3,000 Deep-Sky Objects - (Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy) Annotated by Ted Aranda (Paperback)

About the Book

This book lists 3,000 deep-sky objects visible from the northern hemisphere, described as they appear in the author's powerful binocular telescope. The contents are organized by position for easy identification, and indexed by name and catalog numbers.

Book Synopsis

This title is a comprehensive set of visual descriptions of deep-sky objects visible from the northern hemisphere. It is a record of the most extensive and systematic visual survey of the sky ever done in modern times. 3,000 deep-sky objects are listed with short descriptions of the visual appearance in the author's powerful binocular telescope. Objects in the book are organized by position for easy identification of unknown targets. Full indexes by catalog numbers and names allow searches for specific objects.

From the Back Cover

The Annotated Catalog of 3,000 Deep-Sky Objects is a record of the most extensive and systematic visual survey of the sky done in modern times. The 3,000 deep-sky objects listed contain short descriptions of what these objects look like in the author's powerful binocular telescope. Objects in the book are organized by position for easy identification of unknown targets. Full indexes by catalog numbers and names allow searches for specific objects. Descriptions of objects are better than photographs for identifying deep-sky objects because the visual appearance never matches the photographic image. Nor are sketches entirely satisfactory because there is a strong unconscious tendency to draw what the observer remembers from photographs of objects. Compared to other astronomical guidebooks this book contains by far the largest number of objects viewed through a 10- to 14-inch telescope and is a 'must-have' for serious amateur and professional observers.

Review Quotes

From the reviews:

"In 3,000 Deep-Sky Objects, Aranda ... provides his personal, written descriptions of stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies based just on what he was able to see by eye through his unique binocular telescope. ... Aranda includes instructions on how to create one's own finding charts using modern planetarium software and also provides color images of his homemade telescope for those who may wish to try to reproduce it. Summing Up: Recommended. Amateur astronomers." (C. Palma, Choice, Vol. 49 (10), June, 2012)

"You might think that yet another catalogue of deep-sky objects would be a bit superfluous with the number of books that cover this subject already, but this book has many merits...I think those starting to be more interested in the visual deep-sky will get a lot from it, being able to compare observations against this reference." (C. Potter, Astronomy Now, Sept. 2012)

"Ted Aranda has compiled his own selection of over 3000 objects and then observed them all with his homemade binocular telescope. ... There is a comprehensive index and background appendices. ... the book could well be a useful addition to the dedicated visual observer's library, particularly given the huge number of objects described. ... its descriptions are relevant and believable." (David Ratledge, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1229), August, 2012)

About the Author

Ted Aranda earned his Master degree in history at the University of Chicago. From 1997 to 2008, he worked on obtaining a PhD at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Ted is a member of the Chicago Astronomical Society and has been an avid amateur astronomer and telescope maker for 25 years. He started observing the sky in 1986 from northern California using small binoculars and an 80mm telescope. In 1996, after having moved to Chicago, he designed and built a 10-inch Cassegrain binocular telescope, and used this along with two ancillary binoculars, to survey the sky more thoroughly.