The Caldwell Objects and How to Observe Them (Astronomers' Observing Guides) - Softcover

Mobberley, Martin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1441903259 ISBN 13: 9781441903259

Publisher: Springer, 2009

Synopsis

When Mike Inglis, who consults for Springer, ? rst asked me to write a Caldwell book in their “and How to Observe Them” series I admit I did need some time to think the suggestion over. I am a fan of Patrick’s Caldwell catalog as are most of the amateur astronomers I know, but could a new book be justi? ed when the massive, compreh- sive, and wrist-spraining Caldwell tome by Stephen O’Meara covers the subject fully anyway? That other book was researched and written over a 5-year period in the pre-9/11 world from 1996 to 2001, and its 484 pages of descriptive text and background data are a joy to peruse, as are Stephen’s impressive sketches. OK, the book is far too heavy for the binding and after a few trips outside half the pages in my copy fell out, but apart from that it is an excellent book and surely impossible to improve upon, or even equal, especially in a smaller format book with only half the pages available; at least, that was my initial impression when I mulled over writing another Caldwell book. However, I changed my mind, because a number of events of astronomical signi? cance have occurred in the last 10 years. First and foremost backyard imaging of deep sky objects, especially color im- ing, has come on in leaps and bounds in the twenty-? rst century.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

There have been only a handful of famous deep sky "catalogs," including Charles Messier’s, which was the first and remains the most famous. Messier was a comet hunter, and in the late 1700s he published a list of 109 objects in the sky that were not comets.

In December 1995, Sky & Telescope published a list of deep sky objects sent to them by British amateur astronomer extraordinare, Sir Patrick Moore (officially, Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore). It was a huge hit! Sir Patrick may be the most prolific authors of astronomy books for all time and has been presenting the BBC Sky at Night television series since April 1957. Moore’s list contained 109 non-Messier objects that were Patrick’s favorites, many of them visible only in the southern hemisphere. Accompanying the list of objects were long exposure black and white and color photographs of some of these objects.

In this book Martin Mobberley, who has known Sir Patrick Moore for many years, describes these objects and tells how to locate them. He discusses the best ways to visually observe them and image them. He also tells a little of Moore’s life and observing practices and how he made his choices for the "catalog."

If you’re wanting a challenge for your newly acquired telescope, or are interested in seeing what others have highlighted as some of the greatest sights in the night sky, this book will set you on the path of discovery.

Review:

From the reviews:

“A well balanced, expert and practical book with which to arm oneself before setting about the Caldwell Objects, which will appeal to amateur astronomers at all levels of experience. In his usual style the author introduces some humour into the text ... . I recommend you buy The Caldwell Objects and how to observe them.” (Gordon Rogers, Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Vol. 120 (1), 2010)

“If you’re tired of the same old Messier objects and want to see something that doesn’t have an ‘M’ number, The Caldwell Objects And How To Observe them is definitely for you. Its detailed information tells you how best to observe the 109 deep-sky objects ... . Mobberley’s book ... has all the depth and usefulness you need. Overall ... this is a very practical and highly recommended book.” (Paul Money, Sky at Night Magazine, March, 2010)

“Book, as expected, is primarily concerned with the description and details of the Caldwell objects and these are covered to the depth suitable for an amateur astronomer. ... It sets out to be a reference book ... . author’s personality and humour does come through in his writing, making the book an easv and enjoyable read ... . charts do provide the reader with the general location in the sky and for this they are useful. ... I would happily add it to my collection.” (Simon Dawes, The Observatory, Vol. 130, August, 2010)

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1441903259
• ISBN 13: 9781441903259
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 287