[.ca] Touring the Universe through Binoculars: A Complete ... (ISBN 0471513377)

poor organization makes it hard to find doable observations:
The first problem with this book is that for the urban or suburban observer with less than giant binoculars, it is too hard to find objects that you will really have any luck with. You have to sort through long lists of 9th-magnitude star clusters to find anything that would really be visible. The second problem is that a large percentage of the objects listed are pretty dim and crummy open clusters, and in most cases it is extremely hard to tell whether you are seeing the cluster or not. The photos are no help, because they are all long photographic exposures taken through telescopes, nothing like what you actually see through binox.

If you have large binos, don't miss this book:
This book covers +1000 deep sky objects plus solar system objects for binoculars. It includes many faint objects that can be seen with ordinary binos under very favourable conditions so the observers with large binoculars can use this book better. Although there are +1000 objects given in the book, most of them are not explained but rather their basic data like coordinates and magnitude are given. It does not have maps so you need an atlas with this book. However; this book is very useful with its tabulated data and constellation-based organisation. You cannot find any other complete and well prepared list and data of objects visible in binoculars. The author also groups Messier objects into 4 difficulty groups which is helpful for inexperienced observers.

A terrific book now even better with new star atlas CD-ROM:
I have used this book since it first came out almost ten years ago, and have always found it a big help when planning an observing session with my binoculars. It talks about sky objects that are ignored by just about every other book out there, but that are *easily* visible through binoculars! Guess none of the other binoculars books bothered to really research the topic. But now, the book has gotten even better with the new Touring the Universe Through Binoculars Atlas CD-ROM. A great value for the price too! I first looked for it on Amazon.com, but I guess they don't sell it. (hey, Amazon! hint hint). I ended up buying it right through Harrington's home page. Together, the book and CD are the most complete survey of the binocular sky ever created! My advice is to buy the book here and get the CD separately. If you like binocular observing as much as I do, they make a great team.

A Useful Book:
I am a professional scientist and have an 8" amateur telescope (Meade) plus a variety of binoculars plus books and software. Here is the problem. Living in the city and living a hectic life the opportunities to observe the sky and one's schedule rarely mix in any ideal fashion. Often I am in the coutryside when the light conditions are near perfect - a cold night in Canada in the country where there is no light is truly amazing - so I like to keep one good 7x50 pair in my car with this book. It is a nice backup. Almost 300 pages, lots of stuff, 1000 objects listed, nice index, easy to read. Not many photos and they are black and white. Quick reference manual. Jack in Toronto

A Classic Reference and Observing Guide:
Touring the Universe Through Binoculars remains the single most authoritative source for people who want to view the night sky with binoculars. Sure, there are other books on the subject, but Touring the Universe stands apart for its thorough survey of the binocular sky. This book lists objects that the other books miss entirely (and that the authors probably don't even know exist!). But readers should keep in mind that Touring the Universe is really aimed more toward seasoned amateur astronomers. Those new to astronomy may find some of the discussion a little beyond them, at least at this point. But you will certainly grow into the book if you stick with the hobby. And thanks to the flowing words from the author, that's an enjoyable task. Readers should also be aware that the book does not have any star charts. That means you will need to get either a star atlas like Sky Atlas 2000 or the author's companion CD-ROM (which Amazon does not offer, but Sky Publishing and Orion Telescope Center do). It's great software even without the book!