Articles

Contents
Observing Techniques

Binoculars in Astronomy

Observing Bright Nebulae
Observing Galaxies
Observing Globular Clusters
Observing Open Clusters
Observing Planetary Nebulae
Observing Dark Nebulae
Observing (All Sorts)

OBSERVING TECHNIQUES & SKILLS
General advice
Polakis, T. (1995) "Deep-sky on Four a Day" [Is there life after observing the Messier objects? Try the Herschel 400 in 100 nights like I did from Arizona] Astronomy, June, 65.
Dodd, L. (1994) "Under the Southern Sky: Part 2" Astronomy, December, 78.
Barclay, J. (1994) "Under the Southern Sky" Astronomy, October, 72.
Harrington, P. (1994) "Running a Celestial Marathon" [One night, 110 deep-sky wonders. Observe them all and you've completed the grueling Messier Marathon] Astronomy, March, 61.
Spevak, J. (1993) "Night of the Deep-Sky Observer" [Follow a lone sky watcher through a night of viewing springtime clusters, nebulae, and galaxies] Astronomy, March, 62.
Nagler, A. (1991) "Choosing Your Telescope's Magnification" Sky & Telescope, May, 553.
Forrest, S. (1989) "Forum: Tricks of an Observer's Trade" Astronomy, August, 98.
Eicher, D. J. (1989) "Don't Forget the Bug Spray" [Be prepared for anything under the stars with these ten essential items. Don't leave home without them!] Astronomy, August, 67.
MacRobert, A. M. (1987) "Backyard Astronomy: The art of planetary observing - II." Sky & Telescope 74(6, December), 603.
Cain, L. (1986) "Observer's Page: Visual astronomy rediscovered." Sky & Telescope, 72(6, December), 662
Rabalais, M. (1986) "How to Conquer the Messier Objects" Astronomy, December, 88
Eicher, D. (1985) "Stars of the Circumpolar South" [double-page map] Astronomy, March, 34.
MacRobert, A. (1985) "Backyard astronomy: Secrets of deep-sky observing" Sky & Telescope, 70(3, September), 204.
Houston, Walter Scott (1980) "Observing the deep sky." Sky & Telescope, 60(6, December), 476.

Star hopping
Garfinkle, R. (1995) "See you at the hop" Astronomy, 23, 8, 74. "Learn this easy technique and step your way to deep-sky objects anywhere in the sky."
Kramer, J. (1994) "Focal Point: In Praise of Star-Hopping" Sky & Telescope, November, 6.
MacRobert, A. M. (1988) "Backyard Astronomy: A summer evening star-hop" Sky & Telescope, 75(6, June), 603.

Observing logs
Zentz, G. L. (1992) "A Personal and Permanent Journey through the Universe" [Time spent beneath the stars with a journal will richly reward astronomical memories] Astronomy, February, 80.
Levy, D. H. (1989) Star Trails, Sky & Telescope, 77(6, June), 659.
Eicher, D. J. (1989) "Don't Forget the Bug Spray" [Be prepared for anything under the stars with these ten essential items. Don't leave home without them!] Astronomy, August, 67.
Thorpe, A. M. (1988) "Should You Keep an Astronomical Notebook?" Astronomy, January, 50.

Setting circles
Coco, M. J. (1993) "Dialing for deep-sky objects" [When star hopping doesn't work, use your scope's setting circles to find elusive objects] Astronomy, February, 72.
Brown, G. L. (1983) Equipment Atlas: Using setting circles. Astronomy, 11, 7, 75.


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BINOCULARS IN ASTRONOMY
MacRobert, A. M. (1995) "The power of binoculars." Sky & Telescope, 89(5, May), 48.
Morris, K. (1986) "Binoculars in astronomy" Astronomy, December, 71.
Levy, D. H. (1985) "Discovering Binocular Astronomy" Astronomy, December, 44.
Crossen, C. (1983) Studying galactic structure with binoculars - Part 1. Astronomy, 11, 7, 50-54
Williams, D. B. (1983) "Binoculars and binaries" Astronomy, September, 75.
MacRobert, A. M. (1983) "Backyard Astronomy: Observing with binoculars." Sky & Telescope 66(4, October), 307.

