Book Description

In a new flexi-paperback format, Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing is an inspiring introduction to astronomy, providing all the information you need to explore the night sky. This is a comprehensive guide to an increasingly popular leisure pursuit. Author Robin Scagell first introduces the wonders of the night sky and explains how and why the sky changes during the night and through the seasons. He describes the various items of equipment you can use (binoculars, telescopes and accessories), and gives practical advice on what to choose and what you can expect to see. There are plenty of tips, too, for observing just with the naked eye. The book continues with chapters devoted to the Moon, the Solar System, the stars and deep sky objects, illustrated with photographs and observational drawings made by talented amateur astronomers, as well as spectacular images returned by spacecraft or taken by large telescopes. The month-by-month guide to the constellations features maps showing the constellations on view each month from both northern and southern hemispheres, and is applicable to any year and any place on Earth. A complete set of star charts presents the whole sky in a series of maps that show stars down to magnitude 5.5. These maps are drawn with black stars on a white background, so that observers can pencil their own observations on to the charts. Opposite each map is a 'photo-realistic' image which shows how the same portion of the sky typically appears to the eye. Completing the book is an illustrated A-Z dictionary of astronomy, covering the planets, stars and galaxies, cosmology, amateur astron­omy and professional observatories, space exploration, famous astronomers, scientific terms, theories and much more, and is illustrated with photographs, artworks and diagrams. Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing is an invaluable reference source for astronomers of all levels.