Telescopes and Techniques

The modern aspiring astronomer is faced with a bewil­ dering choice of commercially produced telescopes, including all the designs considered in the preceding chapter. Yet only four decades ago the choice for a small telescope would have been between just a refrac­ tor and a Newtonian reflector. That change has come about because of the enormous interest that has grown in astronomy since the start of the space age and with the mind-boggling discoveries of the past 30 or 40 years. Except for some of the very small instruments which are unfortunately often heavily promoted in general mail order catalogues, camera shops and the like, the optical quality of these commercially pro­ duced telescopes is almost uniformly excellent. Although one product may be slightly better for some types of observation, or more suited to the personal cir­ cumstances of the observer, than another, most of them will provide excellent observing opportunities. The same general praise cannot be applied, however, to the mountings with which many of these telescopes are provided, and those problems are covered in Chapter 6.

From the reviews:

"The stated aim of this publication is to introduce aspiring astronomers, be they students or amateurs, to the basic techniques required for using telescopes and accessories and finding objects in the night sky. ... Throughout are numerous black-white drawings which well illustrate the text. … Exercises appear at the end of each appropriate chapter, the answers to be found at the back of the book. … a publication which can be confidently recommended to aspiring astronomers setting out on their journey to the stars." (Richard Chambers, The Observatory, Vol. 124 (1181), 2004)

From the reviews of the second edition:

"Chris Kitchin’s updated Telescopes and Techniques is described as ‘… an introduction for anyone wanting a firm grounding in the essentials of astronomy’. The author has aimed the book primarily for first-year astronomy or physics students … . The book itself is beautifully presented … . For the student or armchair astronomer this book is a must have, and a worthwhile investment for more actively minded amateurs who are starting out in astronomy … . has a place in any budding astronomer’s library." (Cameron Jack, Southern Stars, 2004)

"In 1995 Chris Kitchin set out to provide an introduction for undergraduates and the interested layman that covered the basic techniques in astronomy … . This 2nd edition covers a wide range of subjects from types of telescope through visual observing, data reduction and radio astronomy to spectrometry … . I found his account of ‘aberrations’ and ‘positions and motions’ particularly interesting, and it was impressive to see the different types of polarisation summed up so succinctly. … a book well worth reading." (Grant Privett, Astronomy Now, May, 2004)