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

Average customer rating:

Excellent book
Star Ware 4
Way too technical -- No pictures -- Not for the novice
Good techincal stuff - but out dated information
Buy this before you buy a telescope!

Star Ware: The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, & Using Telescopes and Accessories
Philip S. Harrington
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471418064

Book Description

Praise for the Second Edition of Star Ware

"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, Third Edition will prepare you to explore the farthest reaches of space with:

Extensive, expanded reviews of leading models and accessories, including dozens of new products, to help you buy smart
A clear, step-by-step guide to all aspects of purchasing everything from telescopes and binoculars to filters, mounts, lenses, cameras, film, star charts, guides and references, and much more
Eleven new do-it-yourself projects for making unique astronomical equipment at home
Easy tips on maintenance, photography, and star-mapping to help you get the most out of your telescope
Lists of where to find everything astronomical, including Internet sites and Web resources; distributors, dealers, and conventions; and corporate listings for products and services

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2007-06-25

There are a number of books out there that cover available equipment for Amateur Astronomy. However, I haven't found any that cover this area as in depth as this book. The Author, Phil Harrington has certainly done his research, and brings this information to the reader in an easily understood way. I first bought this book in 2006 and found some of the information to be a little dated at that time. When I saw that there was going to be an updated version coming out, I knew I would be purchasing it. I purchased the updated version and it wasn't at all lacking. At the time of it's release (4/2007) it is current with regards to available equipment for the Amateur Astronomer. This book is easy to read and understand. When I am looking to purchase a new piece of equipment, Starware is the first book I grab for the information I need.

Star Ware 4.......2007-05-20

There's a ton of useful information here. At a price of less than almost astro accessory, it's highly recommended.

Way too technical -- No pictures -- Not for the novice.......2006-12-03

This book is not for the novice interested in learning about the basics of telescope buying.

It is a very hard read as it is not organized nicely, has pages and pages of technical jargon, tons of unnecessary repetition...

They describe certain telescope features and don't explain why one feature might be better over another. They just mention the features.

The book contains a lot of reviews on outdated equipment and nothing on the latest telescopes.

It did not provide a simple outline of the various features one should look for in a telescope -- perhaps aperture, focal length, mm diameter, etc. -- this is what I was looking for.

I found more informative concise information on Yahoo! Answers for free.

I decided to purchase another book that was meant for the newbie and explains in simple terms what one should look for and has a lot of great photos and diagrams. It does not contain technical terms adfinitum that would only help a professional astronomer.

The better book is entitled "A Simple Guide to Telescopes, Spotting Scopes, and Binoculars" and you can purchase on Amazon for $10. This book is helpful for not only telescope selecting for the novice, but also for set up, etc for after you get the telescope.

Emphasis on the word simple!

Thank goodness I decided to check it out at my local Borders, as I was about to buy it sight unseen on Amazon due to the great reviews above. It would have been a waste of money!

Good techincal stuff - but out dated information.......2006-01-31

The book is well written and good reference for
amateur astronomers but it needs updated version.
There are many new and better equipments out there
than being referenced in this book.

Buy this before you buy a telescope!.......2005-07-27

Excellent overview of current offerings, along with something rarely found - specific recommendations. A must have before making an initial investment in a telescope, eye pieces, or other accessories.

Star Ware: The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories, 2nd Edition

Average customer rating:

A must have for beginners or any Astronomy library
A must if you own or want to buy a telescope.
Extremely great book
Excellent resource
essential astro gear guide

Star Ware: The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories, 2nd Edition
Philip S. Harrinfton , and Philip S. Harrington
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them
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Star Ware: The Amateur Astronomer's Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories
A Field Guide to Stars and Planets (Peterson Field Guides(R))

Accessories:

Astronomy

ASIN: 0471183113

Book Description

Praise for the First Edition of Star Ware . . .

"A complete, current review of the material needed by backyard astronomers . . .

It deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone who looks at the sky." -David Eicher Associate Editor, Astronomy Author of Beginner's Guide to Amateur Astronomy

"A great help to anyone, especially the novice, who is wondering what to get. I don't know of any other single source that covers so much of the equipment scene." - Alan MacRobert Associate Editor, Sky & Telescope Author of Star-Hopping for Backyard Astronomers.

Just as our knowledge of the cosmos has changed dramatically in the past few years, so has the world of telescope buying. Today, it is easier than ever for the backyard astronomer to actively observe the universe-with equipment to satisfy every need. How does the amateur astronomer make informed choices?

In this Second Edition of Star Ware, award-winning astronomy writer Philip S. Harrington helps eliminate the guesswork, and guides you through the process with fully updated and expanded chapters on telescopes and accessories. For budding astronomers and experienced amateurs alike, Star Ware, Second Edition gives you everything you need to make educated decisions, including:
* Extensive reviews of leading model names and hard-to-find accessories on the market, along with dozens of new products to help you buy smart
* A clear, step-by-step guide to all aspects of purchasing, from choosing the right binoculars and telescopes to buying eyepieces, filters, cameras, and film
* Ten new do-it-yourself projects to help save you time and money-including a portable telescope case and performance-enhancing collimation tools
* Easy maintenance, mapping, and photography tips of the trade to help you get the most out of your telescope and stargazing
* Where to find everything astronomical: Internet sites and web resources with complete addresses for distributors, dealers, and conventions; corporate listings for products and services; and advice on using equipment.

