The Stargazer's Handbook

From the craters of the Moon to the far reaches of Orion, explore space without leaving the comforts of Earth. Written for the astronomical newcomer, you don’t need a personal Hubble Telescope and a degree in astrophysics to get the most from this book: all you need are a pair of binoculars and dark night skies. Part one painlessly introduces the newcomer to the celestial sphere, explaining the basics of astronomy from coordinate systems to naming conventions. Part two moves into the solar system, exploring the moon before moving on to Mars, Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and its rings and beyond. Part three moves into deeper space, exploring all 88 constellations of the night sky, charting their mythology and history as well as investigating the latest scientific discoveries. Here you will find some of the most wonderful sights in the universe: hypergiant suns, stellar nurseries, blazing nebulae and swirling galaxies. Each constellation is introduced with a photorealistic portrait twinned with a clearly labelled and annotated star map on the opposite page. Further photographic spreads and close-up star maps zoom in on areas of remarkable interest. Finally, part four contains monthly sky maps for both northern and southern hemispheres, which used in conjunction with the previous chapter will guide your viewing and help you to navigate the night sky with ease.