I’m an amateur (heavy emphasis on amateur) astronomer.  I thought it might be interesting to blog about my observations, my equipment, and otherwise document my endeavors.

I guess I’ll start with the things that make observing possible for me. There are several helpful books: two by H. A. Rey (you probably know him as the author of the Curious George books), and another by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis.

First the H. A. Rey books.  Let’s start with “Find The Constellations”.  This book is primarily for children.  It gives the names of the constellations and the stories behind them.  I’ve been sharing this book with my daughters now for years a little bit at a time. The illustrations are clear and the language is perfect for read-a-long. “The Stars” by H. A. Rey is the adult analog of “Find The Constellations”.  It covers all of the material in the previous book, but goes into much greater depth and includes hourly charts.  The last third of the book gives a well written and detailed description of the apparent motion of the stars and the mechanics behind it.

The final book, and my personal favorite is “Turn Left at Orion” by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis. One of the reviewers of this book said that it should come with every beginner telescope: I agree. The authors concentrate on smaller telescopes (2-4 inch, 5-10cm) and describe how to find interesting things in the sky and when they will be visible. Further, the illustrations show you what to look for with you naked eye, what to find in the finderscope, and finally what you can expect to see in the telescope itself.

In the house, before going outside, I tend to use the H. A. Rey books to show my daughters what we’re going to see and how we’re going to find it.  Outside, I take my red flashlight and a copy of “Turn Left at Orion” and that stays near the telescope.