Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects

Description

The Caldwell Catalogue, compiled by the late Sir Patrick Moore (1923–2012), has delighted amateur astronomers worldwide since its publication in 1995. Twenty years on, Stephen James O'Meara revisits his guide to these 109 deep-sky delights, breathing new life into them and the 20 additional observing targets included as an appendix. This second edition retains O'Meara's detailed visual descriptions and sketches, accompanied by stunning new images taken by amateur photographer Mario Motta and observations by Magda Streicher. The astrophysical descriptions have been updated to account for the many advances in our understanding of the objects, not least due to an armada of space-borne observatories and the new technologies used in large ground-based telescopes. Ideal for observers who have completed the Messier objects and are looking for their next challenge, Deep-Sky Companions: The Caldwell Objects is a fitting tribute from a renowned visual observer to one of astronomy's most famous personalities. Review: A must have - I recently completed with installation of East Africa's first dedicated, astronomical observatory and telescope with Astronomers Without Borders. As such, we brought a number of books to add to the growing library. The "Deep-Sky Companions" series is exactly what we needed to engage the budding amateur astronomers in Tanzania. Once the basics of RA, Dec, and magnitude were understood, they were able to use these books as guides much as we would an atlas for Earth-based geography, scanning the pages for those objects they can see from the equator at this time of year. When combined with Stellarium, these books are unbeatable as rapid references with ample information to bring the night sky to life. Review: 2nd edition is 2x as good. - A great revision to one of the best works of Stephen James O'Meara.