Winner of the Children's Roundtable Literature Information Book Award. Ideal for inquisitive children and adults alike, astronomer Terence Dickinson's classic guide Exploring the Sky by Day offers fascinating insight into clouds, weather and other phenomena we witness in the sky. The book first introduces the reader to the atmosphere and the 10 types of clouds, and then answers nearly every question a young reader might have about the sky and weather: How fast do raindrops travel? What causes a rainbow? What causes lightning? Why is the sky blue? Why are tornadoes so destructive? And many, many more! The book also covers less common sky phenomena, such as sundogs, haloes and auroras, and discusses more general topics like climate zones, seasons and weather forecasting. Brought to life with dozens of photographs and the color illustrations of John Bianchi, Exploring the Sky by Day provides an excellent introduction to weather and the atmosphere.

Patrick Moore's painstakingly researched, beautifully illustrated guide to astronomical observation for casual and serious observers.

Offering a cross-curricular exploration, readers can discover all about airborne wildlife, weird weather, aircraft, stars and constellations, and their mythology.

Gazing up at the heavens from our backyards or a nearby field, most of us see an undifferentiated mess of stars—if, that is, we can see anything at all through the glow of light pollution. Today’s casual observer knows far less about the sky than did our ancestors, who depended on the sun and the moon to tell them the time and on the stars to guide them through the seas. Nowadays, we don’t need the sky, which is good, because we’ve made it far less accessible, hiding it behind the skyscrapers and the excessive artificial light of our cities. How We See the Sky gives us back our knowledge of the sky, offering a fascinating overview of what can be seen there without the aid of a telescope. Thomas Hockey begins by scanning the horizon, explaining how the visible universe rotates through this horizon as night turns to day and season to season. Subsequent chapters explore the sun’s and moon’s respective motions through the celestial globe, as well as the appearance of solstices, eclipses, and planets, and how these are accounted for in different kinds of calendars. In every chapter, Hockey introduces the common vocabulary of today’s astronomers, uses examples past and present to explain them, and provides conceptual tools to help newcomers understand the topics he discusses. Packed with illustrations and enlivened by historical anecdotes and literary references, How We See the Sky reacquaints us with the wonders to be found in our own backyards.

Winner of the 1987 New York Academy of Sciences Children's Science Book Award, Exploring the Night Sky is aimed at novice star gazers anxious to expand their astronomical repertorie beyond the Big and Little Dippers. Dickinson has designed a superb introduction to astonomy that is clear, concise, and very "user friendly" no matter what the child's age. 50 color photographs and illustrations.

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary the European Sou- thern Observatory (ESO), is publishing a selection from its photographic treasures of the southern skies: 90 colour and 147 black and white plates have been reproduced. Thirty maps make it easy to locate the objects shown. Part 1 is devoted to extragalactic phenomena. Part 2 deals with our Galaxy. Part 3contains the results from observations of minor bo- dies in the solar system(asteroids and comets with an em- phasis on the most beautiful Halley's comet photographs). The final part presents the Observatory itself.