Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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mikemarotta
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Burnham's Celestial Handbook

#1

Post by mikemarotta »


Every endeavor has its great names. This is a book that "everyone" in astronomy knows. Despite having been published in 1979, this set never loses its importance. In astronomy far more facts are added than are subtracted (poor Pluto). Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System by Robert Burnham, Jr., New York: Dover Publications (1966, 1978) has not been updated because it did not need to be.

The book began as a 3-ring binder that Robert Burnham made for himself while working at the Lowell Observatory outside Flagstaff, Arizona. His interest was in "deep sky objects": stars, clusters, nebulae, galaxies. He assembled his data from the standard references in the observatory library, as well as from other sources. He organized it for himself alphabetically by constellation. Volume 1 runs "Andromeda Through Cetus"; Volume 2 is "Chameleon Through Orion"; Volume 3 is "Pavo Through Vulpecula".

Hercules is a rich area of the sky. The descriptions run 46 pages, including double stars, multiple stars, variable stars, and then clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. The chapter closes with a lengthy descriptive summary of the facts about each of the stars in the constellation. Moreover, Burnham includes both the (brief) mythological story and the (longer) historical aside with pictures of ancient Greek coins depicting the hero. Again, all of this was intended for himself. It now serves us all.

Like any good discovery, the three-volume set offers more. It begins with what is essentially a 90-page class in Astronomy 101, covering the general layout of the universe and our place in it, as well as a basic table of objects. Burnham of course includes a dense array of facts, though much of the presentation delivers adjectives about the astounding, terrifying, and strange nature of the unearthly universe.

Perhaps the only paradigmatic addition to our general store of knowledge has been the discovery of more stars with planets. In Burnham's day only Barnard's Star offered that potential, an investigation beyond most amateurs, even today. (Barnard's Star is only 3.8 light years away but a red dwarf of +9 visible magnitude; you can see it with a telescope, but you will not see the planets, which arguably are not there after all…)

Burnham's tables give the Right Ascension and Declination for the interesting objects (binaries and multiples; variables; clusters, nebulae, and galaxies). So, you can set your 'scope by him. This is more than rhapsody, though he does speak poetically and dramatically. Also, as mentioned, he drew upon the Lowell Observatory library and other sources. Volume I gives the key to the tables. Sigma Σ is for F. G. W. Struve the Struve Double Star Catalog. Arg is for F. Argelander. In all, Burnham references 21 catalogs, including those compiled by Kuiper and John Herschel. Δ (Delta) is for J. Dunlop; and lowercase beta β is for S. W. Burnham (the other Burnham).

He explains his special notation for Right Ascension and Declination (Epoch 1950 of course):
22115s2119 = RA 22h 11.5m; Dec -21 deg 19 min.
06078n4844 = RA 6 h 07.8m; Dec +48 deg 44 min.

The "Terms, Symbols, and Abbreviations" to explain the Tables runs four pages.

He catalogs the Nebulae by NGC (New General Catalog) but also relies on the Messier list. Burnham developed an interesting and useful symbology for Galactic Star Cluster (open dotted circle), globular cluster (circle with cross, like the old astrological sign for Earth), and so on.

In addition, he notes which clusters are loose and irregular ( C ), loose clusters (D), moderately concentrated (E), fairly well compressed (F) and rich and compact (G). All of that and more runs another two pages in Volume I.

Burnham provides several indexes in Volume 3. First is a numerical list of Messier Objects 1 through 104, giving the NGC number, common name or constellation, and the page number. (The three volumes are paginated sequentially.)

Next are two lists, the 35 Brightest Stars and the 25 Nearest Stars, though six of the latter are not mentioned in the books. The index of Brightest Stars gives their common names, Bayer Designation - Sirius is α Canis Majoris; Kaus Australis is ε Sagittari - Magnitude, Spectral class, and page number. The table of nearest stars lists them by their most usual designation - Proxima Centauri, Wolf 359, etc. It also gives their Constellation, Distance, Magnitude, Proper Motion (in seconds of arc per thousand years, Mu") Position Angle (PA), location (RA and Dec) and page number in the volumes.

Next is a Bibliography separated into General Stellar Data, Double Stars, Variable Stars, Star Clusters, Nebulae, and Galaxies. The Bibliography closes with Observer's Handbooks, and General History and Astronomical Lore.

The volumes are in alphabetical order by constellation, Andromeda through Vulpecula. Nonetheless, they are indexed at the back, giving their page numbers, as well well the Norton's Atlas Chart number, and the Skalnate-Pleso Atlas Chart number. Next is a list with page numbers of about 170 stars and other objects by their common names: Achernar, …, Eagle Nebula, …, North Star, … Sword of Orion, …, X-Ray Sources, … (The list of White Dwarf stars is on page 417.)

The work closes with an Index of General Topics, and an Index to Tables of Data.

In short, what you have in these three volumes is the twenty year diary (1958 forward) and professional research notebook of a working astronomer who was passionate about Deep Sky Objects.

Burnham’s later life did not go well. Like other astronomers, he was not so much at home on Earth. When he lost his job at the Lowell Observatory, he drifted. No one knew because everyone confused him with Robert Burnham, a working editor at Astronomy magazine. After his death in 1993, people remembered seeing him at the back of presentations at the San Diego Space Theater. Unmarried, his surviving family members did not report his death because they had no idea that he was famous to astronomers.

