The Herschel 400 is a list of 400 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters, picked from over 2,500 deep-sky objects discovered and catalogued by the great eighteenth-century astronomer Sir William Herschel and his sister Caroline. It comprises 231 galaxies, 107 open clusters, 33 globular clusters, 20 planetary nebulae, 2 halves of a single planetary nebula, and 7 bright nebulae. In this guide Steve O'Meara takes the observer through the list, season by season, month by month, night by night, object by object. He works through the objects in a carefully planned and methodical way, taking in some of the most dramatic non-Messier galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters in the night sky. Ideal for astronomers who have tackled the Messier objects, this richly illustrated guide will help the amateur astronomer hone their observing skills.
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed
-
Herschel Supply Co. Heritage Backpack - Black
£54.99 - £60.00
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
Review of the Hardback: 'O'Meara takes a list of admittedly faint objects and injects new life into them. Right or wrong, many amateur astronomers won't consider you a top-level observer until you've completed the Herschel 400. Don't do it for them, however. Pick up this book, set up your telescope, and do it for yourself. It's a lot of fun.' Michael Bakich, Astronomy.com
'This book is a great way of pushing beyond the popular Messier catalogue to broaden your viewing horizons.' Paul Money, Sky at Night Magazine
'[This book] is a far better guide to the Herschel objects than the one available from the AL. It is well presented … to be recommended to observers looking for an organized project with medium-sized telescopes after completing the Messier list.' Owen Brazell, The Observatory
'The Herschel 400 Observing Guide is a very good book, whose main strength is its instructions for locating objects. Even if you are not interested in seeing all of the Herschel 400 objects, I recommend it as a good mid-range guide to the deep sky.' Lee Macdonald, Journal of the British Astronomical Association
'This book is very nicely produced. … The layout is very well thought out … [O'Meara] works through the objects in a carefully planned and methodical way, ensuring that the minimum of telescope time is employed in locating objects and in moving from one object to the next.' Alex Crowther, Astronomy and Space
'This book is a great way of pushing beyond the popular Messier catalogue to broaden your viewing horizons.' Paul Money, Sky at Night Magazine
'[This book] is a far better guide to the Herschel objects than the one available from the AL. It is well presented … to be recommended to observers looking for an organized project with medium-sized telescopes after completing the Messier list.' Owen Brazell, The Observatory
'The Herschel 400 Observing Guide is a very good book, whose main strength is its instructions for locating objects. Even if you are not interested in seeing all of the Herschel 400 objects, I recommend it as a good mid-range guide to the deep sky.' Lee Macdonald, Journal of the British Astronomical Association
'This book is very nicely produced. … The layout is very well thought out … [O'Meara] works through the objects in a carefully planned and methodical way, ensuring that the minimum of telescope time is employed in locating objects and in moving from one object to the next.' Alex Crowther, Astronomy and Space
Book Description
In this guide Steve O'Meara leads the observer through the 400 galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters in the Herschel 400 list in a carefully planned and methodical way. Ideal for astronomers who have tackled the Messier objects, this richly illustrated guide will help the amateur astronomer hone their observing skills.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Herschel 400 is a list of 400 objects catalogued by the eighteenth century astronomers Caroline and William Herschel. I put Caroline's name first here because she apparently made a couple of new discoveries, not on Messier's list, and this prompted William to start his own in-depth search for new "nebulae". Working together the search produced over 2,500 objects of which the most impressive 400 were chosen to create the Herschel 400 catalogue. Objects in this catalogue include galaxies, open clusters, planetary nebulae, bright nebulae and globular clusters.
If you have exhausted the Messier and Caldwell catalogues, then the Herschel 400 may well be next on your list. O'Meara has listed these objects month by month for ease of observing. He tells you clearly how to locate each object and gives a general (usually short) description for each object. Black and white images as well as wide-field and narrow-field star charts accompany the text to make location of the objects easier. All the objects are listed in Appendix A, there is an Appendix B checklist of the 400, and there is a good index. But I find the book is a let-down after the superb Messier objects, Caldwell Objects and Hidden Treasures all written by O'Meara, and all incidentally also published by Cambridge.
