Last

ReviewsCritiquesSolar System Observer’s Guide, byPeter Grego, pages 256; 13 cm 20 cm,Firefly Books Ltd., 2006. Price $17.95paperback (ISBN 1554071321).Being a planetary observing enthusiast,I eagerly accepted a friend’s request toreview the latest book dedicated to thesubject, published by Firefly Books Ltd.Aptly titled Solar System Observer’s Guide, the book is intendedfor specialists in the visual exploration of the planets. Whileamateurs solely interested in planetary imaging will no doubtfind much useful information within its pages, it is written inthe spirit of visual planetary study, an impression gained rightfrom the front cover. Pictured is an equatorially mounted,8-inch Newtonian reflecting telescope with a curved-vanesecondary holder and a low-profile Crayford focuser, an idealvisual planetary instrument.I must admit that I became a big fan of the uncomplicatedbeauty of visual planetary study from the first time I saw the gasgiants through the eyepiece. With such a beginning, I feel I canrelate to the author’s direction. Limited information is given toWebcam and other forms of imaging. Instead, Grego describesthe joy and value of sketching at the eyepiece. He includes somevery well done sketches and encourages readers to try theirhand at it themselves. He explains his reasons for drawing inChapter 2:...why go to the trouble of spending an hour or two observingand drawing astronomical objects when the CCD canapparently capture it all with great accuracy in a fractionof a second? Why observe at all, when images captured bya CCD will bring the scene live to one’s computer screenindoors? These are great questions, but they are asked onlyby those who don’t get a thrill from seeing the heavens forreal.I can hardly argue the point. After all, is that not why we all gotinto astronomy in the first place?The book starts out with a basic description of our SolarSystem’s place within our Galaxy, and moves on to describe themotion of the inferior and superior planets relative to Earth’sorbit. A brief introduction to each planet is given to whet one’sappetite for more detailed information in future chapters.Chapter 2 deals with the tools necessary for planetary observers,from an understanding of vision to telescope and accessoryselection. An unfortunate oversight is the lack of a description ofthe Maksutov Newtonian which is a fine visual instrument, it isshown in a photo, but is not described anywhere in the text. Notmentioning the advantages of binoviewers, especially for visualwork, is another omission. In contrast, the author’s comparisonof parameters such as telescope resolving power and the limitingmagnitude of varying apertures versus the correspondingsizes of lunar features and planetary objects is well done. Forexample, resolving power is related to appropriate-sized lunarcraters, and limiting magnitude to different planetary moons.Such comparisons are a clever inclusion and appreciated by thisreader.As one might expect, each Solar System body, includingcomets and asteroids, is given a separate chapter. Eachchapter contains useful information, including tables of futureoppositions, favourable elongations, etc. from the present to2016 and beyond in some cases. The tables alone make the bookworth its cost, as it makes it a handy reference guide for years tocome.As much as I enjoyed flipping through the pages, Idid notice a few shortcomings. Most notably, the book waspublished just before the astronomical community made itsdecision to demote Pluto to the status of a dwarf planet. Herethe author is a victim of bad timing. Unfortunately, it does datethe book. In the Mars chapter, the author describes surfacefeatures without having a proper map divided into longitudeand latitude grids for reference, which is just plain confusing.For Jupiter, the nomenclature of cloud features (festoons, rifts,bars, ovals, etc.) is described in text only, without any graphicalreference, which makes identification of such features morechallenging. The inclusion of sample observing templates, orat least an address where to find them on the Web, would alsohave been a useful addition. Lastly, I feel an expanded topicdedicated to atmospheric seeing conditions is a “must” in anyplanetary observing book. In fairness, the author did have a fewparagraphs about the subject, but it was not nearly enough.As every experienced planetary observer knows, the telescopeis not the limiting factor when observing the planets — it isour atmosphere. Some general guidelines such as how to assesssky seeing conditions quickly by evaluating the amount of starscintillation, or locating one’s observing site away from heatcurrents rising from roof tops and concrete slabs, should havebeen included. All are valuable tricks of the trade for optimumobserving experiences. Other important rules of thumb suchas letting one’s telescope cool to the ambient temperature, andmaintaining proper collimation, are equally as important, butwere somehow missed.Despite such issues, Solar System Observer’s Guide is a veryattractive and well illustrated book in an easy-to-read format. Itcontains much useful information, without too much technical82 Building for the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009)JRASC April / avril 2008