"When I first picked up this book, I was particularly impressed by the quality of the publication. The binding, quality of paper, and
general appeal was that of a book that I would assume to be sold at around double its price. Later, when I studied it more closely, it came
home. This is the book that we've all been waiting for!
I regard myself as a "hobbyist". I have been looking skyward at night for some 45 years and have owned many telescopes, and still own
too many!) and consequently many "Star Atlases". The norm is that you pay a lot of money for a slim volume with a lot of pokey charts
and a cursory regard to the Southern Hemisphere. It is so refreshing to find an atlas that is well produced, well written, well illustrated, and
dedicated solely to us in the Antipodes (and entirely Australian).
Moreover, this Atlas would be user friendly to anyone at entry level, but still provides enough info to satisfy the most experienced
"astronomer" using relatively small tubes in the field (and lets face it, few of us can afford big scopes, and when the night sky is a
hobby, and you are not a Scientist, well you don't get time on the big ones)
Particularly pleasing is the non inclusion of objects of a magnitude too small to see by the average home user, as these things tend to clutter
charts up (and perhaps raise false expectations?) and I really enjoyed the little "tips" that pop up at various pages.
Well done to the two "Steves". Now that you have given us something Australian.
Vince Legge (QLD)
Extract from BOOKSELLER & PUBLISHER September 2007
Peta Layton imagines novice astronomers will get excited about the release of Atlas of the Southern Night Sky
(New Holland) which she said is 'good for Australia as most of the atlases are for the Northern Hemisphere.'
Extract from Mudgee Guardian Newspaper Mon 13th August 2007
An Excellent book for budding astronomers to learn from
At last, a high quality book for amateur astronomers that deals primarily with the night sky as viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. Written
by amateur astronomer Steve Massey and local Mudgee amateur astronomer, Steve Quirk, this book is the result of decades of experience by the
authors in both observational and photographic astronomy. It is presented in a language that is easy to understand by the novice in astronomy as
well as the seasoned observers who will find it a handy addition to their library. The foreword of the book is written by Dr Fred Watson from
the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Coonabarabran and the fact that he has agreed to be associated with this publication is a great
recommendation indeed for the book.
The first few pages deal with a quick and simple introduction to the visible universe with brief references to sky phenomena such as the
Zodiacal Light and Aurora Australis. Complimenting its southern feel, the accompanying auroral photographs by Stephen Voss from New Zealand
really help to bring these pages to life. There are also short articles on other subjects that will be interesting for the beginner in astronomy
as well as a simple means of measuring visual distances between objects in the night sky using your hand held at arm's length. This part of the
book gives an explanation on the makeup of stars and briefly covers such objects as Globular Clusters, Open Clusters and the many different
types of Nebulae of interest to the amateur astronomer. Many of these explanations are accompanied by photographs of the mentioned objects
making this part of the book very easy to understand.
The next section, taking up 60% of the book, consists of star maps and maps of the constellations visible from mid-southern latitudes. These
maps are printed on a dark blue background overlaid with white stars. This makes them very easy to read in the dark when illuminated by faint
red light which is used to preserve the eye's dark adapted vision. Each constellation chart is accompanied by a list of the deep sky objects
that are within the reach of moderate sized amateur telescopes and binoculars. Their catalogue numbers and coordinates are supplied, as well as
photographs of some. There is also an explanation on each of these objects stating just what the object is, its brightness and its distance from
the Earth. Among these pages can also be found many words of wisdom on such things as setting up for an observing session, star party etiquette
and hints on observing faint objects.
There then comes a section covering the Solar System with a comprehensive collection of moon maps accompanied by a Table of Lunar Features,
making it easy to identify many of The Moon's most prominent highlights. The information given in the planetary pages is precise and easy to
understand with some handy hints on the type of filters to use to bring out the surface features of each of these distant worlds. This section
also covers comets and meteors with a great composite photograph of the October 2006 Orionid meteor shower.
The chapter on telescopes covers the basic optical systems of the most common instruments likely to be used by the amateur astronomer and
also covers briefly some of the accessories which can be used with these telescopes such as mounts, eyepieces and filters. There are a few pages
in the last section of the book that give an insight into some aspects of astrophotography. Any amateur astronomer aspiring to start
photographing the night sky should find this part of the book of interest.
To sum up, I must say that I find this to be a great publication and one that has been long overdue here in the Southern Hemisphere. It is
extremely well laid out and can be used at the telescope as a reference or general read while relaxing between observing sessions. The content
is highly informative and the photographs, which have obviously been taken over the past several years, are great. It is written in a way that
the non-scientific beginner will have no trouble understanding and will encourage more people to get out and enjoy and better understand the
night sky. With its very attractive cover this book just begs to be taken down from the bookcase and read. Congratulations to the authors who
obviously have the passion for amateur astronomy and are keen to pass it on.
Extract from Bay Post (Ulladulla) Friday 12th October 2007
Look to the stars
One of my favourite father/son bonding sessions, when my boy was a young 'un, was to lie out on the sweet grass in our
backyard and watch the night sky.
Now my son is 25 and working on a station in the Northern Territory. He has told me that one of the most outstanding things
about working in the outback is lying on his swag and watching the sky ... no sounds of traffic, no electricity noise, only the
bellowing of an occasional cow or the snuffling of one of the camp horses.
I can also remember watching Halley's Comet from a national park perched on the side of a mountain. More recently, I ventured
out in the cold to see the magnificent Lunar eclipse when the moon became a fiery red ball in the sky.
There are lots of things that money can't buy and watching the stars is one of them. For the more adventurous and hardy
souls, there are some wonderfully powerful telescopes to purchase and I envy those who have them.
This atlas will help any amateur stargazer to identify and photograph stars; delight you with the images of some beautiful
objects from our heavens; and help you to pick out constellations which are right above us.
This is a great book to have somewhere handy for stargazing on a clear night and with spring and summer weather coming our
way, you won't have to freeze to enjoy them.
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From Habitat Australia October 2007
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