Recent Astronomy Articles at Cosmic Pursuits

The free e-book “Choosing Binoculars and Telescopes for Stargazing” takes you through the basics of selecting a good beginner telescope and a pair of binoculars for visual observation of the night sky. In this 50-page guide, you find out how to select the right stargazing tools for your situation, tools that will let you see thousands of dazzling celestial objects few people ever get to see. In this guide, you discover…

• Why binoculars are better than a telescope for finding your way in the night sky
• The best binocular configurations and brands for stargazing
• Why you don’t need to spend a fortune on a good pair of stargazing binoculars
• A concise and easy-to-understand primer on telescope terms and concepts
• Time-tested guidelines for choosing a good telescope to match your budget and interests
• The 10 things you must know before you invest in a new telescope
• The pros and cons of the three main types of telescopes
• Recommendations for first telescopes for new stargazers for a wide range of budgets and situations
• Must-have (and nice-to-have) accessories for new stargazers

You can download the e-book in PDF and MP3 format at the links below:

Choose Binoculars and Telescopes (PDF)

1 file(s) 1.16 MB

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Choose Binoculars and Telescopes (Audio)

1 file(s) 22.90 MB

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Or listen to the streaming audio here:

You can see much more in the night sky than just stars. From the Moon and rings of Saturn, to comets and meteor showers, from diamond-dust star clusters to swirling galaxies far outside our own, the contents of the night sky visible in a small telescope is as varied as the wildlife in a tropical jungle. In the e-book called “Extraordinary Sights: What You Can See in the Night Sky”, you discover…

• Features visible on the major planets with binoculars or a small telescope
• The best meteor showers of the year and how to observe them
• The two easiest craters on the Moon to see with a pair of binoculars
• Three celestial objects even new stargazers can see that are linked to the birth, life, and death of stars
• The critical difference between the two main types of star clusters and how it affects what to look for when you observe them
• The layout of the Milky Way and the main types of galaxies visible in a small telescope
• Plus you’ll come to understand the sometimes confusing systems astronomers use to name stars and other deep-sky objects

Click on the links below to download this free 35-page e-book PDF and audio MP3 format:

Extraordinary Sights E-Book (PDF)

1 file(s) 1.30 MB

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Extraordinary Sights E-Book (Audio)

1 file(s) 17.58 MB

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Or listen to the streaming audio here:

This is the download page for the free guide “Stargazing 101: The Night Sky for Beginners”. This 35-page PDF guide takes you through the basics of how the sky moves from day to day and how to find the bright stars and major constellations in all four seasons. It includes on-page maps and diagrams to help you find your way around the major guideposts of the heavens, as well as tips on how to read a star chart.

There’s one guide for northern hemisphere and one for the southern hemisphere.

There’s also a free audio version to download to your audio player so you can listen to these short guides while you’re under the stars.

Simply download the PDF files and print the maps to take outside on your first stargazing ventures. No telescope or binoculars required.

Northern Hemisphere Downloads:

Stargazing 101 - Northern Hemisphere (PDF)

1 file(s) 1.18 MB

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Stargazing 101 - Northern Hemisphere (Audio)

1 file(s) 14.07 MB

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Or listen to the streaming audio here:

Southern Hemisphere Downloads:

Stargazing 101 – Southern Hemisphere (PDF)

1 file(s) 1.25 MB

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Stargazing 101 – Southern Hemisphere (Audio)

1 file(s) 14.21 MB

Download

Or listen to the streaming audio here: