Flamsteed Astronomy Society

Mark Duwe’s Reading List for beginners

Giles Sparrow

Cosmos:  A Field Guide

 

This user-friendly companion to the cosmos is packed with amazing photos. Embarking on a 13.7 billion light year journey, it will steer you through the myriads of exotic celestial objects - from active galactic nuclei to gamma-ray bursts - that lie between our home planet and the very edge of space and time.

 

Published in a special large format edition, fully up-to-date with the latest discoveries and gloriously illustrated with 500 images, "Cosmos: A Field Guide" does justice to the biggest subject there is.

 

However, there are a few errors in the book, which careful reading will reveal (Venus and Earth share the same orbit according to one of the illustrations, for example). Nevertheless, this book contains pictures and examples of the most amazing sights in the known universe – well worth it for the “WOW” factor alone.

 

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Philips Astro-Box

This valuable set contains all that you need to start out in the fascinating hobby of astronomy —

 

Philips Stargazing with a Telescope - The bestselling guide to choosing the right telescope and setting it up by Robin Scagell.

 

Philips Star Finder - A planner showing planets, stars and constellations visible month by month. Star maps by celebrated celestial cartographer Wil Tirion and explanatory text by John Woodruff.

 

Philips Star Chart - The stars of the night sky in three superb colour maps: the northern and southern hemispheres and the equatorial region.

 

Philips Planisphere - Pinpoints the stars and constellations visible on any night of the year.

 

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Philips Moonwatch Pack

A complete starter pack for the lunar observer, Moonwatch contains three essential items for finding your way around the Moon.

 

Philips Moon Observer's Guide - An illustrated introduction to Moonwatching, describing the best features to observe on each day of the lunar month. It also contains information on drawing and photographing the Moon, eclipses, the Moon's orbit, phases and surface features. Written by Peter Grego, Director of the Lunar Section of Britain's Society for Popular Astronomy.

 

Philips Moon Map - A detailed and attractive large format map of the Moon drawn by Dr John Murray, with over 500 features labelled and indexed.

 

Philips Moon Poster - Only available in this pack, this photographic poster shows the Moon on each day of the lunar month. It is double-sided, showing the phases of the Moon as seen from both the northern and southern hemispheres.

 

 

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