A beautiful gift for anyone interested in the night sky. Follow the progress of constellations throughout the seasons with this beautiful companion to the night sky from Astronomy experts Collins.

The perfect gift for amateur and seasoned astronomers. Follow the progress of constellations throughout the seasons with this beautiful companion to the night sky from Astronomy experts Collins.

"The classic beginner's guide to the night sky."--Page 4 of cover.

A beautiful gift for anyone interested in the night sky. Follow the progress of constellations throughout the seasons with this beautiful companion to the night sky from Astronomy experts Collins.

An introductory guide to navigating your way around the night sky and identifying what you can see on any given night. Designed as a comprehensive introduction for the beginner and those who want to find out more, How to Identify the Night Sky covers everything that can be seen with the naked eye and binoculars, as well as what is visible using a small telescope. There are sections on how to observe and understand the objects that comprise the night sky, the moon, the movements of the stars and planets throughout the year and astronomical events. The constellations are given a comprehensive treatment. For each one there is a chart, a photograph, a description of its features and history, the best dates and times of visibility, the mythological representation and a list of interesting objects.

Sets out a simple month-by-month program to reveal all of the night sky's biggest and most beautiful secrets in just one year – and with only a few hours of stargazing each month By investing just an hour a week and $50 in binoculars, it’s possible to learn a few simple techniques and quickly gain a real insight into the night sky's ever-changing patterns – and what they tell us about Earth, the seasons and ourselves. Searching more for a learned appreciation of nature and our exact place within the cosmos than academic scientific knowledge, science and travel writer Jamie Carter takes the reader on a 12 month tour of the night sky's incredible annual rhythms that say so much about Earth. During the journey he learns about the celestial mechanics at work in the skies above that are – to the beginner – almost beyond belief. As well as the vital constellations and clusters, and the weird and wonderful nebulas, he searches out “dark sky destinations” across the globe that help increase knowledge and give a new perspective on familiar night sky sights. On the journey he witnesses a solar eclipse and grapples with star-charts, binoculars, smartphone apps, telescopes, spots satellites and attempts basic astro-photography. By year's end, the reader will be able to glance at the night sky from anywhere on the planet and tell what direction he or she is facing, what time it is, where all the planets are and even where the Galactic Center Point is.