Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes

Clergyman and Oxford graduate Thomas William Webb (1807-1885) wrote this book out of his enthusiasm for astronomy and the observing it involved. It was first published in 1859 under the title Celestial Objects for Common Telescopes.

Webb wrote for people who owned modest instruments rather than large observatory equipment. His stated aim was to give owners of ordinary telescopes plain directions for using them, together with a list of objects that would reward observation. Amateur stargazers kept returning to the book for many decades, and it remains a reference for anyone interested in what a small telescope can show.

The text suits amateur astronomers, sky-watching groups and readers curious about nineteenth-century observation. It is a practical guide first, so those who want theory or modern instrument design will need other sources.

Edition note: published by Cambridge University Press. ISBN-13: 9781108014076.