So what went wrong? In my opinion, if you have a winning formula stick with it! If it ain't broke don't fix it. Several things have changed from the winning formula, none of which I personally find an improvement. The first and most important part that is missing as far as I'm concerned is the superb in-depth description of objects as given in his previous works. The general descriptions given in the Herschel 400 are short, accurate and clinical - not much "heart and soul" has gone into this work. I have a feeling that this book was turned out rather quickly - although I could easily be wrong on this. Other small changes in detail also annoy. Although this is published by Cambridge just like Messier objects, Caldwell objects and Hidden Treasures, the book is a different format from the others (27.6 x 21.8 x 3 cm) and sticks out noticeably on the shelf from the others - why? O.K. so it's not in the Deep-Sky Companions series of books - but then you might ask, why again? Stephen James O'Meara has also become Steve O'Meara on the cover of the Herschel 400 - sorry, but none of these changes improve things for me at all. Finally the price! This book is really rather expensive, even for a specialist readership.
So to summarise. If you want a book of the Herschel 400 objects, how to find them, what they look like, and a general description of them - this is the book. But be prepared for disappointment. If you have enjoyed the Messier objects, the Caldwell objects and Hidden Treasures half as much as I have, then the Herschel 400 will leave you feeling let down. I just don't get the impression that O'Meara's heart and soul went into this one. And once again, did I mention the price?
If you have exhausted the Messier and Caldwell catalogues, then the Herschel 400 may well be next on your list. O'Meara has listed these objects month by month for ease of observing. He tells you clearly how to locate each object and gives a general (usually short) description for each object. Black and white images as well as wide-field and narrow-field star charts accompany the text to make location of the objects easier. All the objects are listed in Appendix A, there is an Appendix B checklist of the 400, and there is a good index. But I find the book is a let-down after the superb Messier objects, Caldwell Objects and Hidden Treasures all written by O'Meara, and all incidentally also published by Cambridge.
So what went wrong? In my opinion, if you have a winning formula stick with it! If it ain't broke don't fix it. Several things have changed from the winning formula, none of which I personally find an improvement. The first and most important part that is missing as far as I'm concerned is the superb in-depth description of objects as given in his previous works. The general descriptions given in the Herschel 400 are short, accurate and clinical - not much "heart and soul" has gone into this work. I have a feeling that this book was turned out rather quickly - although I could easily be wrong on this. Other small changes in detail also annoy. Although this is published by Cambridge just like Messier objects, Caldwell objects and Hidden Treasures, the book is a different format from the others (27.6 x 21.8 x 3 cm) and sticks out noticeably on the shelf from the others - why? O.K. so it's not in the Deep-Sky Companions series of books - but then you might ask, why again? Stephen James O'Meara has also become Steve O'Meara on the cover of the Herschel 400 - sorry, but none of these changes improve things for me at all. Finally the price! This book is really rather expensive, even for a specialist readership.
So to summarise. If you want a book of the Herschel 400 objects, how to find them, what they look like, and a general description of them - this is the book. But be prepared for disappointment. If you have enjoyed the Messier objects, the Caldwell objects and Hidden Treasures half as much as I have, then the Herschel 400 will leave you feeling let down. I just don't get the impression that O'Meara's heart and soul went into this one. And once again, did I mention the price?
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars
9 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good down to earth method to get there
13 Aug 2008
By Pierre Dessemontet
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
For who is accustomed to lavishly laid-out O'Meara's other guides (the Deep-Sky Companions), well, this is not it. No beautiful sketches taken at the ocular from the master, no thoroughly developed histories of the objects, their discovery and particularities.
Instead, what you have here is a very clearly laid-out plan to tackle the Herschel 400 night by night, month by month, short descriptions to what there is to see and the difficulty of the object, a description of the the nightly star-hop to bag them, and a smallish picture of the object. It reminds me of The Year-Round Messier Marathon Field Guide: With Complete Maps, Charts and Tips to Guide You to Enjoying the Most Famous List of Deep-Sky Objects, in that it is really a guide to get there. In all, a very good book, quite useful if you intend to go deeper than Messier.