[I wrote this in three installments on the International Astronomy Forum in 2014. There a comment from "Pikaia" sent me to read Robert Burnham's biography in Wikipedia. I published an edit of this article in the Sidereal Times newsletter of the Austin (Texas) Astronomical Society. It is also archived on my blog, NecessaryFacts.]
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by Piet Le Roux »


Thanks it is available on PDF Drive, so I will be going through it!
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by Piet Le Roux »


Here is some more information about the Man:
https://tonyortega.org/sky-writer-the-c ... urnham-jr/

This is of course classical autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by Unitron48 »


Great review of an outstanding "Celestial Handbook"! A must for every amateur!!

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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by Arctic »


I have a soft-cover, "working set", and a hardcover "library set" of Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Every amateur should have a set. Some of the object data is a bit out-dated, but the sheer amount of history and mythology incorporated more than offsets that shortfall. The VAST majority of the handbook's content is still highly relevant.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by mikemarotta »


Piet Le Roux wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:07 am Thanks it is available on PDF Drive, so I will be going through it!
If you shop around, you can find a print edition for yourself. The PDF is handy. I like being able search easily, to cut and paste information. That remaing so, this is not just a sky map for amateurs. Burnham wrote it for himself when he was working at the Lowell Observatory. It is important to understand what you are looking at. Just inciidenally, do you keep a notebook?
Arctic wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 4:48 pm I have a soft-cover, "working set", and a hardcover "library set" of Burnham's Celestial Handbook. Every amateur should have a set. Some of the object data is a bit out-dated, but the sheer amount of history and mythology incorporated more than offsets that shortfall. The VAST majority of the handbook's content is still highly relevant.
Yes, I noticed right away that most of this is Epoch 1950 and 1900. Nonetheless, as you note, this is a handbook for working from. I like Piet's suggestion of the PDF. I keep my own observing notebook and being able to cut and paste from Burnham's could work well for that.
Piet Le Roux wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 10:50 am Here is some more information about the Man:
https://tonyortega.org/sky-writer-the-c ... urnham-jr/

This is of course classical autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
Thanks! I archived the article for myself both under /Astronomy and under /Science, but also under /Socioology. I think that it is significant on that basis, as well. The biography runs 11,000 words, and is the most detailed description of Burnham and his life I have found. My blog is always a work in progress. Except for simple typos, I never correct mistakes without noting the error and I edit for positive gain. So, I am going to add a link to Tony Ortega's blog and this article from The Phoenix New Times in my own review of The Celestial Handbook.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by Piet Le Roux »


"If you shop around, you can find a print edition for yourself. The PDF is handy. I like being able search easily, to cut and paste information. That remaing so, this is not just a sky map for amateurs. Burnham wrote it for himself when he was working at the Lowell Observatory. It is important to understand what you are looking at. Just inciidenally, do you keep a notebook?"

I am somewhat "disabled" and writing with a pen on paper is a problem for me so I only take notes electronically, with a spell checker, end even then its somewhat time consuming....so no I don't keep a notebook.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by pakarinen »


I'm the heretic here - I rarely open mine. But I've dragged them with me over the past 30 years through multiple moves, so there must be some attraction and I can see them sitting on my top shelf as I type this. But they're next to a copy of "Panzer Aces", so I guess I need to organize my bookshelves again.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by OleCuss »


I may be a bit more heretical. I think that the Celestial Handbook (and yes, I have a set) may be in the process of being supplanted by the "Annals of the Deep Sky" series: https://www.willbell.com/HANDBOOK/Annals.html
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by 515bonner »


OleCuss wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2019 11:42 am I may be a bit more heretical. I think that the Celestial Handbook (and yes, I have a set) may be in the process of being supplanted by the "Annals of the Deep Sky" series: https://www.willbell.com/HANDBOOK/Annals.html
I haven't purchased any of the Annals series yet. As I understand it, this set covers only certain features of each constellation, and does not have the 'object lists' as does Burnham. In that case, the Annals would be a supplemental, or addition to the Handbook, not a replacement.
Someone can correct me if I am wrong.

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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by helicon »


I have the soft bound version and it's been in my library for years and years. The man came to a rather unfortunate end...
If Burnham's life ended in an unfortunate fashion, in the following essay you will meet the man at his most beguiling, a largely self-taught polymath who could be both playful and cantankerous. Nearly three decades since he put these words down, his ideas about progress, science and religion, and man's future in space still seem fresh. We hope you find his words illuminating.

— Tony Ortega, Editor, The Village Voice
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by John Fitzgerald »


It's a valuable set. I have had it for many years. It was released at a time when this hobby was starting to expand into the "Dobsonian era", so was and is very useful for DSO. It's unfortunate and a shame that Mr Burnham didn't really get the credit or the cash he deserved. Most assumed he was the same man who worked for Sky & Telescope.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by SKEtrip »


How'd I miss this!
Excellent write up, thank you. I very much enjoy Burnham's work.
Managed to find them in the local used book stores & still see them there on occasion.
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Re: Burnham's Celestial Handbook

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Post by pakarinen »


My local Half Price Books has had a set or two sitting on the shelves for awhile. Haven't checked the price per volume though.
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