Customer Reviews:

A must have for beginners or any Astronomy library.......2001-12-12

Phil Harrington's book is the perfect primer for those interested in astronomy or contemplating a telescope purchase. It is very easy to follow and fun to read as he de-mistifies many of the terms those who are new to astronomy might not be familiar with. The book even includes a test you can take to determine the best type of telescope to purchase, taking your budget and your viewing location into consideration. I own the 1st and 2nd editions and have loaned them both to many who have contemplated a scope purchase. This book is probably the best money I ever spent on the hobby! Thanks Phil!

A must if you own or want to buy a telescope........2000-12-21

Philip S. Harrington's Star Ware is one of the best guides to choose, buy and use telescopes and accesories for observing the nightsky.With many charts, illustrations, tables and black and white photographs, this book is a real help in order to setup and test your astronomical equipment. In ten well written chapters, the book deals with topics such as aperture, focal lenght, focal ratio, magnification and resolving power. It also explains the different types of telescopes (reflectors, refractors, etc) comparing different brands of telescopes and eyepieces, giving useful tips on observing and astrophotography. Useful appendices, updated in this second edition, will give the reader information about telescope dealers, distributors and manufacturers, in the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia. Definitively, this is one of the best books of its kind and a must for amateur astronomers who own or want to buy a telescope.

Extremely great book.......2000-11-05

This is the only book I've ever read. I can say with ease and honesty that it is flawless. I knew next to nothing about observing with a telescope, let alone how to choose the right one for myself. The Author always starts a topic at the absolute beginning and then proceeds slowly, but steadily, untill everything is covered. It wouldn't be fair to call this an easy-to-read book, but scientific books does not get much easier to read than this. The conclusion must be, that if you are looking for a book about Amateur astronomy or simply how to choose the right telescope or equipment, than stop looking! Don't waste the time or your money on other books! This is simply all there is to say about astronomy.

Excellent resource.......2000-06-06

This is an amzing resource for all amateur astronomers. While it can get a bit overly wordy, this book helps you to understand just about any scope you can but. It also has good descriptions of ronchigram and star tests for amateur telescope makers. Highly reccomended.

essential astro gear guide.......2000-05-18

There are a few books no amateur astronomer should be without. One is Peterson's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets, which packs more useful information into a smaller package than any other book I know of. A second is The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Dickinson & Dyer, which covers the basics of the hobby in a more expansive, descriptive format.

A third member of this short list has recently been republished in a new edition: Star Ware, Second Edition (The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories) by Philip S. Harrington, 1998 John Wiley & Sons. Star Ware is aimed mostly at beginners, teaching in a lively and informal style the basics of how telescopes work and how to use them, but there is a fair amount of information of interest to advanced amateurs as well.

The book begins with two chapters about telescope optics and different types of telescopes, with something of the history of telescopes along the way. Chapter 3 covers the pros and cons of each type in some detail, ending with a quiz where you add the point values of your answers to show what type you should buy - fun, as long as you don't take it too seriously. Chapter 4 is a still more detailed look at the offerings of different manufacturers, again sorted by type. Phil goes easy on the major manufacturers, judging from some of the tales of woe I've heard; but the treatment is fair and useful. Chapter 5 compares the myriad eyepieces available to go with these scopes. Both these chapters have appendices where the information is laid out in convenient tables.

Chapter 6 covers finders and filters, other books and software, cameras and CCD's. One thing I would have appreciated would be a similar appendix covering all the competing software packages, what they do well and which was the best for each purpose. As I wrote two months ago, I have purchased a number of these packages and started to evaluate them; maybe I need to write this comparison myself.

Chapter 7 was the most interesting to me - a description of projects you can make, from a collimation tool to a video camera bracket to a binocular chair - the latter I want to get started on Real Soon Now. `Till Death Do You Part' is on care of your scope, and repeats sage advice against unnecessary cleaning, as well as how to collimate your optics.

The last and longest chapter, `It's Time to Solo!', covers the targets to point your scope at (moon, planets, comets, sun, deep-sky), a description of a few dozen of the best deep-sky objects, and a brief introduction to astrophotography. This will be of less interest to advanced amateurs, who probably have more detailed sources of this type of information. One might question why to include this in a book about equipment, but it probably does make it more useful for the beginner who may buy only this book.

Parts of the book overlap with the Dickinson & Dyer book mentioned above, but the treatment of telescopes and eyepieces is much more detailed. Overall, a fine book, highly recommended for a beginning amateur, and recommended for an advanced amateur looking to buy a new scope or eyepiece.

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