United States
£ GBP
Seeing the Constellations is a reference book for amateur astronomers. It contains, for each constellation, a star chart showing the Bayer labels, a table for many of the stars in the constellation, along with their positions and magnitudes, and a table of the deep-sky objects in the constellation, with relevant observational data. Facing pages provide unique year-long graphs that show when the constellation is visible in the sky, allowing the user to quickly determine whether a given constellation can be seen, and when the best time to see it will be.
A major feature is an included CD-ROM containing a PC program [unique as far as we can determine] that produces a list of what deep-sky objects are visible in the sky at a user-determined time and place, for any location on the Earth. It produces a convenient and (disposable!) list that the user can take to the telescope for an observing session.
"Fairnacci (software engineer) has compiled a collection of charts for all 88 constellations in this guide. Under each map, the reader will find a list of the brightest stars and deep-sky objects in each field (i.e., clusters, nebulae, and galaxies) along with a nomograph that quickly tells whether the field for a particular choice of month and time of night is visible. a ] Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; undergraduates; technical program students." (T. D. Oswalt, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (10), June, 2008)
