Product Description
Why use the traditional approach to study the stars when you can turn computers, handheld devices, and telescopes into out-of-this-world stargazing tools? Whether you’re a first timer or an advanced hobbyist, you’ll find Astronomy Hacks both useful and fun. From upgrading your optical finder to photographing stars, this book is the perfect cosmic companion. This handy field guide covers the basics of observing, and what you need to know about tweaking, tuning, adju… More >>
Astronomy Hacks: Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky
Tags: Astronomy, first timer, Hacks, handheld devices, handy field guide, hobbyist, Night, Observing, observing the night sky, photographing stars, telescopes, Tips, Tools, traditional approach, tweaking
#1 by D. R. Lunsford on April 18, 2010 - 12:33 am
I don’t know which is sadder, that this miserable and embarrassing book exists – or is it a marketing brochure for the eyepiece industry? – or the overwhelmingly positive reviews of equally dubious merit that is has received. If you know nothing about astronomy and telescopes, do NOT read this book and put down this review – get thee to Sidgwick, Muirden, Menzel and the like from earlier days. In the past, astronomy had a dignity that placed it beyond “hacking” and consisted of a solid body of knowledge that was passed on from one generation to the next. Today, the books likely to be found are either exercises in hyperbole and logorrhea over pure speculations, rather than solid presentations of established facts which demand some effort on the part of the reader beyond a gaping mouth – or else marketing pamphlets for the cheap Dobsonian and ultra expensive eyepiece market. These modern books (and the one under consideration is one of the worst) impart neither knowledge nor ability, and tend to be inadvertent confessionals of the author’s ignorance and worse, his lack of even understanding the intellectual ethos in which astronomy once was, and properly should be, surrounded. He knows neither the facts nor the rules, and acts an embarrassing oaf among good company.
I will not even begin to list the countless whoppers in this horrible work, starting with its smart-aleck title. It may as well have been gracelessly copied directly from the author’s note pads, which might have been filled with “star party” and online folk wisdom, something that exists solely to justify the endless chase after equipment at the expense of developing observing skill. I would be frankly embarrassed to be associated with it in any way.
-antimatter33
Rating: 1 / 5
#2 by Paul Garland on April 18, 2010 - 2:40 am
This book has lots of good ideas in it.
Well worth the money.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by D. Zurcher on April 18, 2010 - 3:48 am
My wife gave me a decent telescope for Christmas and by luck got one that’s pretty good. This book makes some specific recommendations that would have been useful to have read first.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by calvinnme on April 18, 2010 - 4:41 am
This book is full of useful tricks and tips for the astronomer. The authors’ passion for their subject really comes through as they have produced a book that is useful to astronomers of all experience levels.
Chapter 1, “Getting Started”, is for the new astronomer. It is all about getting off on the right foot with your new hobby by making sure you don’t buy the wrong basic equipment, and when you do come home with the right equipment, that you don’t get frustrated in trying to assemble it all. Thus this chapter is about avoiding common beginner mistakes. It also covers such matters as safety, site etiquette, and there is even a section on staying warm. This may seem like the authors are overdoing it, but that is not the case.
Chapter 2, “Observing Hacks”, is the most challenging and, to me, the most interesting part of the book. Locating and observing astronomical objects requires developing a special set of skills and practices, most of which are not intuitive. It requires a detailed knowledge of the night sky and of specialized astronomical terminology and conventions. This is what this section tries to teach the reader, so be prepared to spend some time in this section to really grasp what is being taught. The best sections are 13 through 17 that include lessons on describing an object’s brightness, star identification, and understanding celestial coordinate systems.
Chapter 3, “Scope Hacks”, focuses on tweaks and upgrades for Dobsonian scopes since they are the most popular. Their popularity chiefly lies in their simplicity and cost. They are intuitive to use, have rock-solid mounts, and provide much more aperture for the money than any other type of scope. Because of their simplicity, a Dobsonian scope is also an opportunity to constantly tweak an ongoing project if you so prefer. Dobson scopes work just fine without any modification, but because they are simple devices, customization is not difficult. Thus you can turn a standard scope into your own unique signature instrument if you so desire. This chapter gives you plenty of ideas along that line.
