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"Astronomy 2009" Wall Calendar Edited by Terrence Dickinson

24 pages, annually revised, 2009 edition
Firefly Books Ltd.; ISBN: 1552973352
Dimensions (in inches): 14 inches wide x 12 inches tall (closed)
Provided plastic shrinkwrapped

Click on image at left to view enlargement (111,839 bytes)

"Astronomy 2009 Wall Calendar" is among the publications which Company Seven recommends to those persons who attracted to astronomy and who may or may have no observational experience. This is most popular among our customers who are new to the hobby and seek a combination of inspiration and tips on what to see and when, and it is often bought as a gift.

Fully color illustrated, it is described by the publisher (and quoted by every other on line reseller as if they had ever looked inside) as:

Majestic spiral arms of a remote galaxy shimmer from the combined light of 50 billion stars. The ethereal curtains of the aurora borealis ripple across the night sky. Vast clouds of gas and dust, 10,000 times wider than the solar system, pervade the galaxy. Captured by the cameras of talented amateur astronomers and by the world's most powerful research telescopes, the universe's impressive wonders are presented in Astronomy 2009 in brilliant high-resolution color.
This 12-image collection was compiled by stargazing authority Terence Dickinson, author of Nightwatch. He brings a wealth of practical experience to the calendar's diary of predicted celestial events, which range from meteor showers to eclipses.

Terence Dickinson is the best-selling author of 13 other astronomy books, including Nightwatch, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, and The Universe and Beyond. He has received many national and international science awards, including the New York Academy of Science Book of the Year Award.

This product is revised annually so that it provides the latest information about known coming celestial events (Moon phases, meteor showers, eclipses, etc.), historic events in astronomy, and major holidays. And each month's calendar is headed with one of the twelve (12) amazing 14 x 12 inch color astrophotographs taken by the author, by NASA, and by other amateurs and professionals:

Contents

January: Great Carina Nebula, a vast star-birth region of our Galaxy
February: NGC 1672, a Spiral Barred Galaxy in constellation Dorado
March: Aurora Borealis of 7 November 2004

April: The Milky Way as seen from Australia
May: Saturn as imaged by NASA Cassini spacecraft
June: core of the Great Carina Nebula

July: NASA Lunar Rover on the Moon
August: Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major
September: NGC 602, star forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud

October: NASA Hubble Space Telescope image showing the collision of two galaxies (cover also)
November: Saturn as imaged by NASA Cassini spacecraft
December: NGC 2440, Planetary Nebula

As convenient as this Calendar is to buy, as amazing as the pictures are, and as well printed as they are too, some of us at Company Seven are left thinking "so what, one can find these images anywhere on the Web - at NASA, Space Telescope Institute, etc. The Editor is mostly milking Public Domain images". So we at one of the America's last remaining astronomy oriented telescope shops would prefer to see astrophotographs taken by Earth-based telescopes, those made even more amazing by their innovative use of emerging technologies and techniques.

Price $13.95 (U.S.D.); please add $8.00 for packing and domestic postage, or $18.00 for international postage.

The Author:

Terrence Dickinson with Astro-Physics Model 1200 Mount (32398 bytes) Terrence Dickinson with one of our Astro-Physics Model 1200 German Equatorial Mount.

Terrence Dickinson: a leading astronomy writer is the author of fourteen books. He has received numerous national and international awards for his work, among them the New York Academy of Sciences book of the year award and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's Klumpke-Roberts Award for outstanding contributions in communicating astronomy to the public. In 1994, asteroid 5272 Dickinson was named after him. In 1995, he received the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian achievement award. A former editor of Astronomy magazine, Dickinson was an instructor at several science museums and planetariums in Canada and in the United States before turning to science writing full time in 1976. His articles have appeared in many magazines, and he writes a weekly astronomy column for The Toronto Star and a consultant for the Canadian Discovery Channel. He also teaches astronomy part-time at St. Lawrence College, Kingston, Ontario.

Dickinson traces his interest in astronomy back to the age of 5, when he was fascinated by the sight of a bright meteor. At 14, he received a good quality 60mm refractor telescope as a Christmas present and since then has owned more than 20 different telescopes. Today, he observes under sixth magnitude night skies, and enjoys astrophotography (having taken most of the pictures in his "Nightwatch" book from his backyard). He lives near the village of Yarker, in rural eastern Ontario where he enjoys dark night skies above his backyard roll off roof observatory crammed with telescopes and astrocameras.

Terrence is most familiar to amateur astronomers for his books including:

Nightwatch A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe; Firefly Books, revised edition 2006.
Exploring the Night Sky: The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Beginners; Camden House, 1988.
Exploring the Sky by Day: An Equinox Guide to Weather and the Atmosphere; Camden House, 1988
The Universe and Beyond (Third Edition): Camden House, 1999
The Backyard Astronomer's Guide 3rd Edition - Revised And Expanded, Firefly Books, 2008