For the beginning stargazer, just learning the phases of the moon or spotting the Big Dipper can transform a nightly dog walk into an experience and can soon have you eager to see even more. As the pages of this book show, there’s so much more: a dazzling gallery of constellations; eclipses, comets and meteor showers; and beyond that the deep-sky treasures of nebulae and galaxies. There’s the fierce brilliance of astronomy’s pioneers from whom to draw inspiration and the stunning images being sent back daily from the distant cosmos to surprise and delight. The adventure is there to be enjoyed: All you need to do is look up.
THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO STARGAZING
WONDERS TO BEHOLD • THE JOYS OF STARGAZING ARE A GIFT—ONE WE CAN ALL ACCEPT AND SHARE
01 JUST LOOK UP • EIGHT STARS AND STAR CLUSTERS THAT CAN BE SEEN WITH THE NAKED EYE
02 PHASES OF THE MOON • THE EIGHT MOON PHASES, AND WHEN TO BEST SEE THEM
03 GUIDES & RESOURCES • RECOMMENDED WEBSITES AND BOOKS THAT WILL POINT YOURS TARGAZING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY
04 TOOLS OF THE TRADE • INCREASE YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE NIGHT SKY WITH A FEW KEY ACCESSORIES
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS
05 METEOR SHOWERS • WATCHING “FALLING STARS” IS ONE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC STARGAZING ACTIVITIES
JOHANNES KEPLER
06 VIEWS FROM THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPE • THE WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE ALLOWS US TO SEE WHAT LIES BEYOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE
GALILEO GALILEI
07 A SKY FOR ALL SEASONS • THERE ARE WONDERS TO BEHOLD YEAR-ROUND
ANNIE JUMP CANNON
08 THE FUTURE STARGAZING • DO WE KNOW WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING? WITH STARGAZING, THE ANSWER IS YES
The Beginner’s Guide to Stargazing
PHOTO CREDITS
THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO STARGAZING