Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them

This book, written by two professional astronomers, points out that the small telescope of today is the magnificent instrument beyond the dreams of Galileo or Messier*. With that foundation in place they proceed to lead you through the night sky to view the most interesting objects for small telescopes.

They begin with the deepest coverage of the moon that I have encountered yet. There are separate sections for each phase of the moon detailing highlights of what is unique at that time of the month.

Then they tour the night sky, season by season. Their directions to find items of interest don't presume that you know the constellations. Instead, in "Where to Look" they start with the bright, easy to find stars, and from there walk you over to the item. They assist your search by describing what you'll see in the finder scope and the telescope and have illustrations of what you will actually see in the telescope. (Not some picture taken by an observatory or the Hubble telescope.) In "Comments" they describe what you'll see, suggest the eyepiece to use to get the most of the view, and give details about just what that thing is.

All objects are given a 1 to 4 telescope rating to help you choose the fun ones first. The Orion Nebula is an exception that receives a 5 telescope rating: easy to find, viewable in city light haze, with different interesting views at low and high power.

Of the half dozen astronomy books I've looked over this is the hands down best book for the new owner of a telescope to have. More than any other book, it will help you get the most from your telescope. *Never heard of Messier? Most non-astronomers haven't Charles Messier hunted the skys for comets and kept coming across things that, at first glance, might be a comet. After figuring out that they weren't comets, he kept a record of them so he wouldn't waste time on them again. As it turns out this list contains some of the neatest things to see in the night sky.


The reviews nailed it   September 29, 1999
90 out of 92 found this review helpful

I had a telescope sitting in a corner looking pretty but gathering dust for three years, until I found this book. "Turn Left at Orion" has turned me on to amateur astronomy because of its straightforward, assume-nothing presentations. Using this book at my own pace, I've begun to learn the night sky and get excited about using my scope. Even though I live in the city, I find myself gazing skyward every clear night, browsing a now-familiar sky. There are other aids you'll need as an amateur astronomer, but nothing I've seen is more perfect for a beginner.


A highly effective work, for beginners and teachers.   March 12, 2001
Bill Wiegert (The Belmont Society - Belmont, NC)
67 out of 71 found this review helpful

In the Belmont Society, Turn Left at Orion is one of those enduring staples that eventually becomes an icon of eminent preservation. It's been handed down through the membership as a benchmark of highly valued works, which we've long ago earmarked for its educational value. Back on the lecture circuit some years ago, this was one of those books we always recommended as "required reading" for the beginner, along with (among others) Sagan's Cosmos, and The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Dickinson. Each became tremendously popular for different reasons, and each could hold its own as a reference for different levels of interest. Over the years the "List" has grown to include six books, and although none have been added in recent times, a few have come very close (i.e. - O'Meara's Messier Objects deserves Honorable Mention).

As a result, Turn Left at Orion remains after all these years, one of the six essential works, which we regard as required reading by the beginning amateur astronomer. Though not part of my personal collection until recently, it has been at my disposal for many years. I keep meaning to review it, but something always comes up, not the least of which was the recent printing of a 3rd edition.

The work is co-authored by Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit Brother at the Vatican Observatory; and Dan M. Davis, professor of geophysics at the State University of New York. Between them they conspired to create a work that reflects a singular passion for viewing celestial objects with small telescopes (emphasis on small). In fact, the combined aperture of both authors' instruments is somewhat less than the singular average among beginning-amateur telescopes. One is a 3.5-inch Cassegrain, and the other is a 2.5-inch refractor. Nevertheless, with these small instruments they were able to create a first-rate work of impressive magnitude. Simplistic means to extraordinary ends.

I was introduced to the order of Jesuits as a youngster growing up in New England. Even at that young age I was profoundly inspired by the notion that science could be passionately embraced (and accurately promoted) in concert with unwavering religious faith. Almost any science buff knows full well that astronomy and religion run like oil and water through the veins of history. And because this work represents such a remarkable beacon of parallel encounter, I am somewhat disappointed in myself for not doing this earlier. But now, so much has been said about this book that there seems a trite redundancy in plugging it. Oh well.

Pioneers and discoverers like Galileo and Messier were themselves saddled with equipment that can easily be considered pathetic by today's standards (both optically and mechanically). However, countless thousands of celestial objects were acquired, catalogued, and studied using archaic equipment of the sort. The point being, that you don't have to bribe the evening sky with money or fat-free technology to see what it's hiding. You merely need to coax it slightly to reveal some of its treasures. The knowledge of what places to do your coaxing is where Turn Left at Orion excels so remarkably.

On page 202, authors Consolmagno and Davis re-endorse one of life's most poorly understood allegations - "There is no such thing as a bad telescope". If you find yourself in conflict with that statement then you're missing out on a golden tenet of amateur astronomy, and most likely some of the fun that goes along with it. Because it really doesn't matter what caliber of instrument you use to enhance your view of the night sky. For even some of the most tenuous tidbits in the Messier catalog are revealed in binoculars of moderate size - still considered far superior to anything Messier could have ever laid his hands on. Get the picture?

Turn Left at Orion begins with a basic introduction of the evening sky, and a brief overview of "how to use this book", which from experience I can honestly testify that few authors can resist. From there, we go through some discussion of the moon, and a few major planets. Then it's on to the main course, which begins with the Winter constellations Taurus and Auriga and some of their celestial wonders - including the Pleiades open cluster and the famous Crab Nebula. A hundred and eighty pages later we're looking at a double cluster in Perseus. In between, we're shown where to look for a globular cluster in Lyra and the famous double star Albireo in Cygnus. A hundred or so interesting objects are presented and illustrated. Very little is missed or left out for the beginner, or for users of small telescopes.

