The Backyard Astronomer's Guide Hardcover – September 12, 2008

Being new to astronomy, I bought this book as a guide. I give it 5 stars, because it's packed with useful information for any "newbie" backyard astronomer. My only caveat is that this book is meant as a guide for those who HAVE NOT purchased a telescope yet. I had already purchased mine, so the chapter explaining the various types of telescopes, and the pros and cons of each type, were (more or less) irrelevant to me at that point.Having said that, there are chapters devoted to selecting eyepieces, accessories, "must haves," and "totally useless" items... things that might seem like they'd be great... but aren't. The eyepiece section alone was worth the price of the book, because the eyepiece is truly the "heart" of any telescope, and making the right choice in an eyepiece is critical. This book offers advice for budget-minded astronomers as well as "money is no object" astronomers. For those who are new to telescopes, finding the right eyepieces can be a puzzling and somewhat overwhelming task, considering all the choices there are. I made some selections based on the information in this book, and so far, I have not been disappointed!I'm also planning to work my way up to astrophotography, so there is a lot of useful information in that chapter that will help me when the time comes.Overall, this book is packed with useful information for beginners, and even for those with a little more experience. If you haven't bought a telescope yet, this book is a great (and reasonably cheap) place to start your research. Be warned, though... it's big and heavy, and is about the size of a college textbook (a big one!), so it's not a book you can curl up with and hold comfortably for hours on end. Aside from that, it's a perfect and highly recommended book for those who are thinking about buying a telescope, or who already have, and need some guidance on finding accessories or exploring the skies.If you already have a telescope and don't need help with accessories, I'd also recommend "Nightwatch: a Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe" by Terrance Dickinson. Another great book for beginners, and includes star maps and charts!

I am not new to backyard astronomy but I have been away from it for many years and everything has changed since so I consider myself a beginner. I purchased several books to help me decide what type of telescope to purchase, of course no book should tell you to buy a specific scope but should arm you with enough information to be able to go ask the right questions when you go to buy a telescope. This book does that better than any other I have seen or read. It is written in a very conversational way that does not intimidate you with too much jargon that only seasoned astronomers understand. It is very complete in that it covers everything from first time purchases to proper use and most important - how to navigate the sky enough to get a good start with minimal frustration.They do tell you what to avoid and what are traditionally good bargins. The recommendations are very logical and straight forward. If you think you know what type of telescope to buy read this first, you may come away with options you had not considered. I am interested in astrophotography having done a fair amount of professional photography in motorsports I have a solid understanding but this is quite a bit different in many ways and the choice of scope makes a difference as well.This book really has been very helpful and will continue to be a good resource for some time. I suggest that you buy this book as this version was printed in 2010 so the info is still very relevant - most other books are a bit older and the technology is much better than just a few years ago - this book is current - a big plus if you are looking to buy a new scope.Well worth the price and highly recommended.

Being new to backyard Astronomy, I was a little hesitant to spend the money on this book, as it seemed to be a little expensive. I read a few of the reviews and decided to take the plunge. Now that this book is in my hands, you would have quite a challenge prying it away from me. The authors, Dickenson and Dyer have covered EVERYTHING that I could think of, and then some. The chapter on eyepieces alone was worth the cost of the book, and I made two purchases based upon this info alone. I'm glad I did. They eyepieces that I purchased as a result have really increased the quality of my viewing.The photos are beautiful and most are taken by the authors. The Milky Way, Galaxies, Nebulas, Constellations, Planets are all in this book along with how best to enjoy or photograph them.Also not really easy to tell online is the size of this book. It is a glossy, coffee table quality book with all of the technical info that I was looking for, and then some. After scanning and reading the sections of greatest interest, I am now going back through and reading each chapter in full. I never do that in this type of book, but this one is too good to miss anything.After having this book for a couple of months, I can honestly say that it is one of my most prized astronomy possessions. I cannot think of any case where I got so much really useful information about a subject that I love for so little money. This is an indispensable guide for any backyard astronomer.