AOAS

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AOAS

• Getting Started With An Observing Program
• May 2009
• Astronomy Books That Will Get You Going In The
  Right Direction

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NightwatchA Practical Guide To Viewing the
Universe

• Author Terence Dickinson covers all the problems
  beginners face, starting with the fact that the
  night sky does not look the way a modern
  city-dweller expects. He discusses light
  pollution, how to choose binoculars and
  telescopes, how to pronounce the names of stars
  and constellations, telescope mounts, averted
  vision, and why the harvest moon looks especially
  bright. Most of the lovely photographs in the
  book were taken by amateurs, which gives the
  section on astrophotography a particularly
  inspirational gleam.

Dickinson's star charts are very handy, each
covering a reasonable field of view and mapping
the most interesting amateur objects. He gives
good advice for planet watching, which he notes
"is one of the few astronomical activities that
can be conducted almost as well from the city as
from dark rural locations." Altogether, the
watchword for Nightwatch is indeed
"practical"--this is a book to be used, not just
read.
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The SkyA Users Guide
The perfect introduction for the beginning and
intermediate astronomer, This book stirs the
imagination and puts observation in a framework
of social activity and personal adventure. This
is a technical guide to the sky, full of helpful
practical hints. For instance, author David H.
Levy describes the features of the Moon from
night to night how to observe constellations in
both Northern and Southern hemispheres how best
to view the stars,

• nebulae, and galaxies how to follow the planets
  on their annual trek among the constellations
  how to map the sky how to find a new comet how
  to buy or even make a telescope what to see in a
  month of lunar observations or a year of stellar
  observation and much more.
• Beginners who have just joined an astronomy club
  or amateurs who wish to learn more about what can
  be accomplished with a small telescope will not
  find a better first book.

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Seeing The SkyA Three-Book Series on Visual
Observing
SEEING THE SKY 100 Projects, Activities
Explorations in Astronomy SEEING THE SOLAR
SYSTEM Telescopic Projects, Activities, and
Explorations in Astronomy SEEING THE DEEP SKY
Telescopic Astronomy Projects Beyond the Solar
System
Fred Schaaf, astronomer, author of several
popular astronomy books, and contributor to
Astronomy and Sky and Telescope, has created an
astronomy guidebook series with interesting,
informative and entertaining activities and
projects.
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The End

• This presentation will be
• posted on the AOAS web
• site.
• Questions?