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OBSERVING BRIGHT NEBULAE
[photographs] (1994) Lambda Cen nebula. Astronomy, December, 80
Harrington, P. (1991) "An Observer's Guide to Diffuse Nebulae - III" Sky & Telescope, April, 440.
Harrington, Phil (1990) "The Challenge of Winter Nebulae" [Push your telescope and your observing skills to the limit by finding these incredibly faint wisps of light] Astronomy, December, 77.
Goldstein, A. (1990) "Magnificent Orion" [Filled with bright and beautiful nebulae, Orion is a constellation not to be missed - especially its gem, M42] Astronomy, November, 78.
Harrington, P. (1990) "An Observer's Guide to Diffuse Nebulae - II" Sky & Telescope, July, 97.
Higgins, D. (1989) "The Ghostly Glow of Gaseous Nebulae" [You'll need to use a variety of observing tricks and filters to glimpse these extremely faint objects] Astronomy, October, 93.
Harrington, P. (1989) "An Observer's Guide to Diffuse Nebulae - I" Sky & Telescope, October, 437
Eicher, D. J. (1988) "Orion's Great Nebula" Astronomy, January, 103.
[photographs] (1987) Eta Carinae wide-field. Astronomy, July, 62.
Bardwell, S. (1984) "Observing Nebulosities in Cygnus" Astronomy, July, 50.

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OBSERVING GALAXIES
Polakis, T. (1996) "Edge-On Galaxies of Spring" Sky & Telescope, April, 92.
MacRobert, A. M. (1994) "Mastering the Virgo Cluster" Sky & Telescope, May, 42.
Hewitt-White, K. (1994) "Hats, Hockey Sticks, and Humpbacks" [Come along on a journey to the spring sky's edge-on galaxies and see what's in a name] Astronomy, April, 80.
Higgins, D. (1994) "Explore the Galaxies of Cancer" [You know Cancer for the stunning Beehive Cluster. But beyond the Beehive's stars lies a legion of faint galaxies. Let's take a field trip to fourteen of them] Astronomy, January, 92.
Harrington, P. (1994) "An Observer's Guide to the Galaxies - III" Sky & Telescope, July, 103.
Harrington, P. (1994) "An Observer's Guide to the Galaxies - II" Sky & Telescope, March, 103.
Mood, J. (1993) "Eyeing the Local Group" [Under a dark November sky you can see several of the nearest galaxies with your eyes alone] Astronomy, November, 94.
Garfinkle, R. (1993) "Exploring the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies" [The closest big galaxy cluster in the universe offers a rich hunting ground for owners of small telescopes] Astronomy, April, 56.
Harrington, P. (1993) "An Observer's Guide to the Galaxies - I" Sky & Telescope, October, 101.
Jakiel, R. W. (1992) "Discover Draco's Well-kept Secrets" [Tucked away in the inconspicuous constellation Draco are some of the sky's best (but rarely observed) galaxies] Astronomy, June, 62.
Goldstein, A. (1991) "The Wonders of the Coma Cluster" [Coma Berenices contains a star cluster you can see with the eye alone and also a rich group of galaxies to savor with your telescope] Astronomy, June, 80.
Higgins, D. (1991) "The Galaxies of Sextans" [Discover a beautiful and neflected collection of spirals and ellipticals tucked away in springtime's sky-bound sextant] Astronomy, April, 82.
Pommier, R. (1991) "Observing the Sculptor group of galaxies" [Discover a little-observed yet bright and detailed collection of spiral galaxies lying near the South Galactic Pole] Astronomy, December, 84.
Goldstein, A. (1991) "Observing the Andromeda Galaxy" [The great spiral in Andromeda offers it all to galaxy observers - dust lanes, a concentrated nucleus, star clouds, globular clusters, and a bevy of unusual satellite galaxies] Astronomy, November, 76.
Jakiel, R. W. (1991) "Galaxy hunting in the Great Bear" [The region of the Big Dipper holds some of the brightest and prettiest spiral galaxies in the sky] Astronomy, May, 78.
Goldstein, A. (1991) "Explore the Virgo Cluster" [A small telescope is all you need to seek out numerous residents of the densest cluster of galaxies visible in our sky] Astronomy, March, 70.
Higgins, D. (1990) "The Galaxies of Cetus" [Cetus the Whale is chock full of pretty, challenging galaxies for small telescopes] Astronomy, August, 72.
Higgins, D. (1990) "Galaxies of the Great Square" [The Great Square of Pegasus holds some of autumn's most unusual and challenging galaxies for small telescope observers] Astronomy, October, 82.
Lucas, S. (1989) "Legendary Faint Galaxies" [These galaxies are so faint, distant or heavily obscured that they'll test the observing skills of even the most determined observer] Astronomy, February, 80.
Goldstein, A. (1989) "Galaxy Hunting around the Big Dipper" [Explore the spiral arms and dust lanes of bright spirngtime galaxies around the Big Dipper] Astronomy, March, 78.
Radloff, M. (1989) "Autumn's Galaxies: The Best and the Brightest" [This is the perfect time of year to explore the sky's brightest galaxies] Astronomy, September, 78.
Crossen, C. (1987) "Observing Spring Galaxies with Binoculars" Astronomy, May, 62.
Eicher, D. J. (1984) "Observing the Local Group of Galaxies" Astronomy, November, 35.
Crossen, C. (1983) Studying galactic structure with binoculars - Part 1. Astronomy, 11, 7, 50-54
Goldstein, A. (1983) "Observing the Autumn Galaxies" Astronomy, October, 54.

