Astronomy with Small Telescopes

This book is for my father, Allan Tonkin, who, by his example, taught me the distinction between price and value.

Astronomy with Small Telescopes is a multi-contributor book that shows you just what "serious" astronomy can be achieved with small telescopes.

Click the subheadings to toggle their content on/off.

Contents

Review Snippets

"As a regular user of small telescopes to explore the night sky, I was keen to discover if Stephen Tonkin's book would encourage the newcomer to astronomy and provide useful information for the more experienced observer. I am delighted to say that it succeeds admirably in both respects. ... This is a well-produced, informative book which goes a long way to dispel the notion that you need an expensive, large-aperture telescope to enjoy or contribute to the world of astronomy." Mike Ropelewski, The Deep Sky Observer Magazine, Issue 126, 2001

"This latest book summarizes the experiences of several authors who have used telescopes ranging from a simple 60 mm aperture refractor on an altazimuth mount, through to the workings of the fork-mounted ETX telescope and the portable C5. ... the advice given in this book will certainly help to improve the performances of almost any instrument. ... the individual chapters made very interesting reading ... . I would warmly recommend this book to anyone thinking of buying a portable telescope for work or for pleasure." Neil English, Astronomy Now, April, 2002

"This is a book concerned primarily with astronomical hardware. Each chapter is written by one of eight contributors, all users of small telescopes. ... Kevin P. Daly's account of his Celestron 114-mm reflector and favourite objects to observe is a pleasure to read, containing much that will be of interest to the newcomer. ... this chapter should inspire even the most house-bound armchair astronomer to spend a night under the stars with the telescope." Nigel Bannister, The Observatory, Vol. 121 (1165), 2001

"It discusses the use of telescopes up to 5-inch aperture (125mm) and thus includes a number of modern popular instruments. ... I found the chapter on the ETX telescopes very useful ... . Apart from the equipment itself, the book contains suggested projects including deep sky and a chapter on 'meteor observing with a small radio telescope'. A useful and very practical book for the amateur astronomer starting with a first scope." The Astronomer, Vol. 38 (446), 2001

"...accurate, and perhaps surprising, portrayal of [a small telescope's] fine capabilities ... one of the great strengths is the obvious enthusiasm of the contributors ... ideas and concepts explained well ... an inspiring book [that] would make an excellent purchase." Popular Astronomy

"Astronomy with Small Telescopes offers the amateur astronomer practical 'how-to' advice. Specifically, this book shows the amateur how to get the most performance out of a small telescope. ... The chapter entitled 'Visual Observation of Deep-sky Objects with Small Telescopes' includes information that would be helpful to the novice amateur. ... some readers will appreciate the convenience of having all of this information in one well written and easy to read book. Astronomy with Small Telescopes is recommended for public and school libraries." Travis Dolence, E-STREAMS, Vol. 5 (10), 2002

"In this book real amateur astronomers tell you what they like, how they observe, what tips they have learned, and modifications they have made to improve their telescopes. (...) Taken as a whole, this book provides a lot of useful information no matter what size and type of telescope you use. (...) ...nearly every chapter describes what can be observed and HOW to observe various types of celestial objects. In particular, the chapter on deep sky observing is applicable to all small telescopes (and even larger ones)." Astronomy Book Reviews

Errata

Purchase

The Astronomical Unit

Astronomy with Small Telescopes