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What we see in the stars : an illustrated tour of the night sky / Kelsey Oseid
An illustrated guide to the heavens combines the myths, historic significance, and various interpretations of objects seen in the night sky, including the recognized constellations, meteors, eclipses, planets, and moons.
2023 night sky almanac : a month-by-month guide to North America’s skies from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada / Nicole Mortillaro
2023 Night Sky Almanac is the ideal resource for both novice and experienced sky watchers in the United States and Canada, with all the advice, information and data that enthusiasts need to understand and enjoy the wonders of the night sky. This in-depth guide first introduces readers to the objects in the sky — from stars, to comets, to globular clusters — and then takes them through the cosmic events to look out for each month in 2023, with sky maps, moon phase charts and info about the planets. The book also features: Methods for using your hands to measure angles in the sky ; Information about binoculars and telescopes ; A glossary of terms ; A list of helpful resources ; Full color spreads of the monthly attractions. 2023 Night Sky Almanac is both a comprehensive introduction to astronomy and a quick reference book for more experienced sky watchers who don’t want to miss a thing. Its compact size means it’s perfect for taking on an “astro-vacation” or simply sky viewing in the backyard.
The backyard astronomer’s guide / Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer
This classic, groundbreaking guide has been the go-to field guide for both beginning and experienced amateur astronomers for nearly 30 years. The fourth edition, scheduled for release in 2021, brings Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer’s invaluable manual completely up-to-date. Setting a new standard for astronomy guides, it will serve as the touchstone for the next generation of stargazers as well as longtime devotees. Technology and astronomical understanding are evolving at a breathtaking clip, and to reflect the latest information about observing techniques and equipment, this massively revised and expanded edition has been rebuilt from the ground up (an additional 48 pages brings the page count to 416). Illustrated throughout with all-new photographs and star charts, the fourth edition boasts a refreshed design and features five brand-new chapters, including three essential essays on binocular, telescope and Moon tours by renowned astronomy writer Ken Hewitt-White. With new content on naked-eye sky sights, LED lighting technology, WiFi-enabled telescopes and the latest advances in binoculars, telescopes and other astronomical gear, the fourth edition of The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide is sure to become an indispensable reference for all levels of stargazers. New techniques for observing the Sun, the Moon and solar and lunar eclipses are an especially timely addition, given the upcoming solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024. Rounding out these impressive offerings are new sections on dark sky reserves, astro-tourism, modern astrophotography and cellphone astrophotography, making this book an enduring must-have guide for anyone looking to improve his or her astronomical viewing experience. The fourth edition of The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide also features a foreword by Dr. Sara Seager, a Canadian-American astrophysicist and planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an internationally recognized expert in the search for exoplanets.
100 things to see in the night sky : expanded edition, your illustrated guide to the planets, satellites, constellations, and more / Dean Regas
[This book] gives you a clear picture of what you can see using a small telescope–or just naked eye! Inside, you’ll learn the history and science behind planets, stars, constellations, and more. Stunning four-color photography, easy-to-follow instructions, and detailed star maps will help you identify each object so you can explore the universe every night of the year!
National Geographic stargazer’s atlas : the ultimate guide to the night sky
Richly illustrated with awe-inspiring imagery–including photos from space missions and telescopes, science-based artists’ interpretations, and explanatory graphics–the book also contains 170 maps and charts of planets, moons, and constellations, from Earth’s moon to moons of Saturn. Practical advice throughout helps readers see what they have been reading about, building key observational skills such as “star hopping” from easy-to-find stars to fainter deep-sky objects and focusing on “deep sky treasures:” areas rich in observable phenomena.
