What do you think?
Rate this book
Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook 20th (twentieth) edition Text Only
star atlas and reference handbook 20th edition
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1910
4 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Ian Ridpath
88 books16 followersIan William Ridpath is an English amateur astronomer, who has been an active observer, writer, editor, and broadcaster, on the subject since 1972. He is also known for his UFO skepticism, an interest in astro-philately, marathon running (having participated in the London Marathon dressed as Halley’s Comet) and, most recently, horse racing.
Ridpath has an equally varied and productive professional life. He has written or edited over forty books in the field of astronomy, he is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Council member 2004–07), a member of the Society of Authors, a member of the Association of British Science Writers, he has worked at the University of London Observatory, and manages a self-publishing business. He also regularly gives talks and lectures on astronomy.
He is most well known in astronomical circles as the editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy, and for his updates and work on the acclaimed classic Norton's Star Atlas.
Ridpath has an equally varied and productive professional life. He has written or edited over forty books in the field of astronomy, he is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Council member 2004–07), a member of the Society of Authors, a member of the Association of British Science Writers, he has worked at the University of London Observatory, and manages a self-publishing business. He also regularly gives talks and lectures on astronomy.
He is most well known in astronomical circles as the editor of the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy, and for his updates and work on the acclaimed classic Norton's Star Atlas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 20, 2014
Type of Resource: Handbooks
Description:
This is considered to be the most famous star atlas in the world - known by generations of amateur astronomers as simply "Nortons". It is designed to be a leading reference handbook for astronomers. The handbook has been revised and redesigned by a team of astronomers, bringing the information fully up-to-date and reflecting new and exciting developments in observational astronomy. The star maps have been re-plotted to a new level of accuracy and legibility for the Standard Epoch of 2000.0, using state-of-the-art computer techniques specially developed for this 20th edition.
Call Number: R 523
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Description:
This is considered to be the most famous star atlas in the world - known by generations of amateur astronomers as simply "Nortons". It is designed to be a leading reference handbook for astronomers. The handbook has been revised and redesigned by a team of astronomers, bringing the information fully up-to-date and reflecting new and exciting developments in observational astronomy. The star maps have been re-plotted to a new level of accuracy and legibility for the Standard Epoch of 2000.0, using state-of-the-art computer techniques specially developed for this 20th edition.
Call Number: R 523
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
March 2, 2021
This reference volume starts with not quite 50 pages of useful information about celestial coordinates, dates, time, astronomical instruments (including binoculars and the different types of telescopes, as well as mounts and a variety of common accessories), and imaging.
This is followed by another 50ish pages of information about the objects in our own solar system, including the sun, the planets and their moons, as well as comets, meteors, and artificial satellites. Of particular interest is a stunning four-page map of the moon’s Earth-facing side along with four accompanying pages of features identified by name and location.
Next comes about 30 pages worth of information about stars, nebulae and galaxies, including stellar evolution and galaxy classification, and a series of 18 star charts (includes stars of magnitude 6 or brighter) and accompanying tables.
This is an amazing reference work, and reasonably affordable as star atlases go. For use out in the field with your telescope, however, I think there are much better options (the binding, for example, should be spiral for ease of use). This is the kind of reference you use to plan a viewing session at home.
This is followed by another 50ish pages of information about the objects in our own solar system, including the sun, the planets and their moons, as well as comets, meteors, and artificial satellites. Of particular interest is a stunning four-page map of the moon’s Earth-facing side along with four accompanying pages of features identified by name and location.
Next comes about 30 pages worth of information about stars, nebulae and galaxies, including stellar evolution and galaxy classification, and a series of 18 star charts (includes stars of magnitude 6 or brighter) and accompanying tables.
This is an amazing reference work, and reasonably affordable as star atlases go. For use out in the field with your telescope, however, I think there are much better options (the binding, for example, should be spiral for ease of use). This is the kind of reference you use to plan a viewing session at home.
February 28, 2009
Not optional for amateur astronomers. Not as detailed as Uranometria, but perfect for casual observation with binoculars or small scopes.
Read
April 11, 2010Norton's Star Atlas and Reference Handbook, 20th Edition (2003)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews