Review: Human Vision and the Night Sky

Human vision and the night sky
By Michael Borgia

This great little book has much to recommend it. Not since reading Astronomy Hacks have I come across such a good list of observing projects. 

While the deep sky projects are worth persuing, it is in the extensive set of solar system projects where this book excels. 

As one example, nowhere else have I seen such good descriptions of finding the smaller moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

Published in 2006 as part of the Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, the book is a little out of date on the most recent Hubble findings. It is full of observing notes that would have been mote interesting before 2010 and I think most of it was written about 2003-4. . 

The photographs and photographic techniques seem pretty old and out of date. They do not represent techniques of 2010. 

But the approach to simple visual astronomy will speak well for many years to come.

My thanks to Matt and Tina Rottman for letting me read their copy of the book. I think I will attempt to find the book on used book shelves.