I began working for Astronomy February 17, 2003. Since then, we have published more than 70 equipment reviews — almost one per month. And when you include product roundups like “25 top telescopes for starry nights” and “25 great observing accessories,” the total number of products we’ve featured tops 200. That’s quite a resource if you or somebody you know is looking to buy a telescope or accessory.
But it’s only great if you own every magazine we produced during that period. Then you’d have those reviews at hand. And even if you did, finding a specific product would require a lot of paging and memory work.
Not anymore.
Astronomy’s reviews have entered the virtual universe as part of our new Equipment Review database. Thanks to our online guru, Matt Quandt, subscribers to Astronomy magazine now have immediate access to downloadable PDF files that are exact copies of all reviews and roundups we’ve published since 2003. You can read them on screen or print them out to read later.
But you don’t have to be a subscriber to explore the archive. Anyone can search the database. We’ve also posted two full reviews as samples.
The archive’s powerful search engine lets you choose by category (binoculars, cameras, telescopes, etc.), manufacturer, or keyword.
Try it. I know you’ll like it. And the archive won’t be just a static group of old articles. Every future review we publish will enter the archive by the time subscribers get their monthly copies.
Feel free to send me any comments about the Equipment Review Archive. Contact me at mbakich@astronomy.com.
Also, if you are subscriber, make sure you're registered with Astronomy.com to assure access to the full-length reviews.