I am going to another book sale in a couple of days. Something for beginners or maybe intermediate students.
I also have several pdf files, but I still prefer real books!

Aughton – The Story of Astronomy
Baumann, Hopkins, Nolletti, Soluri - Cosmos
Burnham, Dyer, Garfinkle, George, Kanipe, Levy – Advanced Skywatching
Collins, Wood – 21st Atlas of the Moon
Ellyard (Collins Eyewitness) – Astronomy of the Southern Sky
Folkes – Observing the Moon
Freeman & Co – The Solar System
Gribbin – Space
Henbest – The Mysterious Universe
Inglis, Norton – Norton Star Atlas
Kerrod – The Star Guide
Moore – The Atlas of the Universe
Nangle – Star of the Southern Heavens
Pittendreigh – Observing the Moon
Ridpath – Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy
Ronan – Amateur Astronomy
Ronan – The Practical Astronomer
Rükl – A guide to the Stars, Constellations and Planets
Rükl – Moon, Mars and Venus
Moore – Exploring the Earth and Moon
Sagan - Cosmos
Stroud – The Book of the Moon
Tirion – The Cambridge Star Atlas
Verdet (New Horizons) – The Sky (Order and Chaos)
Yenne – The Atlas of the Solar System
Zimmerman – The Chronological Encyclopedia of Discoveries in Space

[BeanerSA]

I'm not sure if I have already linked them, but I like the Springer books, for example http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9781846284823

[Suzy]

Hi Billi, seems like you've already gotten your birthday present sorted out, but I'll add this in anyway for others who maybe interested. I've copied and pasted it below from a post that I did a few years ago on here. I love astro books! :)
Plus +1 for what John said on Collin's Stars & Planets.
I can't comment on The Backyard Observers Guide as I haven't read it.



The Night Sky Observers Guide...
The Night Sky Observers Guide series is a great book. It's quite intense and covers a ton of deep sky objects with finder charts for everything, sketches on lots of objects, and observation notes as to what can be see through different sized apertures.
At the beginning of each constellation it gives a large table listing of binocular objects and stars of interest. It's a hard cover book with a whopping 504 pages!

There are a lot of dso's in this book more specific to larger scopes, but there's still plenty of stuff in it for 8-10" scopes, not a lot for 4-6" scopes, and pretty much favors 12-14" and in particular 16" scopes.
I love this book and wouldn't be without it.. a book I will grow into as I get more experience.

Our own Paddy has done a wonderful review of it here in this forum.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/46-627-0-0-1-0.html


Atlas of the Southern Night Sky...
Another thick and fantastic book. Beautiful colour photographs, descriptions of the objects, followed by a map on the facing page.
Paddy has done a review of this book also (good work Paddy!)
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/bookreviews.html


The Southern Sky Guide (David Ellyard)...
I just could never get into this book.
For me, I find the maps difficult to read and having the constellations broken up makes it even harder. The descriptions on the facing page aren't well laid out either as the object descriptions are merged thru large paragraphs instead of being listed.


Hartungs Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes...
I did a thread on this a while back.
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=63394&highlight=ha rtung's (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=63394&highlight=hartung%27s)

This is an observers companion book describing the objects beautifully. There are no maps however. Anyone that owns one of these books, displays it with pride of place on their bookshelf I'm sure (as I do).



The following two books aren't specific to the Southern Sky but does include the Southern Constellations. I have added them because I think they are great books.



Collins Stars & Planets (Ian Ridpath)...
This is my favourite book and my right hand at the scope. The objects, stars and astrophysics are listed beautifully, with the map of the entire constellation on the facing page. The map is very easy to read and the book is a nice handle-able size by the scope.
However, this book won't give you really deep dso's- that's where the Night Sky Observers Guide comes into its own.
http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Stars-...2641053&sr=1-2 (http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Stars-Planets-Guide-Ridpath/dp/0007424426/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312641053&sr=1-2)
189059

189060

189061



Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas...
Spiral bound and easy to handle, it's filled with a ton of goodies.
I've just gotten this book so I haven't had the opportunity to really to put it to use yet, but it looks easy to read and well laid out. Many of us here on the forum have got this book. And it's so cheap at $20 from the Book Depository in the UK (free shipping!) - great value!



