Rating: 
Summary: updated version published
Review: 10/97 A version of my Field Guide, updated with maps and data through 2000, is now the current printing.
Rating: 
Summary: One excellent guide
Review: A great price, easy to find information, and all
the charts for years, as an amateur astronomer,
this is the only book I use.
Rating:
Summary: Great sky maps - and much more!
Review: First, its great monthly sky charts - for both the southern and northern hemispheres, and its many detailed charts and diagrams (all in colors) will help you find almost any visible star, galaxy, nebula, consolation or planet. For the planets there are charts and diagrams about their trajectories and positions in the sky that are valid till 2010.
But beyond that, there's plenty of valuable info about most of the "popular" objects and consolations, accompanied by excellent pictures. And there are some other astronomy related tips for newcomers, such as on purchasing a telescope or binocular, or photographing the stars. All in all, it's an enjoyable and valuable reading book in addition to it being a great field guide.
Rating: 
Summary: For those serious about learning astronomy
Review: For the very new to star charts and guides, this was a bit daunting at first. It is not a quickie guide. But after reading through it and learning the terminology it has lived up the "Peterson field guides" tradition. The maps and charts are very clear and it is chock full of interesting facts. It even has a small section on telescopes and binoculars that was helpful.
This guide if full of wonderful pictures and charts, it has become one of the more dog eared field guides in the house right after my Petersons bird books!
I would defiantly recommend this book to any one who is serious about astronomy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference for backyard stargazers
Review: I do astronomy "tours" and this is my most used "guidebook." It covers the entire sky (the tours are at the Hyatt Regency Maui, so I need more than just the northern hemisphere) and it gives interesting and useful facts as well as telling you where to look. I especially like the way it gives recommendations for what to look at with different types of instruments (telescopes, binoculars, etc.) Highly recommended for all backyard stargazers.
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Summary: An indispensable guide for general astronomy.
Review: I have purchased every edition of this guide since it first appeared. It is updated regularly and includes all the basics one needs to understand astronomy and to conduct successfull observation sessions. It makes effective use of Wil Tirion's meticulous star charts which are widely recognized as wthout equal. Field guides do not get better than this.
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Summary: This is one of my "desert island" books.
Review: If I had to choose a small number of books to take with me into exile on some deserted island somewhere, this would definitely be one of them (and offhand I'm not sure I can name any others).An entire astronomy library packed into a single portable field guide, Jay Pasachoff's entry in the Peterson Field Guide series is a delightful introduction to, and reference for, the universe revealed in the night sky. If you have any interest in astronomy at all, you can always find something in here to look at or just to sit and ponder about. Besides the obvious things like monthly star charts for both northern and southern hemispheres, the book contains a complete 52 chart atlas of the sky put together by Wil Tirion with notes on objects in each chart, clever finder charts and tables for the planets for a ten year period, history and lore of the naming of the constallations, many, many photographs of astronomical objects taken by Hubble and other telescopes, an atlas of the moon, and many enlightening charts and tables of things like details of the brightest/nearest stars, the planets and their moons, and so on. There's a section on each of the planets, and of course lots of coverage of the sun and eclipses of the sun and moon. It always surprises me that this book doesn't seem to get as much respect in astronomical circles as I think it deserves. While you can certainly fill a library with astronomical books and atlases that are better than this field guide in any one area, you will not do better than this book in stuffing all of that information together in one "to go" package. An excellent gift for a child starting to get interested in science and the world at large. I could go on, but you should just buy the book and see for yourself :-) G.
Rating:
Summary: A great resource for stargazers!
Review: Just reading this field guide makes me feel like Galileo! It's even better for use during stargazing sessions; I have identified and enjoyed several astronomical "points of interest" through the use of this book. As an "armchair astronomer", I've also learned a great deal about the stars and planets through the Petersen's Field Guide, probably more so than any of the other field guides in my collection.
Rating:
Summary: A great resource for stargazers!
Review: Just reading this field guide makes me feel like Galileo! It's even better for use during stargazing sessions; I have identified and enjoyed several astronomical "points of interest" through the use of this book. As an "armchair astronomer", I've also learned a great deal about the stars and planets through the Petersen's Field Guide, probably more so than any of the other field guides in my collection.
Rating:
Summary: Bigger and Better than ever
Review: The new 4th edition of this field guide has been expanded by 100 pages, and the star maps are now in color. It has been updated, with new and better photos. A little more pricey than the previous edition, but the added and enhanced content makes it a tremendous value. A terrific introduction to astronomy that deserves a place in every star-gazer's library.
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