Provides a complete re-examination of Herschel's entire catalogue; a must-have for amateur astronomers seeking new and exciting observing challenges.

Amateur astronomers are always on the lookout for new observing challenges. This exciting book retraces the steps of the greatest visual observer and celestial explorer who ever lived. This is a practical guide to locating and viewing the most impressive of Herschel’s star clusters, nebulae and galaxies, cataloging more than 600 of the brightest objects, and offering detailed descriptions and images of 150 to 200 of the best.

Steve O'Meara's guide to the Herschel 400 for amateur astronomers.

This all-purpose star atlas is the first of its kind devoted to observing the Herschel objects with binoculars and telescopes. It displays over 2500 of the most visually attractive star clusters, nebulae and galaxies that were discovered by Sir William, Caroline and Sir John Herschel. Covering the entire sky from the North to the South Celestial Pole, and showing all 88 constellations, it is also a general sky atlas showing variable, double and multiple stars, and the Milky Way. Written by experienced observer James Mullaney and illustrated by renowned celestial cartographer Wil Tirion, this is a magnificent 'celestial roadmap' to some of the finest deep-sky showpieces. Spiral bound and printed in red-light friendly colors for use at a telescope, with color-coded symbols for easy recognition and identification, this is a must-have observing reference for all amateur observers. Additional resources, including a target list ordered by Herschel designation, are available to download from www.cambridge.org/9780521138178.

The most comprehensive, detailed, and beautiful account of the Messier objects available, for amateur astronomers of all abilities.

Faint Objects and How to Observe Them is for visual observers who are equipped with a 10-inch or larger astronomical telescope and who want to "go deep" with their observing. It provides a guide to some of the most distant, dim, and rarely observed objects in the sky, supported by background information on surveys and objects lists - some familiar, such as Caldwell, and some not so familiar. This book not only provides a wealth of experience compiled from several sources, but it also gives an historical background to surveys whose names may or may not be familiar to most amateur astronomers. Finally, it includes a listing of the many galaxy clusters out there, from "nearby" ones such as Stefan's Quintet to some of the most distant groups observable through the largest telescopes.

Listing more than 500 sky targets, both near and far, in 187 challenges, this observing guide will test novice astronomers and advanced veterans alike. Its unique mix of Solar System and deep-sky targets will have observers hunting for the Apollo lunar landing sites, searching for satellites orbiting the outermost planets, and exploring hundreds of star clusters, nebulae, distant galaxies, and quasars. Each target object is accompanied by a rating indicating how difficult the object is to find, an in-depth visual description, an illustration showing how the object realistically looks, and a detailed finder chart to help you find each challenge quickly and effectively. The guide introduces objects often overlooked in other observing guides and features targets visible in a variety of conditions, from the inner city to the dark countryside. Challenges are provided for the naked eye, through binoculars and the largest backyard telescopes.