1,001 Celestial Wonders to See Before You Die — The Best Sky Objects for Star Gazers by Michael E. Bakich. Springer, 2010.
Despite working as editor of a monthly magazine for funeral directors for many years, I must admit I dislike the term
bucket list — as in, “I want to do the following things before I kick the bucket.” It’s not the idea the words convey that bothers me so much as its sheer overuse. A Google search of “before you die” just returned 118 million results. Geesh, it’d take me the rest of my life just to wade through ’em all.
That said, I know there’s an entire successful publishing niche with the words “before you die” in the title, extolling the pre-mortem beers, books, Chinese foods, movies, etc., that one must experience before ending up postmortem. (I wonder if reading one of those “before you die” books is on someone’s “before you die” list?)
Regardless,
Astronomy magazine’s Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich knows a good thing when he sees it and just authored
1,001 Celestial Wonders to See Before You Die — The Best Sky Objects for Star Gazers. Part of Patrick Moore’s “Practical Astronomy” series and published by Springer, Bakich writes in the preface that he created the book to help astronomy enthusiasts answer a basic question: “What’s up?” Whether you’ve ever stood before your trusty, well-used telescope scratching your head and feeling like you’ve been there-seen that or you’re just getting into the hobby, this book will invigorate and inspire your viewing efforts.
Within its nearly 500 pages, beautifully illustrated with more than 250 full-color astroimages, Bakich suggests dozens, hundreds — well, er ... 1,001! — celestial wonders based upon his decades of time spent gazing through an eyepiece. Culled from personal observation logs, polling friends for their favorite targets, and reviewing his voluminous writings for
Astronomy magazine, he extols the virtues of galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, binary- and triple-star systems, variable and dwarf stars, and a host of other night sky targets.
As a former planetarium director, Bakich possesses an engaging speaking style that also pervades his writing. Every entry therefore contains a wealth of observational tips, historical background, and the necessary facts astronomy enthusiasts need — plus an infusion of the quirky, left-field stuff that makes Bakich well, er ... Bakich. Who else can combine NGC 6940 and his love of the
Godzilla movie franchise, for instance? I also like that everything is organized by month, offering observers a RAM-style approach to using this book no matter when they pull it off the shelf.
Regardless of whether you use the latest-and-greatest scope, a more modest setup, binoculars, or just your eyes on a deep, clear night, I heartily suggest you pick up a copy of Bakich’s latest work. Whether you add viewing all 1,001 celestial wonders to your list of life goals is up to you. Just try not to use that other term.