Here you will find a collection of references, both online and in print, that cover a wide range of astronomy topics. These resources are suitable for beginners as well as more experienced amateur astronomers looking to expand their general understanding of the science of astronomy.
General Astronomy Textbooks
These books provide a comprehensive overview of astronomy in non-technical language. They cover a wide range of topics including the solar system, stars, galaxies, and basic cosmology.
Astronomy 2e | OpenStax
Fraknoi, A., Morrison, D., & Wolff, S. (2022)
Astronomy 2e is part of the OpenStax Open Educational Resources project at Rice University. It is a free and open comprehensive introductory astronomy textbook. It includes links to additional student and teacher resources at the OpenStax website and elsewhere on web. This is really the only one you need.
Astronomy For Mere Mortals
Clevenson, Aaron (2024)
Astronomy for Mere Mortals is a free introductory astronomy textbook suitable for non-science majors and the general public. The text in pdf format and additional observing tools are available at the Astronomical League website.
Observational Astronomy
These are not free (and like most textbooks they are not reasonably priced). They are very useful for the more advanced amateur astronomer and are certainly worth your while if you can find them in the library or a reasonably priced used copy.
To Measure the Sky: An Introduction to Observational Astronomy
Chromey, F. R. (2010). Cambridge University Press.
This is an undergraduate text on the fundamentals of observational astronomy. It covers the basic principles of telescope optics, imaging sensors, coordinate systems and data analysis.
Observational Astronomy
Birney, D. S., Gonzalez, G., Oesper, D. (2006). Cambridge University Press.
This is a through introduction to observational and positional astronomy. It covers time systems, charts and catalogs and modern astronomical databases. The book includes Chapters on optical telescopes, detectors, photometry, variable stars, astrometry.
The Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac
S.E. Urban and P.K. Seidelmann (Eds.) (2013). University Science Books.
The book is a detailed reference text to the algorithms and theories used to produce The Astronomical Almanac. It covers the history, significance, sources, methods of computation, and use of the data presented in The Astronomical Almanac.
Star Atlases
There are a number of excellent star atlases available to the Amateur astronomer. The Cambridge Star Atlas and Sky & Telescope’s Pocket Sky Atlas are two very popular examples.
The Cambridge Star Atlas
Sky & Telescope’s Pocket Sky Atlas
Uranometria 2000.0 is a comprehensive deep-sky atlas that serves as an essential tool for amateur astronomers. It contains stars down to magnitude 9.75 and 30,000 deep-sky objects Uranometria 2000.0 is often considered the gold standard for deep-sky atlases. There is a Deep Sky Field Guide that serves as an index to the atlas containing observational data for all 30,000 objects.
Uranometria 2000.0 Deep Sky Atlas
Uranometria 2000.0: Deep Sky Field Guide
Printable Charts
Skymaps.com has printable planispheres for each month of the year. It includes a list of interesting astronomical events and celestial objects visible in the night sky.
For more detailed information you can find a printable PDF star map with stars to magnitude 7.25 and 550 deep-sky objects, downloadable from archive.org.
Magnitude 7 Star Atlas
Magnitude 7 Atlas Index
Observing Guides
Burnham’s Celestial Handbook
Robert Burnham’s classic three-volume Celestial Handbook is the amateur astronomer’s indispensable guide to the night sky. It contains detailed descriptions of thousands of variable and double stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and many other deep-sky objects. You really should pick up a set if you get the chance.
Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, Volume One
Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, Volume Two
Burnham’s Celestial Handbook, Volume Three
Night Sky Observer’s Guide
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide is a comprehensive three-volume set written by George Robert Kepple and Glenn W. Sanner. It consists of two seasonal volumes for the northern hemisphere and one for the southern skies. It has detailed descriptions, finder charts, sketches and images of thousands of night sky objects. The first two volumes cover from 90 degrees North to -60 South and includes everything visible from the northern hemisphere.
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide: Autumn & Winter
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide: Spring & Summer
The Night Sky Observer’s Guide: The Southern Skies