DEEP-SKY OBSERVING
WITH SMALL TELESCOPES
David J. Eicher
and the editors of Deep Sky
Enslow Publishers
Box 777, Hillside, N.J. 07205
1989
336 pages
ISBN 0-89490-075-7. $29.95, paperbound.
During the last decade aperture fever swept the amateur community. Many
observers have fervently sought large-diameter optics to show fainter objects
and more detail. As a result, they have overlooked the smaller telescopes for
serious astronomical observing, even spurning them as toys for the beginner.
Small telescopes have a place alongside their larger counterparts. They
are convenient to set up, much more portable, and show plenty to keep you busy.
"You shouldn't scoff at [a small telescope's] shortcomings, but rather
capitalize on its potential," says F. Michael Witowski, one of the coauthors of
Deep-Sky Observing with Small Telescopes. Walter Scott Houston notes in the
foreword that more than 10,000 worthy objects are well within reach of a 6-inch
or smaller scope.
David Eicher recognized the need for a handy, up-to-date observing guide
for the small-scope user -- thus this modern counterpart of the Rev. Thomas W.
Webb's 19th-century Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes was born. Here in
one volume is enough information to keep a casual observer exploring the sky for
years. The book, which has several contributing authors, is well written and
edited (though it is reproduced from typescript, making the tables a little hard
to read). Its continuity in style and layout make for easy use, both as a
reference and in the field. I was initially frustrated by the ambiguous terms
"small" and "backyard telescope" to describe aperture. But anyone with a
2.4-inch or larger telescope will find this book useful.
Deep-Sky Observing with Small Telescopes begins with a chapter on the
different types of objects, the various kinds of telescopes, and observing hints
and techniques. Each of the next seven chapters is devoted to a specific type
of object: double stars, variables, open star clusters, globular clusters,
planetary nebulae, bright and dark nebulae, and galaxies.
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Each chapter discusses the historical background and nature of the class
of object, followed by what elementary or advanced observing techniques to
apply. Much of this material is repetitive. The observing sections give brief,
guided tours of the sky and point out the most interesting objects within each
class.
The last portion of each chapter is a lengthy
constellation-by-constellation table of objects. Many of the entries suggest
how to find the object and tell what you can expect to see in different aperture
telescopes. Some of these lists are fairly extensive. The one for double stars
contains more than 1,100 entries.
The book is well illustrated with photos and drawings of many of the
objects in the text and lists. The drawings are very useful, since they give
the reader a better idea than a photograph of what to expect to see visually.
But they lack any information about the scope size and magnification used to
make each sketch, and they fail to give the all-important image scale, noting
how big a view you're looking at.
A major drawback of the book is that all the coordinates are in epoch
1950.0 - a disadvantage if you use setting circles alone to find objects.
However, many catalogue entries are accompanied by directions for star-hopping
to them. Another limitation is that most of the authors focus strictly on
Northern Hemisphere objects. The most notable exception is David Levy's chapter
on globular clusters. But these drawbacks do not radically impair the book's
usefulness.
Anyone serious about observing the deep sky with a small scope will find
this book indispensable. Every amateur should keep a copy in his or her bag,
right next to the eyepieces.
MARK J. COCO
A technical writer with Celestron International, Coco observes deep-sky objects.
END
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