One thing though (and four stars instead of five)- as compared to his previous guides, the mapping is dissapointing, and the finder maps are quite useless; you will need a good star atlas (Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas, or Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2nd Deluxe Edition by Wil Tirion (Author), Roger W. Sinnott (Author)) along to tackle the faint fuzzies.
Instead, what you have here is a very clearly laid-out plan to tackle the Herschel 400 night by night, month by month, short descriptions to what there is to see and the difficulty of the object, a description of the the nightly star-hop to bag them, and a smallish picture of the object. It reminds me of The Year-Round Messier Marathon Field Guide: With Complete Maps, Charts and Tips to Guide You to Enjoying the Most Famous List of Deep-Sky Objects, in that it is really a guide to get there. In all, a very good book, quite useful if you intend to go deeper than Messier.
One thing though (and four stars instead of five)- as compared to his previous guides, the mapping is dissapointing, and the finder maps are quite useless; you will need a good star atlas (Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas, or Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2nd Deluxe Edition by Wil Tirion (Author), Roger W. Sinnott (Author)) along to tackle the faint fuzzies.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book I really use
17 Nov 2009
By R. Allnutt
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I use this book every time I go out to knock out another part of the Herschel 400 list. Mr O'Meara has created just the right book for the purpose. I really like his Messier book and the drawings in it are just what I needed to get started with deep sky objects. This book is different, than the Messier book, but is still just what I need to work this much harder list.
By now, I get the principle of what something looks like, and how it looks different than photographs. Now, I just want some help finding the object. This book gives me just what I need to bridge the gap between an atlas and the object I am looking for.
I start out with an area of the sky I want to investigate on a particular month. Mr O'Meara's approach takes me from a simple atlas through a practical star hop to the object. Using a simple Dobsonian scope, I am not able to just scan the area for a bright object (like I did with the Messier objects). Instead, I need hints and surrounding stars to hone in to the exact area of sky I will be looking at.
The attached photo for each object is just enough to let me know that I am looking at the object I am meant to be seeing. I have not glommed in on a nearby brighter object.
I have used the book to find 54 of the 400 so far. The binding is staying in good shape, though some of the pages are warped with dew. This practical book will likely be worn out by my search through these deep sky objects. But like a great text book, I will hold on to it as a testament to the work I did and the things I learned while I was growing in my observing skills.
By now, I get the principle of what something looks like, and how it looks different than photographs. Now, I just want some help finding the object. This book gives me just what I need to bridge the gap between an atlas and the object I am looking for.
I start out with an area of the sky I want to investigate on a particular month. Mr O'Meara's approach takes me from a simple atlas through a practical star hop to the object. Using a simple Dobsonian scope, I am not able to just scan the area for a bright object (like I did with the Messier objects). Instead, I need hints and surrounding stars to hone in to the exact area of sky I will be looking at.
The attached photo for each object is just enough to let me know that I am looking at the object I am meant to be seeing. I have not glommed in on a nearby brighter object.
I have used the book to find 54 of the 400 so far. The binding is staying in good shape, though some of the pages are warped with dew. This practical book will likely be worn out by my search through these deep sky objects. But like a great text book, I will hold on to it as a testament to the work I did and the things I learned while I was growing in my observing skills.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Herschel 400 seen by the best eyes in Astronomy
23 Nov 2008
By Paul H. Guttman
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Steve O'Meara is not only one of the most prolific of writers in Astronomy, but also blessed with incredibly sharp vision. He described visually radial banding in the rings of Saturn years before it was proven with the Cassini probe! His sharpness of vision is in evidence by his attention to detail and consistency of presentation that makes Herschel 400 a "must own" field guide for the amateur and professional observer. One word of advice to the visually challenged, some of the Herschel objects are very faint; a large Dobsonian mounted Newtonian telescope of 12" or larger equipped with quality eyepieces will bring out the resolution and details that you might expect to see from the photographs in the book.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Science & Nature > Astronomy & Cosmology > Astronomy > Star Gazing
- Books > Science & Nature > Astronomy & Cosmology > Cosmology
- Books > Science & Nature > Astronomy & Cosmology > Education
- Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Education > Higher Education
- Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Popular Maths
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Astronomy & Cosmology > Astronomy
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Astronomy & Cosmology > Cosmology
- Books > Study Books
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
