Deep Sky Observing: The Astronomical Tourist

This is a good book that contains many helpfull tips for the more advanced beginner. Not recomended if you have just starded down the road for astronemy, but once you now the basic, this is one that you need on your "Must have" list over astronomical littrature.

Steve Coe has always been a favorite author of mine in his monthly columns on the net and in various journals. Finally, a complete edition of his finest descriptions have been collected in one great resource. It was a pleasure to contribute a few images to his work, but his descriptions and drawings made at the telescope make this book a true resource.

Steve Coe is well known in the Arizona amateur astronomy community. His exuberant personality has enlivened many a club meeting and star party, and his great sense of humor really comes across in his book "Deep Sky Observing" as well. While there are some tips on equipment, the book is mostly a guide on "how to use that equipment to view and enjoy a variety of deep-sky objects" (galaxies, nebulae and star clusters), and includes Steve's actual observing notes and his own sketches of each object as seen through a variety of apertures during his 20-plus years of observing. As someone whose entire output of astronomical artwork consists of two crude sketches, I can personally attest to the amount of effort that must have gone into producing the dozens of fine sketches reproduced here. Many of the objects are also shown in photos taken by Steve and others. My only major complaint is that the 373-page book does not include an index, so finding a particular object in the book takes a bit of page-flipping. "Deep Sky Observing" is not only a handsomely-printed guide to a cornucopia of intriguing objects, it's like sharing 'scope time with a friendly and knowledgeable companion.

I think that most new amateur astronomers tend to learn about the hobby from someone who has been observing for a while. Although there are numerous books on the market aimed at beginners, the fine art of observing is something that can't be written about. Or can it? Deep Sky Observing is a book, that while maybe not able to actually give you experience at the eyepiece, lets you glean the knowledge gained by the author over the course of 20 years of observing. Coe has written a book unlike any other astronomy text I've read. The book is written in an easy to read style that will answer many of the questions left unanswered by the other books you may have read. Coe does not try to impress the reader with his knowledge of technical jargon; he instead lets his experience pass along the lessons he is trying to teach. His style will actually make you laugh in a few spots. When's the last time a book on astronomy did that? The book is arranged into 19 chapters. Each chapter title asks a specific question we've all asked (or wanted to ask). Coe then attempts to provide the answers in the body of the chapter. This approach works well as you don't necessarily need to read the book in order. It also makes the book a valuable reference long after its first reading. The first eight chapters answer questions the author has obviously learned the hard way. This first half of the book is worth its weight in practical advice on things I've never seen covered in depth in other texts. Advice on selecting observing sites, accessories and organizing of time and resources is insightful and useful and will go a long way to making your observing experience an enjoyable one.The middle chapters (9-14) are the bread and butter of this book. This is where the reader will benefit most from Coe's vast observing experience. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular type of observing target, and after a brief introduction on what you're observing, Coe presents his observations of various objects. He uses these observations (including many of his own eyepiece sketches) to advise the reader of what to look for in these objects and how and when to best observe them. After reading each chapter, the reader will have a new appreciation for the detail to be seen and will most likely want to re-observe many of the objects they've already seen just to apply the techniques Coe presents. Careful study of Coe's observations will help the novice decide what objects are best viewed tonight, based on expected seeing and telescope size. Coe devotes the final chapters to helping the reader grow as an observer. Discussions on binocular observing, Computer resources, Other books and public observing sessions will help the reader find tools needed to develop his/her skills as an observer and enable them to get the most out of the hobby.