The Messier's catalog of 109 'non-stellar' objects is still used by amateur astronomers as a guide to interesting objects to view and image. In 1995 the notable English astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore published his own catalog of a further 109 objects, to complement the Messier catalog and provide an extended list of fascinating targets for amateur astronomers. He called it the Caldwell Catalog (Sir Patrick's full name is Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore), the 'M' designation having already been used by Messier. Some of the objects included are Caldwell 11 (The Bubble Nebula), spiral galaxy Calwell 30, and Caldwell 49 and 50 (The Rosette Nebulae). Along with Messier's list and Herschel's list of mostly faint 'non-stellar' objects, the Caldwell objects are now programmed into many automated telescope controllers. This allows all of these objects to be located easily even by newcomer astronomers. The Caldwell objects are just as spectacular as the 'M' objects, especially when using the large telescopes and the sensitive CCD cameras readily available today. The Caldwell Objects and How to Observe Them comprehensively describes all of the 109 Caldwell objects, with specific advice on how to find them (if necessary with a 'Go-To' telescope), how to visually observe or image them, and how to image-process the results. There is information about the optimum astronomical equipment to use for each object and, for those who prefer to make sketches, there is advice on drawing these extended objects at the eyepiece.
There have been only a handful of famous deep sky "catalogs," including Charles Messiers, which was the first and remains the most famous. Messier was a comet hunter, and in the late 1700s he published a list of 109 objects in the sky that were not comets.
In December 1995, Sky & Telescope published a list of deep sky objects sent to them by British amateur astronomer extraordinare, Sir Patrick Moore (officially, Sir Patrick Caldwell-Moore). It was a huge hit! Sir Patrick may be the most prolific authors of astronomy books for all time and has been presenting the BBC Sky at Night television series since April 1957. Moores list contained 109 non-Messier objects that were Patricks favorites, many of them visible only in the southern hemisphere. Accompanying the list of objects were long exposure black and white and color photographs of some of these objects.
In this book Martin Mobberley, who has known Sir Patrick Moore for many years, describes these objects and tells how to locate them. He discusses the best ways to visually observe them and image them. He also tells a little of Moores life and observing practices and how he made his choices for the "catalog."
If youre wanting a challenge for your newly acquired telescope, or are interested in seeing what others have highlighted as some of the greatest sights in the night sky, this book will set you on the path of discovery.
