Turn Left at Orion

Many people yearn to know more about the universe and love the idea of purchasing a telescope to stargaze in their backyard. For many people, though, that passion is never fulfilled. While thousands of telescopes are purchased every year, many end up being used just once or twice before they’re forgotten. Why?

Because although in principle amateur astronomy is simple, it can actually be quite difficult for the novice to get into the hobby. Using a telescope itself can be a challenging task, and even those who master the proper technique for using their equipment often give up looking at the night sky because they have a difficult time finding objects. Guy Consolmagno and Dan Davis’ book “Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope – and How to Find Them” was written to be a solution to these problems.

The material is geared towards those who have little or no background with astronomy, and can be a valuable companion to beginner stargazers as it simply written, making it approachable and reader friendly. With this guide, anyone can go from unboxing a telescope to spotting interesting, exciting objects in the night sky in no time.

In the pages of this guidebook you’ll find everything that you need to know to begin enjoying astronomy as a hobby. The book begins by explaining what the different types of telescopes are, so that amateurs can choose the right type for their needs. It also clearly explains how to properly use both telescopes and binoculars, thus greatly eliminating the frustrations that many beginners experience.

After delving into how to use a telescope, the book teaches how to locate specific objects in the night sky, and how to use a telescope to see the Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. It even talks about how to locate and utilize geostationary satellites.

With “Turn Left at Orion” an amateur hobbyist can quickly determine what objects are most likely to be visible in his or her hemisphere during any season. The book is filled with useful charts and has some diagrams not found in other works, including seasonal maps of the Moon’s surface. There are more than 500 illustrations included in the book, and the text and images are all intuitively arranged, so you can quickly flip to the information you need when you are out stargazing.