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OBSERVING GLOBULAR CLUSTERS
Ondra, L. (1995) "Andromeda's Brightest Globular Cluster" Sky & Telescope, November, 68.
Higgins, D. (1991) "The Distant Suns" [Journey to the outer limits of the Galaxy to observe gigantic spheres of ancient stars] Astronomy, August, 60.
Higgins, D. (1990) "Five Challenging Globulars." [Globular star clusters test your observing skills by making you perceive slight differences in star density, resolution and brightness] Astronomy, April, 64.
Schur, C. (1989) "Dramatically Diverse Globulars" [Even in a small telescope you'll find that globular clusters come in a variety of sizes, densities and brightnesses] Astronomy, May, 90.
Eicher, D. J. (1988) "Warning: Globular Clusters Can Change Your Life" Astronomy, April, 82.
Eicher, D. J. (1988) "A Golden Opportunity for Globular Clusters" Astronomy, June, 102.

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OBSERVING OPEN CLUSTERS
Harrington, P. (1992) "An Observer's Guide to Open Clusters - III" Sky & Telescope, October, 462.
Harrington, P. (1992) "An Observer's Guide to Open Clusters - II" Sky & Telescope, July, 104.
Harrington, P. (1992) "An Observer's Guide to Open Clusters" Sky & Telescope, April, 463.
Goldstein, A. (1991) "The Wonders of the Coma Cluster" [Coma Berenices contains a star cluster you can see with the eye alone and also a rich group of galaxies to savor with your telescope] Astronomy, June, 80.
Harrington, P. (1991) "Exploring Open Clusters in Canis Major" [Filled with sparkling star groups, Canis Major is a powerful attraction on chilly winter nights] Astronomy, February, 80.
Goldstein, A. (1990) "Splashy Summer Star Clusters" [Ready to give up on naked-eye observing? Discover four dazzling open star clusters visible to the eye alone and grand sights in binoculars] Astronomy, September, 78.
Ling, A. (1989) "Standout Winter Star Clsuters" [With a small scope you can discover a variety of star clusters that lie in the winter Milky Way] Astronomy, January, 98.
Ling, A. (1989) "Rewarding Star Clusters" [Small scope owners can sharpen their observing skills by searching for these five challenging star clusters] Astronomy, August, 86.
Thompson, G. D. (1988) "Southern Clusters of All Ages" [The color and density of a cluster can tell you a lot about the age of the cluster's stars] Astronomy, September, 75.
Eicher, D. J. (1988) "Canis Major's Twenty-Six Star Clusters" Astronomy, February, 90.
Haas, J. (1986) Galactic clusters for binoculars. Astronomy, February 62.

