The Observer's Book Of Astronomy by Patrick Moore

The Observer's Book Of Astronomy Reviews

• 
  Kevin

  I read this book which was already in the house as I fancied I should try a bit harder to look up at the night sky and better identify the stars. It is also by Patrick Moore who hosted The Sky at Night for a long time and was generally a very memorable person.
  
  It is designed for beginners and does a good job in relatively quickly running through the constellations and other things you can see in the night sky. In that sense it did the job and hopefully I will be able to use some of it to better observe and identify stars, planets etc. in the night sky. On the other hand the version I have is very dated (lots of references to the war and old money), the pictures are extremely basic, and there is a lot of stuff about making your own microscope out of bits and pieces lying around as ones you can buy are either no good or too expensive - which I hope is no longer the case.
  
  Anyway, I like Patrick Moore and this did the basic job I wanted so I can't complain, but I imagine there is something much more up to date that might better suit anyone else looking to quickly get to grips with the initial elements of astronomy.
• 
  Neo M

  Great for beginner's
• 
  Derek

  The book that sparked my own interest in astronomy. Written by the legendary British astronomer Patrick Moore, and aimed at total beginners and younger readers. Moore's restrained enthusiasm is from a bygone age, but I'm sure he retains the ability to delight today's budding stargazers.
• 
  Luke Bell

  Quite dated now in many respects, but a useful little guide to the constellations and planets.