In summary...
I doubt that you'll find one book that will do it all. Like me, you'll probably find that you'll wind up with several books and maps. Some books cater for the brighter objects and are quite easy to read and navigate thru, others are intense, some books cater more for "observing", i.e. more a teaching guide on techniques and what to look for in objects (such as Stephen O'Meara's Deep Sky Objects- Messier Objects- fantastic book, and Hartung's), some books list the astrophhysics and objects of interest better or clearer than others, etc. I have lots of books/maps- each used for different observations.



Stephen O'Meara's Deep Sky Objects- Messier Objects...
In the photo behind this book, you can see the spine of The Night Sky Observers Guide- it's a hefty book.
189062
189063

[BeanerSA]

Great books there Suzy. Just another costly, but IMO far more essential astro accessory.

[Suzy]

Hi Paul :hi:
Thank you. Yes, I absolutely love these books and I couldn't agree with you more- they are a necessary expense to this hobby that's for sure.

The next book on my list (a new one out) is called Atlas of Great Comets (http://www.bookdepository.com/Atlas-Great-Comets-Ronald-Stoyan/9781107093492):D
It's supposed to be a super book! And comets are my weakness, even if they're not naked eye visible, I love to observe the distant comets in our solar system- I'm addicted. :astron: *choke* $75..... It may end up being a Christmas present....

[BilliGoatsGruff]

Thanks for all the info Suzy :thumbsup: haha I might have to see what I can get from the library, that way I can try before I buy ;)
The first one on the list, The Night Sky Observer's Guide, sounds great. Judging by the amount of pages, I'm guessing it would burn a pretty big hole in my pocket :lol:

I'm excited to learn more about what I'm looking at, as it really does make things more interesting :)

[bkm2304]

Hi Bill,

Without going into brazen self - promotion, my new book, "Night Shift. Essays On Amateur Astronomy" is a good read for those wanting to know about the hobby and also get some facts and figures about astronomy at an entry level.

Look over to the right of this screen and you'll see an advert for the book.

An older but inspiring book I have read and re-read is "Seeing In The Dark" by Timothy Ferris - about amateurs and their love of astronomy.


Richard.

[Dingers]

Hey everyone,

Just reviving this thread.

Does anyone know where to get a copy of Atlas of the Southern Night Sky?

Seems to be notoriously hard to track down with most places being out of stock.

[Weird1]

A few months ago I purchased the same book from here http://berkelouw.com.au/searches?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=atlas+of+the+southern+night+sky&category=new-books&source=search

Good hunting, it seems that they may have one in stock, at least they show a stock number.


Cheers Keith.:)

[Merlin66]

Hmmm
Currently out of stock!

[Bombardon]

I have been following this thread with great nostalgia for some time now and though I am new to the forum I am very old to the hobby {started with Nortons in 1957 and never look back!) But in stellar age who cares. I still love my much annotated Norton and went all along the trail through Hartung, Ridpath,Harrington's binocular tour of the universe, Burnham's great 3 volume set and was most impressed by the Massey and Quirk Atlas which has some surprising entries and opens new horizons. We had to start with the inspiring Patrick Moore's early southern sky offerings many moons ago but now we have our magnificent Astronomy Yearly ' Guide to the night Sky' that keeps on coming every year in November. In a fit of madness I bought a desk edition of Interstellarium some months back and took it outside to my soaking night sky air last November and soon had to start patching it up! A great atlas but key features like the Greek letters on key stars are too faint(added my own!!) and even the marginal RA and Dec lettering is too dim for these ancient eyes. I now keep it covered more and stick with S&T's Pocket Sky Atlas - the hardiest handbook outdoors and surprisingly detailed. However when you chase Comet Calelina through the vague Columba and want detail on all these lovely unseen clusters, I still think Interstellarum was worth it. For all the newchums starting out - search out the book sales and even buy spare copies of what you already have - you will make friends for life and finally don't be afraid to write on all these great atlases and forget their resale value - but do keep them out of the dew a bit more!
Eugene

[yoda776]

Checked a lot of book stores as been wishing to have a good book for viewing. At least all the book stores are consistent! All out of stock :confused2:

If anyone knows where it can be purchased would be great to know. Wonder whether the publisher could be convinced to do another run?

[yoda776]

Oddly enough it seems you can borrow it from a number of libraries ...

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34476520?q&sort=holdings+desc&_=1453719891908&versionId=196553783

[Bombardon]

Hi Matt,
I've spotted one for sale at "Boomerang Books" for $40.50c
Best of luck,
Eugene

[Merlin66]

Hmmm
Still unavailable - backorder status......

