Recommended Reading

An observing guide I often reach for when planning an observing session or checking my notes later. Includes thousands of observations of deep sky objects through various apertures, along with sketches and charts. Volume 3 covers the southern sky. Many of my own visual descriptions appear throughout.

This essential guide for advanced deep-sky observers is an in-depth constellation-by-constellation survey of the entire sky. It's an ambitious blend of astrophysics, history, and visual observation that you won't find anywhere else. Many of my visual descriptions are featured throughout this on-going series.

Meticulous visual descriptions of over 2,000 objects observed by Brian Skiff and Christian Luginbuhl at dark sites. This foundational reference sets the standard for visual descriptions using telescopes of 2.4-inch to 12-inch apertures, and I still consult it regularly to compare my own notes.

This companion book to the Interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas is an invaluable spiral-bound guide pairing long-exposure labeled images with eyepiece sketches and data for over 2000 deep sky objects. The field edition lives on my observing table at night.

A collection of 100 outstanding "Deep-Sky Wonders" articles from Sky & Telescope author Sue French, organized by season and month. It includes numerous showpiece objects geared toward beginner and intermediate observers, as well as obscure objects and challenges for advanced observers. Beautifully written with a perfect balance of visual descriptions through various apertures, star-hopping advice, historical background, and some astrophysics.

I consider this book a must have for serious deep sky observers, but it has something for everyone! Phil Harrington includes 187 challenge objects divided up into naked eye challenges, binocular challenges, small scope challenges (3" to 5" aperture), medium scope challenges (6" to 9.25" aperture), large scope challenges (10"-14") and monster scope challenges (15" and larger).

This 7-volume set is divided into specific object types including Double Stars (Vol. 1), Planetary and Gaseous Nebulae (Vol. 2), Open and Globular Clusters (Vol. 3), Galaxies (Vol. 4), Cluster of Galaxies (Vol. 5). It includes an in-depth discussion of each topic, finder charts, sketches, and visual observations. When I first started observing in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was my bible as no other book covered deep sky objects in such depth and I still reference it today.

This series is based on Larry Mitchell's popular "Advanced Observing Program" at the Texas Star Party, which has been a hit for 25 years at the annual event. Using a different theme each year, Larry's list offers a variety of obscure and challenging targets to visually track down and document. The series is organized by right ascension and the astrophysical significance of each object is covered thoroughly.

Steve Coe, who was a seasoned observer from Arizona and a major contributor to the Night Sky Observer's Guide, offers practical advice on deep sky observing in the first part of the book including equipment, eyepieces, taking notes, and observing sites. He includes a large selection of objects with his own eyepiece descriptions and sketches.

This out-of-print very large format observing manual and database was first published in 1987. It includes a well-chosen list of 1000 deep sky objects from the late Tomm Lorenzin, with an excellent selection of nebulae, open and globular clusters, and galaxies. You'll find essential data for each object and Tomm's short visual descriptions. I've had a copy nearby on my shelf since it was first published.

This beautiful large-format book covers each Messier object in exquisite detail, while the introductory material includes a reproduction of Messier's catalog, along with the story of Messier and his contemporary observers. The book includes detailed historical, observational, and astrophysical information for each object, as well as superb images and sketches.

Stephen James O'Meara's Deep-Sky Series is excellent and I highly recommend any in the series. His writing is engaging, filled with facts, both historical and astrophysical, and includes detailed descriptions in small telescopes. Great reference material when you want to learn about any Messier object on a cloudy night or plan your observations.

I'm not a big fan of the Caldwell List in general, but O'Meara's high quality writing on these 109 deep-sky objects, spread across the entire sky, makes this a worthwhile addition to your library. Like his Messier book, O'Meara covers the history and astrophysical properties of these objects, as well as including star charts, data, and more.

In this guidebook, Stephen O'Meara curates a selection of 109 additional deep sky gems that are missing from both the Messier and Caldwell catalogs. Although of these objects are visible in smaller scopes, his detailed descriptions include features that will challenge larger scope users. Several of the covered objects are off the beaten path and I find the book an important resource.

