Sky at Night Magazine

[iainmax]

Hi guys,

I thought i'd pop in and say hello and to introduce myself. I've recently purchased my first telescope and eagerly await it's arrival. It's a Sky-Watcher 130P and from what i've researched so far, it seems it's not a bad telescope for a beginner. I can't wait to actually do something about my fascination with the skies.

While I await delivery of my scope, I hope to get my hands on a couple of books to help me learn. Is there a specific book which is considered essential to astronomy or could anyone maybe recommend a title they think would be worth reading?

I'm hoping to locate fellow enthusiasts in my area too sometime.

Well,i'm sure i'll be here a long while so i'll leave it there for now. Here's to a wonderful journey and thanks for having me.

Iain

[Gfamily2]

Hi Iain
It's a bit quiet around here I'm afraid. Without wishing to be disloyal, you might also be interested in the cloudynights and astronomyforum sites

Some great books to start with are
Turn Left at Orion - a great guide to learning your way around the night sky
Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas - a very detailed atlas that'll help you plan your viewing and locate specific objects
Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders is a constellation by constellation guide to deep sky objects.
These three are all useful for visual observing - if you want to find more about the actual objects themselves, there are many good books available - I'd suggest going to your local library to see what they have in stock.

It is also worth looking out for a 12" Planisphere, as this gives you a quick way of seeing what's visible when.

[dave.b]

And of course installing Stellarium on your PC/Mac/mobile device.