London Centre Library and Telescope Rental Program

London Center is justifiably proud of its library collection and inventory of telescopes and accessories. Members of London Centre may borrow books, other materials and rent telescopes from our collection. Books may be enjoyed for one month, and are usually signed out and returned at the monthly meetings. Our Librarian brings three books picked at random to the meeting for members to borrow. To borrow any of these items you may email your request to our Librarian by clicking on the 'Contact us' link below and he will bring your selection to the next meeting.

BOOKS

Astronomy for Dummies, by Stephen P. Maran. 2nd Edition. c2005.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide, by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer. Revised Edition. c2002.

Burnham's Celestial Handbook: an Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System, by Robert Burnham. Revised and Enlarged Edition. c1978.

Volume One, Andromeda - Cetus.
Volume Two, Chamaeleon - Orion.
Volume Three, Pavo - Vulpecula.

Comet Hale-Bopp: Find and Enjoy the Great Comet, by Robert Burnham. c1997.

The Dobsonian Telescope: a Practical Manual for Building Large Aperture Telescopes, by David Kriege and Richard Berry. Richmond Va.: Willmann-Bell, c1997 (2009 printing).

From Quark to Quasar: Notes on the Scale of the Universe, by Peter H. Cadogan. c1985.

From White Dwarfs to Black Holes: The Legacy of S. Chandrasekhar. Edited by G. Srinivasan. 1999.

The Astronomers, by Donald Goldsmith. c1991. (Companion Book to the PBS Television Series)

Here Be Dragons: The Scientific Quest for Extraterrestrial Life, by David Koerner and Simon LeVay. c2000.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Space. Editor, Ian Ridpath. c1976.

The Isabel Williamson Lunar Observing Program. Presented by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Observing Committee. Directed by Chris Fleming, Chair. 1st Edition. c2005.

Looking Up: a History of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, by R. Peter Broughton. c1994.

More Things In Heaven and Earth: Poets and Astronomers Read the Night Sky, by David H. Levy. c1997.

The MK Process and Stellar Classification: Proceedings of the Workshop in Honor of W.W. Morgan and P.C. Keenan, Held at the University of Toronto, Canada, June 1983. Edited by R.F. Garrison. c1984.

NightWatch: a Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, by Terence Dickinson. 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded for Use Through 2010. 1998 (2003 printing).

Observing Variable Stars: a Guide for the Beginner, by David H. Levy. c1989.

Observing Handbook and Catalogue of Deep-Sky Objects, by Christian B. Luginbuhl and Brian A. Skiff. 1990, c1989.

Pale Blue Dot: a Vision of the Human Future in Space, by Carl Sagan. c1994.

Planetary Encounters, by Robert M. Powers. 1978.

A Portfolio of Lunar Drawings, by Harold Hill. 1991. (Practical Astronomy Handbooks, 1)

The Quest for Comets: an Explosive Trail of Beauty and Danger, by David H. Levy. c1994 (1995 printing).

Realm of the Universe, by George Ogden Abell. 3rd Edition. c1984.

Relativity: the Special and the General Theory, by Albert Einstein. Authorized translation by Robert W. Lawson. Introduction by Roger Penrose. 2004.

Star Ware: The Amateur Astronomer's Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Buying, and Using Telescopes and Accessories, by Philip S. Harrington. c1994.

Total Solar Eclipse of 1998 February 26, by Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. 1996. (NASA Reference Publication, 1383)

Total Solar Eclipse of 1999 August 11, by Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. 1997. (NASA Reference Publication, 1398)

Total Solar Eclipse of 2002 December 04, by Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. 2001. (NASA/TP 2001-209990)

Annular and Total Solar Eclipses of 2003, by Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson. 2002. (NASA/TP 2002-211618)

The Stars: a New Way to See Them, by H. A. Rey. c1962

Venus, The Geological Story, by Peter John Cattermole. c1994.

Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook. Compiled by the Webb Society. Edited by Kenneth Glyn Jones. 1979-1990.

Volume 1, Double Stars.
Volume 2, Planetary and Gaseous Nebulae.
Volume 3, Open and Globular Clusters.
Volume 4, Galaxies.
Volume 5, Clusters of Galaxies.
Volume 6, Anonymous Galaxies.
Volume 7, The Southern Sky.
Volume 8, Variable Stars.

Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother, by James A. Connor. c2004.

Universe on a T-Shirt: the Quest for the Theory of Everything, by Dan Falk. c2002

Zen and the Art of Photoelectric Photometry, by Jeffrey L. Hopkins. Forward by Russell M. Genet. c1990.

365 Starry Nights: an Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year. Text and illustrations by Chet Raymo. c1982.

MINUTES

Abbreviated minutes of the London Centre Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Book I: covering the years 1922 to 1947. Prepared by Susan Vonesh. [1996]

Abbreviated minutes of the London Centre Royal Astronomical Society of Canada: Book II: covering the years 1947 to 1972. Prepared by the late Susan Vonesh. [1996]

VIDEOS

Comet Odyssey [VHS] Comet Hyakutake Brought to Life with the Finest Astronomical Time-Lapse Movies Ever Made! [Peter Cerevolo and Doug George] Cyanogen Productions, c1997.

From the Earth to the Moon [DVD] Executive Producer, Tom Hanks. – [New York]: HBO Video, [2005] 5 DVDs (ca. 720 min.)

Telescope Making with John Dobson [VHS] John Dobson. c1992.

KITS

The Sky at Night [Kit] Your Guide to the Heavens: a Complete Interactive Kit Including: Planisphere, Flashlight, Star Maps, Star Guide. Written by Robin Kerrod. – New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2000.

1 planisphere, 1 flashlight, 2 guides; in container 29 X 27 X 3 cm.

Guides: The Star Guide. – Mapping the Skies.

RENTAL TELESCOPES

London Center has several small telescopes which are available for monthly rental to our members for a fee of only $10.00 per telescope per month. We recognize that a new member should make an informed purchase, and until a knowledgeable decision can be made, or a great buy comes along, our rental scopes will fill the gap. The Dobsonian style are easy to transport, set up and use, and are ideal for a beginner. They come with several eyepieces and a Telrad zero power finder, ready to observe. Contact the Observers Chair to arrange a scope rental, using the 'Contact us' link shown below.

The 152mm (6 inch) f8 Dobsonian reflector was made by one of our members, and is hence called the Hanesonian.

The 203mm (8 inch) f4.5 Dobsonian reflector was made by Coulter, the very first manufacturer of simple Dobsonian telescopes commercially available.

A 203mm (8 inch) f4.5 Coulter Dobsonian is kept at Fingal for free use by Members and Guests during clear night observing sessions. While at Fingal ask one of the WUR Keyholders for access.

The 203mm (8 inch) f6 Meade Starfinder Newtonian is mounted on a German Equatorial Mount. It was donated to London Centre in memory of Mark St.George. It will be available for use once the observatories at Fingal become functional.

The 203mm (8 inch) f10 Schmidt Cassigrain is made by Celestron. At the moment the "Go To" electronics are not working and it is being worked upon.

The 410mm (16 inch) f4.4 Newtonian is currently in storage and will be mounted on our Byers mount in a roll off roof observatory at Fingal.