Annals of the Deep Sky Volume 8
By Jeff Kanipe
Product information: Softbound, 6 by 9 inches, 416 pages, first published 2020, color.
Annals of the Deep Sky is a comprehensive reference that guides amateur and semipro astronomers into every mind-boggling corner of the observational universe. Each volume presents extensive descriptions of prominent stars and deep-sky objects. No other popular work in astronomy provides the comprehensive historical background and astrophysical appraisals of prominent stars and celestial objects.
Volume 8 explores the constellations of Cygnus, Delphinus, and Dorado. Cygnus is extremely rich, particularly in nebulae. Featured objects include popular favorites such as Chi Cygni, which has one of the largest visual amplitudes among Mira-class stars; P Cygni, a supernova in the making; the North America and Pelican nebulae; NGC 6888, the Crescent Nebula; and the radio galaxy Cygnus A. Featured objects in Delphinus include the “slow” nova HR Delphini; the bright globular clusters NGC 6394 and NGC 7006; and the galaxy groups of NGC 6928 and NGC 6956. Finally, Dorado leads us into the wonders of the southern sky including the close binary Alpha Doradus; R Doradus, known for having the largest apparent diameter of any star except the Sun; and the beautiful face-on spiral galaxy NGC 1566.