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Stephen James O'Meara's Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars
A Simple Guide to the Heavens
Stephen James O'Meara
Contributing editor to Astronomy magazine
- Informal, story-telling approach
- Star charts, photos, and illustrations
- Interesting anecdotes, mythologies, and histories about the stars and constellations
- Brightest and best stars, star clusters and asterisms, nebulae, galaxies, variable stars and more!
This book will help
beginning stargazers become familiar with the stars and constellations
visible from their backyards, and explore the brightest and best stars,
nebulae, and clusters visible through binoculars.
Month by month, star by star, object by object, Stephen
James O'Meara takes readers on a celestial journey to many of the
most prominent stars and constellations visible from mid-northern
latitudes. Filled with interesting anecdotes about the stars and
constellations and their intriguing histories, this book is both a
useful guide for amateur astronomers, and a great first-time reference
for those just starting out. After describing a constellation's
mythology, readers are guided in locating and identifying its brightest
stars in the sky, as well as any other bright targets of interest -
colorful stars, double or multiple stars, star clusters and asterisms,
nebulae, galaxies, variable stars, and more.
About the Author
Stephen James O'Meara, award-winning visual observer, is
columnist and contributing editor for Astronomy magazine and former Eye
on the Sky columnist for Sky & Telescope. He is the recipient of the prestigious Caroline Herschel Award, the Lone Stargazer
Award, as well as the Omega Centauri Award for "his efforts in
advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion, and
for sharing his love of the sky." The International Astronomical
Union named asteroid 3637
O'Meara in his honor. As the first to sight Halley's Comet on its
return in 1985, his remarkable skills continually reset the standard of
quality for other visual observers.
Reviews:
"The mythology and history of the stars and other objects are
explained in engaging narrative, and the reader is left feeling as
though they have truly learned about what they have seen. ...ideal for
those who want to know more about astronomical objects easily seen with
binoculars.
- David Bowley, Astronomy Now
"The chapters cover
all the major binocular deep-sky objects well, but unlike most such
guides, the author devotes even more space to star patterns and
individual stars. On the whole, I find this refreshing. ... As always,
O'Meara's writing is lively, quirky, and infused with his personality.
- Tony Flanders, Sky & Telescope
"Finding
your way around the thousands of stars scattered across the night sky
is pretty daunting when you're new to astronomy. So a good guide to
what you're looking at is crucial to building your foundation as a
budding astronomer. [This book] will certainly help you along the way.
[O'Meara] relates his invaluable experience as an astronomer, revealing
the unique stories and secrets each constellation has to offer,
bringing them right down to Earth. O'Meara's writing inspires and his
passion and enthusiasm for observing leaps off the pages. ... Armed
with O'Meara's book and a pair of binoculars, you'll be hunting for
your next mythical beast or hero with no trouble at all.
- Vincent Whiteman, Sky at Night Magazine
"...simple
star charts and pictures of nebulae allow the book to double as a
valuable supplement to the many free star charts or “planispheres”
available online.
- Physics World
"[This book] will have you comfortably cruising the
night's starry sphere in no time with its straightforward techniques
and handy mnemonics.
- Mark Mortimer, Universe Today
"Whenever
Stephen O'Meara comes out with a new book, it's almost an automatic
purchase for many amateur astronomers. There's nobody who loves the sky
(day and night) and its phenomena more than Stephen, and there's nobody
who does a better job describing what he sees in the sky and helping us
experience some of the enjoyment that he has.
- Bill Pellerin, GuideStar
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