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Summary: This book is a masterpiece!
Review: An outstanding 'buffet' of astronomicalgoodies...maps, sketches, photos, text,explanations, references, comparisons,insights.....everything a beginningfan of astronomy needs to get startedand lots that an experienced astronomerwould enjoy reminiscing/reviewing upon.
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Summary: Excellent Getting Started Book
Review: This book is very well thought out and superbly designed. The text touches on almost every concept in amateur astronomy and explains difficult concepts in easy to understand terms. The star charts are an excellent edition and provide detailed object information not usually found on more formalized charts. This book has something for everyone - from the person who has never even lookup up at the sky to the more advanced amateur astronomer.
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Summary: CAN't SEE RED on star charts using red NIGHTLIGHT
Review: OUTSTANDING!!! This book fill almost ALL of the GAPS that are left on the subject. Most books either deal with showing the constellations OR get into how stars are made / born / work / etc. THIS is one of the FIRST that shows WHERE to look, how to find, and integrate the concepts in astronomy and physics all the way from telescope types, selection, to what to look for, where and how to find it. The ONLY drawback is the author PUT STARCHART INFORMATION ON THE STARCHARTS IN RED PRINT!!! GROSS mistake - most use red lights to see in the dark - THE RED PRINT THEN BECOMES "INVISIBLE" and you can't see the information on the charts!!!
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Summary: Simply Superb!!! Outstanding!
Review: I was skeptical at first when perchasing this book. Flipping through, I found it to have an amazing array of topics. This is not one of those books that only appeals to one kind of astronomer. INSTEAD, this is an overall books for people in astronomy from novice to proffesional. It also has very complete sky atlas according to season. I know it is a MUST when I go out for a night of observing. It is a GREAT book!!! I encourage anyone even if you don't even know what astronomy means! You will love this book! And it will teach you from useing your around the house binoculars to photographing the night sky with CCD cameras. It is the perfect overall book!!!
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Summary: Will make you want to be an Astronomer!
Review: This is a great book for ANYONE who is interested in the stars and space. I almost finished reading it from cover to cover in several hours. The pictures are excellent as well and the complex idea of "space" is explained beautifully!
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Summary: Excellent introduction for novice amateur astronomers.
Review: This book is very well thought out. It is not only well written, well structured and illustrated, but even the spiral bound format is excellent for using the book while star-gazing. The charts are excellent, the stars of the Big Dipper, Orion and other constellations are used as pointers to other stars, constellations and deep sky objects. This format is a boon to those of us just learning the stars.The seasonal star charts show the night sky in two formats on opposing pages. One is annotated with the constellations, star names, a few deep sky objects and the pointers to other objects(mentioned earlier), the second chart shows a rendition of a deep blue sky with the stars and no annotations. This combination of charts has been very helpful to my wife, children and me as we learn the night sky. Later in the book there are twenty, more finely detailed charts showing the locations of more galaxies, nebulas and star clusters. The book also introduces "deep sky objects" (galaxies, nebulas and star clusters) and explains each type. These objects are what have actually sparked my interest in astronomy even more than the stars and planets. The book covers several other astronomical subjects, inluding: the planets, sun and moon, eclipses, comets, meteors, and auroras. The chapter on stargazing equipment is very useful if your trying to choose a telescope. The second chapter "The Universe in Eleven Steps" is mind-stretching journey starting at the Earth and expanding to the breadth of the physical universe. My wife received "Night Watch" from me as a gift, and for Christmas she got me "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide," also by Terence Dickinson. Mr. Dickinson's writing style and clarity brings this lofty subject down to earth for those of us who are not astrophysicists or astronomers.
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Summary: Exactly what I was looking for
Review: Extremely well designed and thought out, from the spiral ring binder so the book stays open while you're using your telescope, to the easy to read star charts and simple, easy to learn procedures for finding your way around the sky.Great advice for purchasing telescopes and binoculars too. This book seems to be exactly the thing for some one who wants to be a backyard astronomer.
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Summary: The Pro, brings it to the Amateur!
Review: Spoke with Terence in Vancouver during a lecture on Mars, when Mars was at its closest. Terence Dickinson, has a remarkable mind, truely professional, and yet brings astronomy down to earth so all can understand its wonders and beauty. Night Watch is a book, that will take you on a voyage amongst the stars! The Star Charts are easy to read, easy to use, and are loaded with all kinds of binocular as well as telescopic targets to hunt for. Truely a bible for the uninitiated. This book is worth its weight in gold, for either a beginner or a hard core amateur astronomer. Have fun with it..and clear skys all!
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Summary: YES! It's Here!
Review: Outstanding Reviews for Previous Editions of "Nightwatch": "Highly recommended as the best of its kind." ------Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada "'Nightwatch' is an ideal first book for the backyard astronomer. It is an ideal second book too, one that will grow along with the observer's skill." ------Chet Raymo, Sky & Telescope "...one of the best all-around general astronomy books.... The text is simple to understand and has just enough of a 'gee-whiz' tone.... [It will also] provide good cloudy night reading and encourage exploration." ------Air & Space With 250,000 copies in print since its initial publication in 1983, "Nightwatch" has become a standard reference guide for stargazers throughout North America. The new Third Edition expands on that success with a completely revised and updated text, more than 100 new color photos and diagrams and 16 additional pages that cover such! new astronomical pursuits as computerized telescopes, reviews of new telescope designs and accessories, and astronomy on the Internet. All charts, tables and diagrams have been updated and, in some cases, redesigned for easier use. Improved spacecraft measurements of the distances to the stars (recently released by the European Space Agency) are included in the charts, along with additional observing tips for stargazers using binoculars and telescopes. An expanded chapter on Astrophotography lists the best modern films and cameras for skyshooting. The new "Nightwatch" is faithful to the "ultra-simplified, no jargon" philosophy of the original, and at the same time, offers substantially more practical information for the novice and intermediate-level amateur astronomer. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada called the first edition "the best of its kind"- the new Third Edition is better still. It is still an abundantly illustrated, wide-sized volume designed for easy reference during many starlit nights. Terence Dickinson is a prolific science writer specializing in astronomy. More than one million copies of his previous books are in print in three languages. He is the recipient of many national and international science awards including the New York Academy of Sciences Book of the Year Award and the Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal. He resides in a village just north of Kingston, Ontario.
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Summary: Outstanding Guide for Amateur Astronomers!
Review: Terence Dickinson's "Nightwatch" is a practical all-around guide to amateur astronomy. Spiralbound for outdoor and easier use, and packed with colorful pictures, charts and skymaps, the book gives the reader all the help needed to become a first class amateur astronomer. Wonderfully written with chapters on the Sun, the moon, the planets and the motions of the sky, the constellations and the stars, comets, meteors, eclipses and auroras, stargazing equipment and photographing the nightsky this revised and updated edition is expanded for use through the year 2010, and contains also a chapter on resources covering astronomy magazines, books, software, clubs, conventions and useful websites as well as information on observatories and leading manufacturers of astronomical telescopes and binoculars. An acomplished astronomer himself and the author of 14 books, with "Nightwatch" Dickinson has crafted one of the best astronomy field guides available today. A superb book!
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