Star-Hopping for Backyard Astronomers

Rating:
Summary: Well done but overpriced
Review: I read through and used this book a couple months ago. I've also had the opportunity to do the same with Garfinkle's "Star-Hopping: Your Visa to Viewing the Universe". MacRobert's book is prettier, with much better maps (adapted from Tirion's works) and more colorful descriptions of the objects.

But it's short! Only 13 telescope starhops, and short ones at that! Each starhop can be leisurely completed in about an hour. Garfinkle's starhops are each about twice the length, sometimes even longer, and feature a much more varied selection of objects. Plus, Garfinkle includes nearly twice as many starhops in his book, so there's about four times as much total content. It's a 300-page book including the appendices.

MacRobert's book is great for novices with small telescopes. Owners of 6"+ scopes will not be challenged at all by most of the objects in these hops. They're just too easy, except when a gibbous or full moon is out!

I would rate this book a 3 based on value: time spent using book vs. cost. However, I'll bump it up to a 4 for the outstanding quality of the maps and for MacRobert's enjoyable descriptions to accompany each item of the starhops. If you want a great introductory star-hopping book worth the asking price, look into Garfinkle's "Star-Hopping" or Consolmagno's "Turn Left at Orion".

Rating:
Summary: Well done but overpriced
Review: I read through and used this book a couple months ago. I've also had the opportunity to do the same with Garfinkle's "Star-Hopping: Your Visa to Viewing the Universe". MacRobert's book is prettier, with much better maps (adapted from Tirion's works) and more colorful descriptions of the objects.

But it's short! Only 13 telescope starhops, and short ones at that! Each starhop can be leisurely completed in about an hour. Garfinkle's starhops are each about twice the length, sometimes even longer, and feature a much more varied selection of objects. Plus, Garfinkle includes nearly twice as many starhops in his book, so there's about four times as much total content. It's a 300-page book including the appendices.

MacRobert's book is great for novices with small telescopes. Owners of 6"+ scopes will not be challenged at all by most of the objects in these hops. They're just too easy, except when a gibbous or full moon is out!

I would rate this book a 3 based on value: time spent using book vs. cost. However, I'll bump it up to a 4 for the outstanding quality of the maps and for MacRobert's enjoyable descriptions to accompany each item of the starhops. If you want a great introductory star-hopping book worth the asking price, look into Garfinkle's "Star-Hopping" or Consolmagno's "Turn Left at Orion".

Rating:
Summary: This should be required reading for any new telescope owner!
Review: Of all the books I bought and read, this has been the most helpful. The author clearly explains the technique of star-hopping and provides 14 detailed starhops. Each hop will occupy you for around an hour. They're organized by month/season so you can pick whichever hop suits your night skies. This book also contains excellent information on choosing a telescope or binoculars and includes excellent reproductions of Tirion's Sky Atlas 2000.0 Highly recommended!