Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope – and How to Find Them

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In the US in the 1960s there then flared a national discussion filled with concern that Americans were becoming spectators as opposed to participants. They were not participating in sports, that was the touchstone of the matter. Huge football stadiums would fill on Saturdays for the watchers of the collegiate struggles. There were thousands and thousands across the land who only watched and did not do more. The poor devils could only idly observe and see what was before them. It wasn't as real as the doing of the sport; the leisure activity was commended for the values it instilled. Same here on the music stand. Step daughters from when she played cello. I also take a fold up over built wood tv tray stand. Music stand holds the TLAO and star atlas and the tray holds the EP bags. Guy Consolmagno is a Jesuit brother at the Specola Vaticana (Vatican Observatory), dividing his time between Tucson, Arizona and Castel Gandolfo, Italy. He studies the origin and evolution of moons and asteroids in our solar system and uses a 3.5'' catadioptic and an 8'' Dobsonian. He has been awarded the 2014 Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society for outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public.

Getting to Beta is not difficult. Other celestial objects that the authors have selected for you are somewhat more difficult to locate and some are easier to find. Currently in amateur astronomy, there is a divide that is getting larger with every new computer-driven scope that comes on the market. They do the finding for you. These scopes are usually referred to as GOTOs. To GO-TO or not to GO-TO? This matter was mentioned earlier but it does bear amplification as the entire nature of amateur astronomy is changing. It gives very clear and concise instructions about finding different stars, constellations and other astronomical sights. This outstanding book is often recommended in these threads as the best guide to what you might expect to see through telescopes of various types/size. The expectation of many novices is unreasonably high due to magazine "Hubble" sourced images. This book quite rightly lowers that expection, raises confidence and enhances the enjoyment of the amateur telescope. One thing that I find extremely helpful is a music stand to hold star maps, books like LTAO, tablet running SkySafari, etc. The authors' directions are not difficult to understand, for example, to find a triple star named Beta Monocerotis in the constellation called Monoceros - "Find Orion, high above the southern horizon, and find the very bright red star, Betelgeuse...Then, from Orion, turn left and follow the stars in Orion's belt which point to the southeast towards a dazzling blue star, Sirius...A little less than halfway between Sirius and Betelgeuse you'll find two faint stars, lying in an east-west line. Aim for the one to the east, the one away from Orion. That's Beta Monocerotis."

This document was uploaded by our user. The uploader already confirmed that they had the permission to publish After delving into how to use a telescope, the book teaches how to locate specific objects in the night sky, and how to use a telescope to see the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. It even talks about how to locate and utilize geostationary satellites. You don't need an ideal sky to engage in this love of the night sky. The perfect night with the star-crammed firmament is usually only read about. The authors mostly observed with a three-inch scope 15 miles from Manhattan. You will be outdoors observing in an environment not scripted or canned for you. It is a hobby, don't forget. Don't torture yourself; don't burden yourself with the seriousness of your intent. It isn't necessary to find useful work to do with your telescope. If it is work, is someone going to pay you?

It reminds me of the classic Bugs Bunny phrase where he pops up out a hole in the ground, pulls out a map, and says "I knew I should have taken a left turn at Albuquerque". Turn Left at Orion is an essential guide for both beginners and more experienced amateur astronomers who will find much inside to reinvigorate their passion for the stars. The diagrams are simple, clear and functional, and the text eloquently captures the excitement of observing. Stargazing has never been made so easy and if you buy just one book on observational astronomy, make sure it's this one.' Keith Cooper, Editor, Astronomy Now Hi, this is not a pdf, but definitely a good read for a beginner (such as myself) never the less. A practical guide to choosing eyepieces. Ultimately it is just not the book for me, if others like it then fine and that is good for them. But I still suggest that people have a look at it first rather then assume that because people say you have to have it then you go out and buy it regardless. But there is the Moon, aren't lunar reruns a dime a dozen? Always there, well sometimes not for long, it is absent from the sky occasionally. It can be high or low. You see different regions of it at differing times. Well, yes, not similar enough of a view until about 20 years have past. It was once the most tempting object in the sky. Now we have been there. What's the point of seeing the fascinating detail in and around the crater named Clavius? Most of us see the waxing, not the waning Moon. You will see lunar features that are three miles across. Easily seen are the highlands, giant mountains, basins, "seas", rays, and magma oceans. Once amateurs in the thousands knew the names and appearance of hundreds, if not thousands, of the characteristic Moon, the lunar museum. Stars go behind the Moon and the Moon's mountains can alternately hide and reveal the star as it appears to graze the edge of the Moon. Large parts of the Moon, in a smaller scope, will be seen to have a smooth, flat look. This is a more pleasant appearance than that found in large telescopes, which give you a grainy, grating and smeary view.TLAO is one reason I suggest that a person goes and finds a book that suits them from a number of suggestions made. But it all only becomes meaningful if you have read/understood the books introduction. Most people will probably look at the illustrations in disbelief; that is until they look through their telescope and the printed or online "fuzzy grey" objects coincide. We are all initially lured by the magazines and other media into expecting to see Hubble type images. But with Turn left from Orion the truth is out there. If one were giving an autodidact a telescope, they should also give them this book. There is only a chapter's worth of true reading -- maybe 15% of the book -- but much of that is the information that unfortunately didn't come with the telescope itself. The remainder of the book has very practical astronomical targets--organized by season so you are looking for objects high in the sky--along with very practical approaches on how to actually see them through your eyepiece. Diagrams are also provided that illustrate how they might appear depending on what type of instrument you are using. I would recommend this for any new owner of any decent telescope who is without access to a decent astronomy community to learn from--particularly if they've been frustrated by a few unsuccessful first attempts and are getting discouraged. Don't give up; get this book instead. What a wonderful book for some introductory education on viewing the night sky! I must say I learned a great deal and will continue to reference this book during my nocturnal adventures gazing into the heavens. A small telescope, no toenails involved, can show one million stars. There are thousands of double stars for a small telescope. Some people never go much further than the Moon. The Cosmos sparks wonder and some feel the need for powerful gadgets as an equalizer, as a hurry-up offense. The Cosmos need not put you on the defensive, you need not run at it. Why does it need to be a contest, a game like football? Into the stands you go or can you realize how important you are with the small telescope? Spectator or in the field of endeavors?