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J. Brit. Astron. Assoc., 109, 1, 1999, p.43
Springer-Verlag, 1998. ISBN 1-85233-019-8. Pp xiii + 266, £19.00 (pbk.)
reviewed by Bob Neville
Over the last two years Springer have added steadily to their popular series of books under the general heading 'Practical Astronomy', this being the latest of twelve varied titles. Astronomical Equipment for Amateurs is exactly what its title suggests: an extensive catalogue of review articles covering a wide spectrum of the best of modern manufactured equipment, cleverly combined with appropriate theory and advice on how to get excellent results. The book is a practical guide for anyone who is using, buying, or simply interested in knowing more about telescopes - Newtonians, catadioptrics, Cassegrains and Schmidt-Cassegrains - mountings, binoculars, eyepieces, filters and almost every kind of accessory. Other detailed topics covered include electronic imaging, image processing, planetarium and telescope control software, video astronomy, observatories, equipment for solar observation and star atlases.
The author, who is currently President of the BAA, draws on his extensive personal experience of making cutting-edge observations in his assessments of a wide variety of systems, accessories and techniques. The book starts with a chapter entitled 'Fundamentals for Beginners', which I found an excellent and logical set of arguments leading to the correct levels of magnification to apply in many situations. Martin's friendly and easy-to-understand writing style almost makes it seem as if he were talking to you, and he includes several amusing anecdotes. Throughout the book the text is well organised and there is good cross-referencing to related topics. There are plenty of interesting photographs of good amateur equipment and the optical diagrams are informative and drawn to a high standard. The text contains a high density of in-depth information, some of which would be difficult to find elsewhere and the appendix contains a section packed with information on equipment dealers, URLs (Internet addresses), societies and a bibliography.
I was particularly impressed by the chapter comparing refractors and reflectors, with the author communicating a wide range of clearly made points on the merits and otherwise of the two systems. However this is not just opinion; each statement is expertly justified with appropriate theory and worked examples and with subtle points eloquently communicated. In fact Martin introduces many of his own extremely useful simplifying relationships between equipment parameters, which demonstrates a deep practical insight into the techniques of optimising performance.
Overall the quality and accuracy of information is very high, with almost no printing errors; something not always found in today's first editions. The section on photographic techniques was well handled, but surprisingly, the attractions of high image contrast and extended red sensitivity of reversal colour emulsions were not discussed. I felt that the comparison of CCD cameras to photography was almost over-enthusiastic, but modern electronic imaging does offer almost unimaginable advantages over the techniques of only a decade ago. This book maintains the high standard of this excellent series of publications and, as a guide to building up the right equipment and applying the best techniques, it is unrivalled.
R. J. Neville graduated in astronomy, worked in the research department of Kodak and now lectures in electronics, science and engineering. He is Director of the BAA's Instruments and Imaging Section.
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