Welcome to the universe in 3D : a visual tour / Neil deGrasse Tyson, J. Richard Gott, Michael A. Strauss, Robert J. Vanderbei
If you go out and simply look up, everything – from the Moon to the planets to the stars to the band of the Milky Way – appears to be pasted on the two-dimensional surface of the dome of the sky. Yet, the story of astronomy as a science is how, over time, astronomers have discovered the cosmos in depth. It is the story of the measurement of position and distance, and how our 2D view of the sky above us evolved into a more sophisticated comprehension of the real 3D depths of space. The distances to the stars were first measured using the parallax effect – that is, by comparing the view from opposite sides of the Earth’s orbit. This is the same effect that your brain uses (comparing the views from your left and right eyes) to effortlessly give you depth perception. In this book, the authors present the most spectacular stereo images available in astronomy. (Stereo images are pairs of images of the same object, taken 6 months apart – which, as the Earth turns, means viewed from opposite sides of the Earth’s orbit.) Each pair of stereo images, when viewed with a special stereo viewer (to be contained in the book itself), portrays the object in 3D. Each striking 3D picture is accompanied by a caption on the facing page, which tells the story and significance of the image in a mini-essay and points out its interesting features. Rather than a random assortment of astronomical wonders, the pictures are arranged in order of their distance from Earth. The book starts out with the Moon and moves outward through planets, stars, and galaxies, finally reaching the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB), the most distant thing we can see. The distances of objects are given in light travel times – from 1.3 light-seconds for the Moon to 13.8 billion light-years for the CMB. These distances, along with highlights of how each object was discovered and measured by astronomers, provide a framework and narrative thread for the book, which is carried forward from one caption to the next. At each stage of this outward journey, the reader will learn new and surprising facts about fascinating objects in the depths of space. The book also features an introductory Preface that outlines the story of the discovery of the universe in depth, describes the parallax effect, and provides the background and context for the forthcoming visual tour of the observable universe in 3D.
Stars & planets / Ian Ridpath ; star charts by Royal Greenwich Observatory ; consultants, Giles Sparrow, Robin Scagell
A highly visual introduction explains the basic concepts of astronomy and gives advice on the best methods and equipment for observation, including binoculars and telescopes. Each of the planets in the Solar System is described and illustrated in detail, with images taken from space probes as well as from the ground, showing them as you can expect to see them. More than 160 star charts were made especially for this book by the Royal Greenwich Observatory. There is a separate detailed chart for each of the 88 constellations, adding up to a complete atlas of the sky. The text for each constellation reveals its history and mythology and lists notable stars, galaxies, nebulae, and other objects. Alongside the constellation profiles is a month-by-month guide, including a set of charts and a user-friendly text guide that picks out the highlights above your head each month.
2023 guide to the night sky : a month-by-month guide to exploring the skies above North America / Storm Dunlop, Wil Tirion
This is the ideal resource for beginners and experienced stargazers in the United States and Canada, and has been updated to include new and practical information covering events occurring in North America’s night sky throughout 2023. This practical guide is both an easy introduction to astronomy and a useful reference for seasoned stargazers. Now includes a section on comets and a map of the moon. Designed specifically for North America.
The night sky : month by month / Will Gater with Giles Sparrow
This comprehensive reference book shines bright with crystal-clear month-by-month charts of the planets, stars, and constellations in the northern and southern hemispheres.
The practical astronomer / Will Gater and Anton Vamplew ; consultant, Jacqueline Mitton
This practical guide explains and demystifies stargazing, teaching you to recognize different kinds of objects and showing you how they move through the sky over the course of the night and the year. It shows you how to understand and enjoy the cosmos, building your practical astronomy skills from the basics to more advanced techniques.
Beginning with an explanation of the Universe itself – how big is it, what shape is it, how old is it, and will it end? – it then takes you on a tour around the night sky, building up your knowledge in simple stages. Practical advice begins with naked-eye observations, then illustrated step-by-step instructions show you how to set up and use binoculars and telescopes and how to take your own pictures of the night sky. It also lets you take a closer look at the different objects you can view in the night sky, telling you how to train your eye to recognize basic patterns of stars (constellations) and how to tell planets apart from other celestial bodies, showing you how to observe them in an innovative step-by-step way. An atlas of the night sky is also included, with charts that can be used in both the northern and southern hemispheres throughout the year.
Accessible, inspirational, and authoritative, The Practical Astronomer will enthuse and inform anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of the night sky.
To find more great books go to our book recommendation page and browse book lists created by the librarians at Robbins.