Chapter 4, “Accessory Hacks”, looks at how to choose, use, build, and maintain essential astronomy accessories and a few non-essential ones. There are only a few instruments that the astronomer really needs, the rest are under the umbrella of accessories. The tips in this chapter show you how to choose a few good-quality accessories that pay off in usefulness all out of proportion to their cost. You also learn how to do inexpensive upgrades and modifications that greatly improve utility at minimal or no cost, repurposing inexpensive products to substitute for expensive, specialized astronomy products. Particularly good sections in this chapter include those on optimizing your eyepiece collection, effectively doubling the number of eyepieces you have available by using a Barlow lens, and the section on astronomy software. The following is the table of contents:
Chapter 1. Getting Started
Hack 1. Don’t Give Up
Hack 2. Join an Astronomy Club
Hack 3. Safety First
Hack 4. Stay Warm
Hack 5. Don’t Violate Observing Site Etiquette
Hack 6. Be Prepared
Hack 7. Measure Your Entrance Pupil Size
Hack 8. Choose the Best Binocular
Hack 9. Choose the Best General-Purpose Telescope
Hack 10. Equip Yourself for Urban Observing
Chapter 2. Observing Hacks
Hack 11. See in the Dark
Hack 12. Protect Your Night Vision from Local Lights
Hack 13. Describe the Brightness of an Object
Hack 14. Identify Stars by Name
Hack 15. Identify Stars by Catalog Designations
Hack 16. Know Your Constellations
Hack 17. Understand Celestial Coordinate Systems
Hack 18. Print Custom Charts
Hack 19. Keep Your Charts at the Eyepiece
Hack 20. Locate Objects Geometrically
Hack 21. Learn to Star Hop
Hack 22. Learn to See DSOs
Hack 23. Observe Shallow-Space Objects
Hack 24. Slow Down, You Move Too Fast, You’ve Got to Make the Evening Last
Hack 25. Learn Urban Observing Skills
Hack 26. Sweep Constellations
Hack 27. Maintain an Observing Notebook
Hack 28. Develop an Organized Logging System
Hack 29. Plan and Prepare for a Messier Marathon
Hack 30. Run a Messier Marathon
Hack 31. Photograph the Stars with Basic Equipment
Hack 32. Discover and Name a New Planet
Chapter 3. Scope Hacks
Hack 33. Center-Spot Your Mirror
Hack 34. Clean Your Primary Mirror
Hack 35. Eliminate Astigmatism
Hack 36. Eliminate Diffraction Spikes and Increase Contrast
Hack 37. Build a Film Can Collimating Tool
Hack 38. Tune Your Newtonian Reflector for Maximum Performance
Hack 39. Collimate Your Primary Mirror Quickly and Accurately
Hack 40. Star-Collimate Your Scope
Hack 41. Counterweight a Dobsonian Scope
Hack 42. Improve Dobsonian Motions with Milk Jug Washers
Hack 43. Upgrade Your Dobsonian Bearings
Chapter 4. Accessory Hacks
Hack 44. Dark Adapt Your Notebook Computer
Hack 45. Dark Adapt Your Vehicle
Hack 46. Use a Barlow
Hack 47. Determine Actual Barlow Magnification
Hack 48. See More of the Sky
Hack 49. Optimize Your Eyepiece Collection
Hack 50. Chart Your Eyepiece Characteristics
Hack 51. View Dim Objects in the Same Field as a Very Bright Object
Hack 52. Clean Your Eyepieces and Lenses Safely
Hack 53. Install a Unit-Power Finder
Hack 54. Upgrade Your Optical Finder
Hack 55. Align Your Finder
Hack 56. Determine Your Optical Finder’s Field of View
Hack 57. Determine Your True Field of View
Hack 58. Enhance Lunar and Planetary Contrast and Detail
Hack 59. Enhance Nebular Contrast and Detail
Hack 60. Please Be Seated
Hack 61. Stash Your Gear in a Photographer’s Vest
Hack 62. Use a Voice Recorder for Logging
Hack 63. Build or Buy an Equatorial Platform
Hack 64. Make Your Computer Work for You
Hack 65. Astronomy Software in the Palm of Your Hand
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by P. Beach on April 18, 2010 - 4:50 am
While it is true that this book is “biased” in the sense that it concentrates mainly on Dobsonion Reflectors (and the cover is therefore somewhat misleading), that doesn’t bother me at all since a Dob is what I own! In any case Dobs are easily the most common telescopes amongst amateurs in my part of the world (New Zealand), where SCTs are rarer than in the USA. It is also clear that the authors prefer reflectors. This book really is a must for anyone starting out with a Dobsonion. It is packed full of great tips and handy advice. I use it as a reference book. If I had bought this before buying my first eyepieces, I would have saved several hunded dollars. They were right, I was wrong. It is quite common with technical books for reviewers to say that the book will save you more than its purchase price, but in the case of this book it is absolutely true. This book represents the best money you will ever spend on your hobby. I have only two (very minor) quibbles. Firstly, it is written with an American readership in mind rather than an international one. I can’t hold a quarter at arm’s length, I’m not certain what the milk jug referred to is (is it the same as our plastic milk bottles?), and I will pass on the authors’ advice to take a revolver with me when I observe out in the countryside!! The other tiny quibble is that the glossy paperback cover has a tendency to curl a bit. Nevertheless, I don’t hesitate to give this book the full 5 stars, since if I ever lost it I would simply have to buy another copy immediately. It will really help you get the best performance out of your telescope.
Rating: 5 / 5