We are first shown where each object is located within a broad view of the sky. Minimal sky-conditions, best times of year to observe, recommended eyepieces and telescope types are graphically illustrated at each heading. We see what the object looks like in a finder-scope, plus what it looks like in the telescope's eyepiece (and at different powers). This book shows you exactly how to get each object in the eyepiece! Really good stuff.

Beyond this, the 3rd edition includes some fare from the Southern Hemisphere (Eta Carinae, 47 Tucanae, and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds to name a few). A complete index is provided, along with a fairly good glossary for the beginner.

This is a wonderful book; a lot of fun; and extremely useful for nearly all age groups. Great for binocular users too. Recommended not just for the beginning amateur, but also as a teaching tool for some advanced observers who occasionally look for ways to entertain or educate others at the eyepiece. Then too, we've been known to pick it up and browse it just for fun. Secretaries and officers: - put a few copies in your club's library.


Extremely useful book!   April 12, 2004
Rodger Raubach (Converse County ,WY USA)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

Having a lifelong interest in amateur astronomy , this book was a natural for me to seek out. I borrowed a copy from the library before I decided whether or not to make a purchase.

This particular book is one of the very few that I would recommend to a beginning backyard astronomer , the other being Phil Harrington's Star Watch. Both use a technique called "star hopping" to find the celestial objects of interest , and each has a particular "style" of doing so.

"Turn Left at Orion" uses a technique using the viewfinder field of view to move from an easy to find star or some other object to follow a path to the desired object.

What I liked about the book:

(1) A very good representative selection of deep sky objects.
(2) Each object has an eyepiece sketch that accurately depicts how the object looks in a small telescope.
(3) A small scale star chart with the star hops depicted is included along with finding directions.

What I disliked:

(1) The eyepiece sketches were simply listed as "at high power" or "at low power". Some basic information about the eyepiece type , magnification , and focal length should be included to be meaningful.
(2) The scale of the finder charts was too small , and better directions are needed to find some of the smaller and more obscure constellations ; i.e. Triangulum and Aries.
(3) Having to take it back to the library!

Even though I have a few criticisms of the book , it is very ,very good. If I didn't already have Harrington's book I would rush right out and buy a copy.(They tend to overlap too much!) I give this a 4+ star rating , and if a few improvements are made in a later edition it could easily become one of my favorites to recommend and own.


Batteries not included...   October 15, 2003
Tricky Woo (Zuerich, Switzerland)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful

In an astronomical world that's becoming increasingly dominated by computerised 'goto' telescopes, here's a book that shows the budding amateur that the old method of 'star-hopping' is still a valid and satisfying alternative: Turn left at Orion.

Many budding observers are daunted by the prospect of 'learning the sky' well enough to find their way to those elusive deep sky objects. And even when the desired target is perfectly centred in the eyepiece, it's often so difficult to recognise that the search resumes unnecessarily. When a positive identification is finally made, one wonders if the exercise was worth all the effort. Why? Because, visually, they don't look anything like their flattering portrait photographs.

The end result is frustration and disappointment.

Well, here's the book that changed my astronomical life: it taught most of the major constellations, and plenty of minor ones to boot; it showed me how to star-hop to the more interesting deep sky objects within them; and it also changed my expectations of what I would see when I got there.

Literally, this is a 'star-hopping made easy' bible.

The book works on the assumption that the reader is prepared to learn up front just a few of the major constellations. The Big Dipper, (or Plough to the Brits, or 'Pluff' to them southerners), is one that most people can recognise straight off. But it helps to be able to spot the big square of autumn's Pegasus, winter's unmistakable Orion the hunter, spring's sickle-necked Leo the Lion, and the big cross of summer's Cygnus the swan. These are all good starting points, and won't cost much effort to learn beyond a cricked neck.

The book feels like it's been written from copious notes acquired during many years of practical observing. There's a section per seasonal, with two pages devoted to each particular object. And the objects really are a good primer for the northern deep sky: nebulas, globular clusters, open clusters aplenty of course, some galaxies, and a good sprinkling of those oft neglected double stars. On the left page you'll find a typical upside-down finder-scope view of the target area, plus a description of which stars to use to guide you there. On the right page is a typical left-to-right telescopic view of the object itself, plus good textual descriptions.

And here's the clever bit: all of the illustrations are beautifully hand-drawn to show truthfully how they appear at the eyepiece; none of those misleading full colour observatory-type photographs here: what you see is what you, er, see. Fear not if an illustration fails to take your fancy; keep turning the page until one catches your eye.

So how does it work under the night sky?

Well, it works beautifully. Turn to the correct page, and locate the general target area using your (ahem) marginal knowledge of the constellations, then visually hop from star to star as advised. Aim your telescope, then switch to the finder-scope to identify the exact location. Slip in an eyepiece of about the recommended magnification, and the object's usually 'just there', or at the very least within easy reach. For those objects requiring high powers, the book recommends using a less powerful eyepiece first to properly centre the target. Really, I and countless others have followed this advice to good effect.

Okay, it'll take you a year of observing to learn your way around. It takes that long for each season's constellations, and their hidden treasures, to come around. Time enough to learn the stars a little better, and time enough to gain confidence. In a way, one will learn the more obscure constellations for free; "What's that? Oh yes, it must be Delphinus, so that funny arrow below is, er, Sagitta...right?" (flick, flick of the page) "I was right!" And anyway, it'll take you at least a year to get bored with the selection that this book offers.

What do I have against this book? Not much... well, it's a shame there isn't a sequel for next year.

Oh, and batteries are not included.