Astronomy with Small Telescopes: Up to 5-inch, 125mm (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series)

Small telescopes have a lot to recommend them. Cost is of course a consideration, but their most positive feature is sheer portability. Some manufacturers have tried to make large telescopes more portable (with mixed success), but the opposite approach, that of making small telescopes more effective, is what this book is all about. Good 2-inch (60mm) telescopes are now available for beginners, and major American manufacturers now offer small, affordable computer-controlled instruments that are capable of superb results. Stephen Tonkin has gathered the experience of users of small telescopes to provide an insight into just what is possible - for newcomers to astronomy or experienced observers who simply want to use a small, really portable telescope.

Small telescopes have a lot to recommend them.
Cost is of course a consideration, but their most positive feature is sheer portability. Some manufacturers have tried to make large telescopes more portable (with mixed success), but the opposite approach, that of making small telescopes more effective, is what this book is all about.
Good 2-inch (60mm) telescopes are now available for beginners, and major American manufacturers now offer small, affordable computer-controlled instruments that are capable of superb results.
Stephen Tonkin has gathered the experience of users of small telescopes to provide an insight into just what is possible - for newcomers to astronomy or experienced observers who simply want to use a small, really portable telescope.

Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Upgrading a 60mm Refractor....Pages 3-15 Experiences with a 60mm Telescope....Pages 17-26 Observing with a 60mm Refractor....Pages 27-34 The Orion ShortTube 80mm Rich-field Refractor....Pages 35-55 Visual Observation of Deep-sky Objects with Small Telescopes....Pages 57-74 A 100mm Reflector in the Hands of a Young Astronomer....Pages 77-79 Modifying the Orion ShortTube Reflector....Pages 81-87 The Celestron Firstscope 114 Deluxe....Pages 89-100 The Mighty ETX....Pages 103-127 The “C5++”....Pages 129-146 Meteor Observations with a Small Radio Telescope....Pages 149-153 Back Matter....Pages 155-157 Small telescopes, whether simple beginners' telescopes or refined computer-controlled instruments, are gaining popularity fast as technology improves and public interest increases. In this book the author has brought together the experience of small telescope users to provide an insightful look into just what is possible. It is written for newcomers to astronomy and experts. Topics covered include: refractors, reflectors, advanced catadioptric telescopes, and a simple radio telescope. Almost everyone with an interest in practical astronomy will want this book. So, you have been told, or have discovered, that the quality of your new acquisition falls more than a little short of what the advertising and the graphics on the box led you to believe.