lumpy darkness

Observation notes (with equipment details), photos, sketches, reviews, software tips, random thoughts, by an amateur astronomer.

SUNday, APRIL 4, 2010

to read

A listing of books and materials I want to read. In no particular order.

  • The Binary Stars. R.G. Aitken. 1935. New York: Dover Publications, 1964 (reprint). Out of print. Perhaps the finest account of the history of double star discovery and observation. Fascinating and colorful.
  • Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes. T.W. Webb. Dover. A delightful classic with more extensive listings. Out of print.
  • Field Book of the Skies. W.T. Olcott. Putnam. A delightful classic more extensive listings. Out of print.
  • New Handbook of the Heavens. H.J. Bernhard, D.A. Bennett, H.S. Rice. McGraw-Hill. A delightful classic more extensive listings. Out of print.
  • Celestial Harvest: 300-Plus Show-pieces of the Heavens for Telescope Viewing & Contemplation. James Mullaney. Dover, 1998. New York: Dover Publications, 2002 (reprint). A 40-year labor of love. Nearly half of its entries are spectacular double and multiple stars suitable for viewing with backyard instruments.
  • Burnham’s Celestial Handbook. Robert Burnham, Jr. Dover. Contains data for thousands of visual pairs and detailed descriptions for many of the brighter and better known double/multiple stars.
  • Observing Visual Double Stars. P. Couteau. A filar micrometer’s construction and operation are described in this classic work.

 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010

reading

Books in progress...

  • Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars. Bob Argyle (Ed.). Springer. From Denis Grey.
  • Moon, Mars, Venus. Antonin Rükl. From RASC TC CAO Troyer library.
  • Double & Multiple Stars, and How to Observe Them. James Mullaney. Springer. From TPL.
  • The Sky is Your Laboratory: Advanced Astronomy Projects for Amateurs by Bob Buchheim. Initially had from TPL; bought my own copy.

 

SUNday, APRIL 4, 2010

read (done)

A list of books and materials that I have read. Which are not already in my personal library.

  • Visual Astronomy in the Suburbs. Antony Cooke. From TPL.
  • City Astronomy. Robin Scagell. Sky Pub Corp. Read Oct 07. From TPL.
  • Astronomy Hacks. Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson. O'Reilly. Read Oct 07. From TPL.
  • Star Ware. Philip S. Harrington's. Third edition. Read Sep 07. From TPL.

 

TPL = Toronto Public Libary.

 

 

 

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