[raymo]

I see Angus & Robertson have Hartung's 2nd edition listed at an
RRP of $299. Out of print, of course, so firstly, why bother with an RRP
if it is unavailable, and secondly, where did they dream up that figure?
Recommended by whom, certainly not the publisher I would have thought, if it's out of print.
As a poor pensioner [seriously], it makes me wonder how much I
treasure mine.
raymo

[Bombardon]

I guess it's the law of supply and demand, Raymo. A new member of our group on the south coast paid over $200 for a copy of Rukl's "Atlas of the Moon." It makes you treasure what you have and snap up anything you see at the big book sales, such as the Red Cross biannual, where I often get a Partick Moore old edition and pass it along to a starter. They sell water don't they? ;)

[grimsay]

Can I expand on this a little... What's a good general introductory book to astromomy/cosmology?

I have a copy of 'Atlas of the Southern Night Sky' (thanks Morton) which, is great for learning the constellations and exploring objects to look for. I'm also re-reading my 1994 'Atlas of the Universe' by - and proudly signed by - Patrick Moore. This is great and includes the subject matter that I'm interested in but it's more of a reference book, isn't easy to follow much of the time and is clumbersome to read casually/in-bed.

Is there a book similar to Richard Dawkins 'The Greatest Show on Earth' which serves as an excellent intro to further reading on evolution etc?

[Bombardon]

Iain, I have come across an excellent paperback in Dymocks recently called" Human Universe," by prof. Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen, mostly theoretical on both cosmology, Physics and Astronomy. About $20, very readable and inspiring. Two oldies do it for me" Music of the Spheres" in two volumes by Guy Murchie, one on Astronomy and one on Cosmology, and of course the 3 volumes of BurnHam's Celestial Haandbook (mentioned here). Nowadays, Astronomy and Cosmology are not often combined and there's lots out there on Cosmology and Particle Physics(not for bedside reading). Also if you can rise to it "The Great Courses," on dvds are very inspiring and many members of local clubs will have selections.

[grimsay]

Thank Eugene, I have seen Prof. Brian Coxs' (Brian's awesome) series of the same title, think I'll give the book a shot. Does it cover the basics though? Like what a globular cluster is and how it forms etc etc?

[Bombardon]

Hi Iain, For such specifics as this (origin of Globs) you won't find this in that book. His general headings are: Where are we? Are we alone? Who are we? Why are we here? and What is our future? To my memory Burnham covers these specifics as he gets to them in his vast observations - but his work is dated (1960s). I have had another thought for you. I have been grabbing;
New Scientist(The Collection) which is a 130 page or so magazine that comes to good newsagents every couple of months and takes themes such as:Our Planet; The Unknown Universe etc with about ten well researched essays by the experts in each issue. They are up to date and very readable. You can buy back issues on the net of if you are near a good library....
Keep searching, but don't leave such profound reading for the pillow. Kind regards.

[BeanerSA]

For that specific question, I can highly recommend the following book
http://www.springer.com/br/book/9781846281907

[bigjoe]

Billi .

All the books mentioned are great, but you could try some other useful info like this one if you want a more intermediate approach.
http://www.constellation-guide.com/

bigjoe.

[Bombardon]

Well done, Joe. Lots of good stuff in this online guide. There is so much out there now, nobody should be short of new material to take to the telescope each night. Thank you.

[grimsay]

Thanks for the tip Eugene. My mother in law works at the library and I have seen her with a copy of New Scientist before, I'll give it a shot. Wish I had the time to read prior to bed. The subject either keeps me awake or puts me to sleep haha. Either way by 11pm I struggle to take in more than a few pages, frustratingly.

[Merlin66]

Norton's Star atlas has been around since 1910....
The latest edition carries on the great tradition.
The handbook section will tell you all you need to know, and the atlas is great for the novice.
Highly recommended.

[AEAJR]

I love Turn Left at Orion for one main reason, it gives you REAL examples of how things will look in your eyepiece.

So many of the books and magazines I have seen and own have these beautiful hubble like pictures. Beautiful to see but what I see in my 80 mm refractor and my 203 mm reflector doesn't look anything like that.

As I help friends get engaged in astronomy I loan them my 10X50 binoculars or a 76 mm reflector and Turn Left at Orion. They also have ratings for the targets as to whether it is good for binoculars, a small telescope or a large telescope, again setting the right expectations.

I should point out that I am in the North so I can't say how much of TLAO applies in the South but its real value, to me, is in setting the proper expectation of what the new astronomer will see.