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Advance praise: 'Deep-sky observers will appreciate this comprehensive guide that offers clear descriptions of the visual telescopic appearance of each one of the over 2400 Herschel objects. Wisely using NGC designations throughout, author Mark Bratton has produced a meticulous and highly useful contribution to amateur astronomy. Highly recommended.' Terence Dickinson, Editor, SkyNews magazine 'Some books have already appeared about the 2500 deep sky objects discovered by William Herschel in the late eighteenth century, but Mark Bratton's The Complete Guide to the Herschel Objects is an exceptional one. It comprehensively covers the subject, giving an inspiring combination of history, theory and practical observing. The historical part describes the pre-Herschel findings, Herschel's telescopes, observing methods and his many discoveries. This valuable information establishes the basis for Bratton's own observations of the Herschel objects, made with various telescopes from different sites. The presented results show his great experience as a visual observer. This well organized book is an important tool for anyone interested in deep sky objects, both from the historical and practical point of view.' Wolfgang Steinicke, author of Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters
Review
'Deep-sky observers will appreciate this comprehensive guide that offers clear descriptions of the visual telescopic appearance of each one of the over 2400 Herschel objects. Wisely using NGC designations throughout, author Mark Bratton has produced a meticulous and highly useful contribution to amateur astronomy. Highly recommended.' Terence Dickinson, Editor, SkyNews magazine
'Some books have already appeared about the 2500 deep sky objects discovered by William Herschel in the late eighteenth century, but Mark Bratton's The Complete Guide to the Herschel Objects is an exceptional one. It comprehensively covers the subject, giving an inspiring combination of history, theory and practical observing. The historical part describes the pre-Herschel findings, Herschel's telescopes, observing methods and his many discoveries. This valuable information establishes the basis for Bratton's own observations of the Herschel objects, made with various telescopes from different sites. The presented results show his great experience as a visual observer. This well organized book is an important tool for anyone interested in deep sky objects, both from the historical and practical point of view.' Wolfgang Steinicke, author of Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters
'… as a guide to the Herschel objects this book is excellent. I would definitely recommend it to all deep sky observers and those interested in the historical aspect of deep sky observing, particularly William Herschel's contribution. If you're a serious deep sky observer who has advanced beyond the Messiers and are doing the Herschel Objects (the Herschel 400 is often viewed as the 'next step'), then this book is for you. Highly recommended.' FJAstronomy.com
'4 stars: This in-depth guide takes the reader through a fascinating history of William Herschel: the man, the observer and the telescope maker … a well researched reference book.' BBC Sky at Night Magazine
'… meticulously researched and there is an outstanding attention to detail throughout.' Astronomy Now
'Some books have already appeared about the 2500 deep sky objects discovered by William Herschel in the late eighteenth century, but Mark Bratton's The Complete Guide to the Herschel Objects is an exceptional one. It comprehensively covers the subject, giving an inspiring combination of history, theory and practical observing. The historical part describes the pre-Herschel findings, Herschel's telescopes, observing methods and his many discoveries. This valuable information establishes the basis for Bratton's own observations of the Herschel objects, made with various telescopes from different sites. The presented results show his great experience as a visual observer. This well organized book is an important tool for anyone interested in deep sky objects, both from the historical and practical point of view.' Wolfgang Steinicke, author of Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters
'… as a guide to the Herschel objects this book is excellent. I would definitely recommend it to all deep sky observers and those interested in the historical aspect of deep sky observing, particularly William Herschel's contribution. If you're a serious deep sky observer who has advanced beyond the Messiers and are doing the Herschel Objects (the Herschel 400 is often viewed as the 'next step'), then this book is for you. Highly recommended.' FJAstronomy.com
'4 stars: This in-depth guide takes the reader through a fascinating history of William Herschel: the man, the observer and the telescope maker … a well researched reference book.' BBC Sky at Night Magazine
'… meticulously researched and there is an outstanding attention to detail throughout.' Astronomy Now
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
The definitive book on the Hershel Objects
12 Nov 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a book that doesn't just come along once in a lifetime or once in a century, but once in two centuries. To my knowledge, not since William Hershel created his catalogs between 1786 and 1802 has there been a comprehensive volume written by someone who has personally observed each and every one of the Hershel objects (and like Hershel, without the aid of electronics). Add to this the fact that Mark Bratton is an "observer's observer" who knows how to organize an observing book in a logical, straightforward manner. No organization by RA and Dec. here. The book is organized by constellations, which for most observers, is the way they think of the sky.
The illustrations are also organized in a useful way. Instead of filling the volume with gorgeous Hubble images (which the observer at the eyepiece will never see), the illustrations are either DSS images or (most happily) sketches done by the author himself. At first blush, you might think it would have been nice to have an illustration of each of the Hershel objects, but who would want to buy a multi-volume set that weighed seven pounds just to see hundreds of pictures of elliptical galaxies. For the most part, the illustrations chosen detail areas of the sky that have several Hershel objects in the same field. This can be extremely helpful in the field.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of observing with Mark can tell you of the animated way in which he describes even the most mundane of the Hershel objects. The fact that he has personally observed each object produces much more accurate descriptions of their visual appearance, than someone who is extrapolating from a photograph what "should" be visible in the eyepiece. The fact that he includes his own observation notes alongside those of Hershel is especially helpful. On an observing trip with the author, I was able to see several Hershel objects, which would otherwise have gone unnoticed, based on his meticulous descriptions of them, from memory.
With the advent of go-to scopes and digital setting circles, it is unlikely that there will ever be another human being who accomplishes this herculean task, let alone putting it into a very well organized and readable book. Every other volume I have seen on the Hershel objects covers at best only a few hundred of them. This is really the definitive reference for the entire Hershel catalog. It is a long awaited and very satisfying addition to my astronomical library, and more importantly, just picking it up and glancing through it fills me with an intense desire to go out and observe.
The illustrations are also organized in a useful way. Instead of filling the volume with gorgeous Hubble images (which the observer at the eyepiece will never see), the illustrations are either DSS images or (most happily) sketches done by the author himself. At first blush, you might think it would have been nice to have an illustration of each of the Hershel objects, but who would want to buy a multi-volume set that weighed seven pounds just to see hundreds of pictures of elliptical galaxies. For the most part, the illustrations chosen detail areas of the sky that have several Hershel objects in the same field. This can be extremely helpful in the field.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of observing with Mark can tell you of the animated way in which he describes even the most mundane of the Hershel objects. The fact that he has personally observed each object produces much more accurate descriptions of their visual appearance, than someone who is extrapolating from a photograph what "should" be visible in the eyepiece. The fact that he includes his own observation notes alongside those of Hershel is especially helpful. On an observing trip with the author, I was able to see several Hershel objects, which would otherwise have gone unnoticed, based on his meticulous descriptions of them, from memory.
With the advent of go-to scopes and digital setting circles, it is unlikely that there will ever be another human being who accomplishes this herculean task, let alone putting it into a very well organized and readable book. Every other volume I have seen on the Hershel objects covers at best only a few hundred of them. This is really the definitive reference for the entire Hershel catalog. It is a long awaited and very satisfying addition to my astronomical library, and more importantly, just picking it up and glancing through it fills me with an intense desire to go out and observe.
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