in the shops
The latest books, apps, software, tech and accessories for space and astronomy fans alike
The best books, apps, software and accessories
Book Photographing the Deep Sky: Images in Space and Time
Cost: £20.00 (approx. $26.50) From: Pen & Sword Books Ltd.
Being aware of author Chris Baker’s astroimages, we were excited to get our hands on his book to feast our eyes on more of his exquisite work. We were not disappointed - there are a multitude of pictures showing nebulae, galaxies and other celestial wonders, revealing the many exuberant colours and fine details that can only be imaged with a great-quality telescope.
The pages of Photographing the Deep Sky offers excellent advice on how to image all kinds of targets and is packed with information on telescopes, filters and tips and tricks on imaging far-flung objects. Details on these deep-sky targets in more of a scientific sense are also included, where Baker briefly explains the nitty-gritty theory behind the objects. Although the pictures are glorious, and the fine glossy paper really emphasises them, we believe there could have been more text to describe the accompanying images in much more enticing detail. This is the only criticism of this book, since the main appeal are its images, not really dampening any enjoyment of the stunning astronomical sights printed on its pages.
Accessories Explore Scientific 11mm 82° Eyepiece
Cost: £133.00 (approx. $176.00) From: Rother Valley Optics Ltd.
Our overall impression was extremely positive and we consider this eyepiece - from the independent Explore Scientific - great value for money. If you’re spending long hours observing, then you'll need an eyepiece that is mainly two things: has good quality optics which return the best views possible and is comfortable to use.
The eyepiece's design affords the observer both of these traits, allowing them to get the most out of an observing session. As for the eyepiece’s optical capabilities, it returned crisp and clear images and would resolve any object we turned our telescope to - notably excelling with brighter objects in the sky such as the Moon and Jupiter, returning breathtaking views. It is important to note that the manufacturers recommend this eyepiece to be used with telescopes that have a focal ratio of f/5 and above, meaning that it is best suited for more wide-field observations, such as those of galaxy and star clusters.
The price may appear costly to the beginner, but as an experienced astronomer it can make or break a good observing opportunity. With a strong and comfortable design along with great optics, we would recommend Explore Scientific's latest offering to the more seasoned astronomer.
App SkySafari 6 Pro
Cost: £38.99 (approx. $50.00) For: iOS
This is the ultimate astronomy app in our opinion. The pricetag is hefty, but what you get is an unprecedented amount of information with an enjoyable interactive interface of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulae and more. However, there is a downside to SkySafari 6 Pro: there is so much to this package that it takes up just shy of two gigabytes of your storage sadly a bugbear for those who don’t have enough memory on their device.
Not only is its database vast, but it is also designed to help you with your observing sessions. Its planetarium system, which can be switched to red light in order to preserve night vision, can help you navigate around the night sky and find your intended objects. It can be used to control a telescope as well, slewing to your target without even having to touch your instrument.
The capabilities of this app are endless (we advise you have a play on a trial version!), so if you are looking for one astronomy app that does everything, then we can't recommend SkySafari 6 Pro enough.
Accessories Celestron TrekGuide
Cost: £22.00 (approx. $29.00) From: Celestron
A digital compass, thermometer and clock all condensed into this pocketsized device. Lugging around equipment including heavy telescopes, mounts and tripods can be a massive nuisance, so anything that is compact, light and useful is extremely welcomed. The TrekGuide is powered by two CR2032
Lithium batteries and will help you on your navigation and preparation ahead of a night’s observing. Built into the TrekGuide is a bubble level that will come in handy when setting up your telescope to ensure a proper construction.
The compass is most useful in the alignment process of a telescope to ensure it's pointing towards the north or south star, depending on which hemisphere you are located. The other aspects, such as temperature, time and so on are more for a general overview of the night. Testing the device tells us that it does the job - and you won’t get lost when wandering through the countryside trying to find the best spot for night-sky observing.