The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets: A Monthly Guide for CCD Imaging with Amateur Telescopes (The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series) 2009th Edition, Kindle Edition

The stars haven't moved, and the book gives very nice descriptions of the deep sky objects they are attached to. However, some of the information in the how-to astrophoto section is a little out of date. Specifically, the section on focusing the telescope/camera doesn't mention Bahtinov masks. Given that they were invented in 2005 and the book was published in 2008, this isn't a major sin, but one really should know about this innovation in AP. Likewise, the information regarding CCD and DSLR cameras is a bit dated. I also found the black/white images of the deep space objects to be a bit flat. But then, the whole point of the book is to list objects for the budding astrophotographer to go find and photograph in all of their celestial glory. I can recommend this book because it does have a well-organized description of deep space objects beyond the Messier objects, which, as I learned from the book, was a list of objects not to look for in Charles Messier's own search for comets.

Out of several hundred texts in my astronomy library, Kier's work is among the top ten titles. The book is dog-eared and loaded with sticky notes from continued use in the field. The work is very well organized and the author's comments and suggestions offered in a compact and insightful manner based on hundreds of hours devoted to imaging the objects presented. This book should be a mainstay for the beginning imager and the most experienced astrophotographers alike. Particularly appreciated are the recommendations for both RGB and single-shot color techniques. Kier anticipated the growth and increasing sophistication of single-shot color sensors even though the guide was written in 2009. Don't let the publication date deter you from purchasing this book--it remains relevant, although it would be great to see what the author could come up with in a second edition. More than anything, Kier's how-to guide is a cookbook for imagers, with every 2-3 pages providing the recipes needed to produce solid results. Great concept, great book.

There are a lot of books about astrophotography, and a lot more books with collections of objects to view through a telescope. But this book is one of the rare books that concentrates on objects from the perspective of an astrophotographer.Most astrophotographers stick to targets from the classic object lists by Charles Messier and William Herschel. But photography is a different discipline than observation. So the classic lists include non-photogenic objects and they miss some hard-to-view objects that are great for an imager.Ruben Kier delivers each target with three essential, but succinct, pieces: 1) the background information about the object, 2) advice on the techniques for image capture, and 3) tips for image processing. Each target treatment includes one or more photos by the author along with his imaging details. The images are excellent without being extravagant or intimidating. His processing touch is productive but gentle and the results look very real. The photo reproduction in the book is very well done by the printer so you can appreciate the quality of the original. These aren't just targets in the sky: Ruben's images are targets for aspiring imagers to match.The main section of the book holds the target information. The slimmer Section 2 includes include three short chapters on astrophotography equipment, imaging techniques and the complex process of image post-processing. This section is presented as a gateway to further investigation and isn't a replacement for dedicated books on these three subjects.The book is a valuable tool for planning and processing your images. But it's not a "field book". The perfect binding and non-laminated pages aren't built for dew-y outdoor use. However, the octavo size is very portable for imaging roadtrips. This is a "don't leave home without it" book.The book is organized for the convenience of the reader: The imaging targets are presented by the date they appear on the meridian at 9pm local standard time. By then it's dark and the scope has (hopefully) cooled to ambient temperature.Published in 2009, the book's hardware and software references are limited by that date. For example, the Section 2 discussion on focusing techniques includes basic focusing masks, but not the more recent slew of diffraction focusing tools (eg, Bahtinov). Hardware and software enumerations have unavoidably short shelf life. But luckily for imagers, the astronomy targets in the book have indefinite "use by" dates.A final observation: The promised "100 targets" actually includes 109 objects by my count. That number is the number of objects in the Messier list (and the Caldwell list and the O'Meara list). Coincidence?If you are a beginning or intermediate imager, this is a book you should have. In its narrative and photos, it's the answer to a lot of your questions. I expect many productive years from the book.

I have collected many lists of astronomy targets. This is the best list for people that want to take pictures. With a fair section of the book telling you the basics of how to take pictures (equipment, S/W, techniques). However, you will want to read additional books to tell you more details on equipment, methods, and post processing).The targets are objects that are big enough and bright enough to be seen with an average amateur telescope without needing many hours of exposure, and are also pretty to look at, and in the Northern hemisphere. (The book isn't as useful if you live in New Zealand or Australia).I really like the order in which the objects are listed, by the month/day they will be in the sky. So if want to know what you can image this month, it is very easy to find your targets and plan your session.Each target has a picture, and a good description.I'm pleased with this book, and recommend it to anyone starting off in astro photography in the Northern hemisphere.

A good selection of targets for the Northern hemisphere through out the year. If you wanted to image them all it would take you a couple of years given the poor weather we have in the UK. But the book is showing its age. A lot of the advice is outdated. By today's standard the pictures are lower quality and resolution compared to an APSC DSLR. The processing is not good either. Most people starting out today would choose a DSLR or a dedicated CMOS camera and they would quickly achieve better results than are shown in the book.

Good book for beginners in Astrophotography like myself. It has information about what targets to look for and how to image them. It also has helpful information about equipment required and how to set it up. Once you have taken your photographs it has sections on how to process them. One disappointing thing is the photographs of the targets listed in the book which are in black and white and of poor quality. For a book costing £20+ and on the subject of Astrophotography, this is rather a letdown. Overall though it is full of useful information.

Astro-imaging is a bit of a 'dark art' and you have to overcome a number of problems before any really decent results will be obtained. This book gives a very readable and in-depth account of how to overcome those problems. The advice given is clear, very clear, and is ideal for anyone starting out in this area of photography. In addition to the good advice there are 100 targets set out month by month. In short it is one of the best books on this subject that I have read. I have been imaging for only a short while and several things that I have noticed have been explained in this book and I now know what to do to improve. I cannot praise this book highly enough. Even seasoned imagers will gain something from it. I am so impressed with it that I think it should be sold with astronomy cameras, or even included in the purchase. Just brilliant!

I had downloaded a sample of the book and was impressed so ordered the paperback copy. What a disaster! The written content was informative but the picture quality was something you’d expect to see in the 1970’s. Thoroughly disappointed and returned it immediately.I did purchase the full copy of the kindle edition and have to say that is awesome, really gives you something to compare your own images with and I’m sure if the paperback was reprinted to that quality it would be a bestseller.The star rating is purely for the printed version, for the kindle edition it would easily be 4 - 4.5 stars

As an astrophotography beginner this is a good starting point. It can be a bit of a challenge to read but it is clear and gives the information you need.