In the US in the 1960s there then flared a national discussion filled with concern that Americans were becoming spectators as opposed to participants. They were not participating in sports, that was the touchstone of the matter. Huge football stadiums would fill on Saturdays for the watchers of the collegiate struggles. There were thousands and thousands across the land who only watched and did not do more. The poor devils could only idly observe and see what was before them. It wasn't as real as the doing of the sport; the leisure activity was commended for the values it instilled. Same here on the music stand. Step daughters from when she played cello. I also take a fold up over built wood tv tray stand. Music stand holds the TLAO and star atlas and the tray holds the EP bags. The authors' directions are not difficult to understand, for example, to find a triple star named Beta Monocerotis in the constellation called Monoceros - "Find Orion, high above the southern horizon, and find the very bright red star, Betelgeuse...Then, from Orion, turn left and follow the stars in Orion's belt which point to the southeast towards a dazzling blue star, Sirius...A little less than halfway between Sirius and Betelgeuse you'll find two faint stars, lying in an east-west line. Aim for the one to the east, the one away from Orion. That's Beta Monocerotis." Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope - and How to Find Them

You don't need an ideal sky to engage in this love of the night sky. The perfect night with the star-crammed firmament is usually only read about. The authors mostly observed with a three-inch scope 15 miles from Manhattan. You will be outdoors observing in an environment not scripted or canned for you. It is a hobby, don't forget. Don't torture yourself; don't burden yourself with the seriousness of your intent. It isn't necessary to find useful work to do with your telescope. If it is work, is someone going to pay you?

TLAO is one reason I suggest that a person goes and finds a book that suits them from a number of suggestions made. The first views you will have of the planets, conditioned as we are to the necessities of NASA's photos as fulfilling a need to impress the taxpayers, are going to be disappointing. You will need patience, perceptive skill, your highest magnification at the scope, and a night conductive to good seeing. Be prepared to at first see a tiny trembling blob of light. Any expectation of awesome fine detail to be seen on a planet's surface is greatly diminished. It is there, some important features can be see. It takes training, training takes time. Venus - its phases. Mars - tiny with dark patches and polar caps. Jupiter - zones, belts, festoons, the Great Red Spot, and Jup's moons. Saturn - its rings, Cassini's division in those rings, and Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

There is no CCD in Turn Left at Orion. The telescope you own, up to four inches in aperture, is guided by your hands and you see your way about the marvels of the night sky via the finderscope attached to your telescope proper. In this book the authors show you how to know where to find and where to look for whatever you can find within the range of the light gathering capabilities of your scope as you direct it to your eye. There are lots of astronomical objects to see, say, two thousand readily available out there per night but 1,900 could very well be boring. So what's to see as you go for doubles, galaxies, variables, nebulae, clusters, the Moon, and the planets? Follow their directions for the sky, finderscope, and in your eyepiece. There is also timely information about each class of objects and many single objects have extended accounts of their history and appearance. Current astronomical knowledge is brought in as appropriate.

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This outstanding book is often recommended in these threads as the best guide to what you might expect to see through telescopes of various types/size. The expectation of many novices is unreasonably high due to magazine "Hubble" sourced images. This book quite rightly lowers that expection, raises confidence and enhances the enjoyment of the amateur telescope.

In general I'm not a fan of books like this. They tend to not do a good job at what they try to teach but this one is an exception. I think it will help make the night sky much more accessible to newcomers to amateur astronomy. Praise for previous editions:‘Turn Left at Orion is an essential guide for both beginners and more experienced amateur astronomers who will find much inside to reinvigorate their passion for the stars. The diagrams are simple, clear and functional, and the text eloquently captures the excitement of observing. Stargazing has never been made so easy, and if you buy just one book on observational astronomy, make sure it's this one.' Keith Cooper, Editor, Astronomy Now Best astronomy ebook or pdf (non-hard copy) - Beginners Forum (No Astrophotography) - Cloudy NightsForgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Hi, this is not a pdf, but definitely a good read for a beginner (such as myself) never the less. A practical guide to choosing eyepieces. Received this last week and working my way through. Since then, my knowledge of DSOs and their home constellations has improved dramatically. Turn Left At Orion: Hundreds Of Night Sky Objects To See In A Home Telescope, And How To Find Them [PDF] It is kind of expensive, but I am constantly referring to it both in writing up my notes from a night's observations and to create a list of what I want to view before I go out. One of the nice things about it is that it has photos of all the Messier objects, so you known what you'll be looking at/for.

Your post has me wondering if you are confused, and your info is flat out incorrect as mentioned by others. Only two looks in 6 years is not giving this book a fair shake, but that's just my opinion and to eachtheir own as you found what works best for you. Turn Left at Orion : A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope - And How to Find Them

After delving into how to use a telescope, the book teaches how to locate specific objects in the night sky, and how to use a telescope to see the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. It even talks about how to locate and utilize geostationary satellites. I have both the first and second editions. The 2nd is spiral-bound (good), but HUGE, even larger than coffee table-sized books (not so good, unless one has a large table to put it on while observing). I typically recommend the first edition, if one can find it, although that is likely because that's the one I first got and used. The second is updated and expanded, including far more southern sky objects, and is definitely worthwhile in its own right.One thing that I find extremely helpful is a music stand to hold star maps, books like LTAO, tablet running SkySafari, etc.