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OBSERVING PLANETARY NEBULAE
Ferguson, D. R. (1995) "Planetary Nebulae from the City" Sky & Telescope, April, 96.
Paul, M. (1995) "More challenging planetaries out there" (Letters). Astronomy, 23, 8, 6.
Franch, J. (1995) "Challenging planetary nebulae" [Wispy shells of dying stars dot the winter sky, targets for diligent observers] Astronomy, March, 74.
Polakis, T. (1994) "Hunting Down Abell Planetaries" Sky & Telescope, May, 106.
Bruning, D. (1994) "Explore the Galaxies of Cancer" [Use your small or medium-sized telescope to gaze at translucent clouds of gas ejected by dying stars] Astronomy, January, 95.
Jakiel, R. W. (1992) "Observing Bright Planetary Nebulae in Sagittarius" [Tracking down and observing these small remnants of exploded stars will introduce you to the main drag of the Milky Way] Astronomy, August, 69.
Harrington, P. (1992) "Hunting down the Helix" [Seek out the sky's largest planetary nebula - and a group of little-known neighbours - in a corner of the constellation Aquarius] Astronomy, September, 66.
Higgins, D. (1991) "Tracking down the Helix" [It is king of the planetary nebulae: largest, brightest, and closest. It is also one of the most challenging to observe with small telescopes] Astronomy, October, 81.
Goldstein, A. (1991) "Observing bright planetary nebulae" [All it takes is a small telescope to observe the brightest planetary nebulae - glowing shells of gas cast off by dying stars] Astronomy, September, 76.
Eicher, D. J. (1989) "The Art of Observing Planetaries" [The strategy for observing planetary nebulae is to search with low magnitifcation and then switch to higher magnifications to see details] Astronomy, April, 68.
Eicher, D. J. (1988) "Observing Planetaries in the Winter Hexagon" Astronomy, March, 94.
Juhnnke, C. M. (1986) "A delightful dozen of planetary nebulae" Astronomy, October, 39.

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OBSERVING DARK NEBULAE
[photographs] (1994) Scorpius milky way; Beta Cen-Crux-Theta Car [Excellent detail, shows Dark Doodad well] Astronomy, December, 78.
Harrington, P. (1991) "An Observer's Guide to Dark Nebulae" Sky & Telescope, August, 207.
Higgins, D. (1990) "Stalking the Elusive Horsehead" [With a moderate-sized telescope, a black sky, and a little patience, you can find one of the sky's most beautiful deep-sky objects] Astronomy, January, 83.
Higgins, D. (1989) "The Challenge of Dusty Dark Nebulae" [The dust clouds lying in front of bright objects are among the most exotic and most challenging sights for deep-sky observers] Astronomy, June, 86.
Verschuur, G. L. (1989) "Barnard's 'Dark' Dilemma" [Were E E Barnard's newly discovered dark nebulae 'holes in the heavens' or regions obscured by interstellar dust?] Astronomy, February, 30.
[photographs] (1987) Crux and Coalsack [Full-page image] Astronomy, July, 60.
Higgins, D. & Eicher, D. J. (1987) "The Secret World of Dark Nebulae" Astronomy, September, 46.
[photographs] (1986) Beta Cen-Crux-Eta Car. Astronomy, October, 123.
Reeves, R. (1986) "In search of dark nebulae (Photography in astronomy)" Astronomy, December, 38.
[photographs] (1985) Coalsack, Crux; Eta Car widefield. Astronomy, May, 35

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OBSERVING (ALL SORTS OF OBJECTS)
Polakis, T. (1995) "The South Side of the Sky" Sky & Telescope, February, 104.
Moore, P. & Pepin, M. B. (1995) "Beyond Messier: The Caldwell Catalog" Sky & Telescope, December, 38.
Macdonald, L. T. (1994) "North of 75°: Travel into the northernmost reaches of the sky for a telescopic expedition across the galaxies, clusters and nebulae of the celestial Arctic" Astronomy, February, 57.
Ling, A. (1993) "Beautiful Bootes" [Explore Bootes, the prominent kite-shaped constellation. There you'll find colorful doubles, star clusters, and elusive galaxies] Astronomy, May, 56.
Garfinkle, R. (1992) "Exploring the Wonders of Scutum" [Star clusters and nebulae highlight the richly studded area of the Milky Way known as the Scutum star cloud] Astronomy, July, 66.
Mullaney, J. (1992) "Exploring the Herschel Catalogue" Sky & Telescope, September, 340.
Ling, A. (1992) "An Eye on the Deep Sky" [You can see a treasure trove of galaxies, clusters, and nebulae with just your naked eye] Astronomy, January, 68.
Harrington, P. (1991) "Journey to the Center of the Galaxy" [Unlock the splendor of bright deep-sky objects near the galactic center with binoculars and small telescopes] Astronomy, July, 74.

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"Deepsky Observers Companion" (http://www.global.co.za/~auke) Copyright 1998 Auke Slotegraaf ([email protected]). All rights reserved. Uranometria 2000.0 copyright (c) 1987-1996 Willmann-Bell, Inc. Page last updated 1998 February 12. Warning: Do not insert into ear canal.