In this guidebook, Stephen O'Meara curates a selection of 109 additional deep sky gems that are missing from both the Messier and Caldwell catalogs. Although of these objects are visible in smaller scopes, his detailed descriptions include features that will challenge larger scope users. Several of the covered objects are off the beaten path and I find the book an important resource.

Interested in observing the entire collection of William Herschel discoveries? Then this is your ticket. Canadian observer Mark Bratton includes introductory chapters on early deep sky discoveries, a short biography of William Herschel and the story of his systematic search for the nebulae. The main part of the book, though, is Mark's concise visual descriptions of the Herschel 2,500.

If you've completed the Messier list and several popular NGC showpieces, you might want to take on the Herschel 400 list. This curated selection includes 231 galaxies, 140 open and globular clusters, and 22 nebulae. Stephen James O'Meara breaks this down into an organized observing project. He includes star-hopping direction, charts, and descriptions. O'Meara observed the entire list using just a 4-inch refractor (from dark skies in Hawaii), but there are a few targets that will challenge users of a 10-inch telescope.

For the serious galaxy observer, this book is chock-full of fascinating objects, many of which you've probably not heard of before. It contains numerous lists – often containing challenging objects – which make great observing projects. It's a treasure trove of information and includes a number of my visual descriptions.

This beautiful book is the essential guide if you're interesting in Arp's background story, his peculiar systems, and in-depth look at his entire catalog. Early chapters include information on galaxy morphology, classification schemes, Arp's classes of peculiar galaxies and his highly controversial views involving quasars, galaxies and redshifts. Monochrome negative plates are given for all 338 Arp systems, and the main section of the book covers each object in detail with modern images, data, and observing notes.

This classic book is hard to find and often expensive. Published around 1992, it includes a detailed catalog of 1340 objects, along with over 250 finder charts. Introductory chapters cover background information and the astrophysics of these ephemeral objects. But the book is best known for its large table and in-depth coverage of a selection of interesting planetary nebulae.

This self-published book is from the late planetary nebulae observer Kent Wallace. It includes his observations (either positive or negative) of over 1000 objects! This includes over 400 that he found with his C-8, numerous far southern planetary nebulae that he observed from Australia – several even in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Each object has an eyepiece sketch, discovery information, position, magnitudes, sizes, and more.

In another classic book, O'Meara covers 120 showpieces for southern hemisphere observers. He features discoveries made by the Scottish-Australia observer James Dunlop and all of these objects are visible in small or moderate-sized telescopes. As with his other books in this series, O'Meara covers the historical background, the astrophysics, and his own observations and sketches. Northern observers will want this book if they plan to visit and observe in the southern hemisphere.

This outstanding book is the one I've carried on a dozen or more observing trips to the southern hemisphere. Hartung's original 1968 version included black and white images, but was the most comprehensive guide for the southern observer. The revised second edition (published in 1995) includes color images, more introductory material, additional objects and descriptions. It's out of print and hard to find, so keep looking.

For smaller telescopes, this book can't be beat. It's essentially a compilation of Sue French's wonderful early columns in Sky & Telescope magazine titled Small Scope Sampler (and later Deep Sky Wonders). The book is organized into five chapters for each month of the year, so 60 chapters in all. Just open it up to the current month, pick a chapter, and you have a ready-made observing program for the night. Her observations were primarily made with a 4-inch (105mm) refractor, but you may find a 6-inch to 8-inch scope is necessary to duplicate her observations.

If you are interested in taking a deep dive into observing with binoculars, this is my favorite book. I guarantee you'll find plenty of targets to keep you occupied for several years. Early chapters include the basics you'll need for observing and information about binoculars. But the meat of the book covers the sky in detail by season. Crossen details hundreds of binocular targets with charts and photographs. In the process he explains the structure of the Milky Way. As a nice bonus, the back of the book includes a full atlas by Will Tirion.