Star Ware The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to Choosing, Buying and Using Telescopes and Accessories

About this book

Star Ware is still a tour de force that any experienced amateur will find invaluable, and which hardware-minded beginners will thoroughly enjoy.
-Robert Burnham, Sky & Telescope magazine

"Star Ware condenses between two covers what would normally take a telescope buyer many months to accumulate."
-John Shibley, Astronomy magazine

Now more than ever, the backyard astronomer has a dazzling array of choices when it comes to telescope shopping-which can make choosing just the right sky-watching equipment a formidable challenge.

In this revised and updated edition of Star Ware, the essential guide to buying astronomical equipment, award-winning astronomy writer Philip Harrington does the work for you, analyzing and exploring today's astronomy market and offering point-by-point comparisons of everything you need. Whether you're an experienced amateur astronomer or just getting started, Star Ware will prepare you to explore the farthest reaches of space.

Contents

Preface to the Fourth Edition. Acknowledgments. 1. Parlez Vous "Telescope?" 2. In the Beginning. 3. So You Want to Buy a Telescope. 4. Two Eyes are Better than One. 5. Attention Shoppers. 6. The "Eyes" Have It. 7. The Right Stuff. 8. The Homemade Astronomer. 9. Till Death Do You Part. 10. A Few Tricks of the Trade. Appendices. A. Specs at a Glance. B. Eyepiece Marketplace. C. The Astronomical Yellow Pages. D. An Astronomer s Survival Guide. E. Astronomical Resources. F. English/Metric Conversion. G. Star Ware Reader Survey.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Philip S. Harrington holds degrees in mechanical engineering and science education. As a contributing editor for Astronomy magazine, he writes reviews of astronomical equipment as well as a monthly column on binocular astronomy. He is the author of the three previous editions of Star Ware as well as Star Watch, Touring the Universe through Binoculars, and Eclipse!