The Star Guide: Learn How To Read the Night Sky Star by Star - Hardcover

Kerrod, Robin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471706175 ISBN 13: 9780471706175

Publisher: Wiley, 2005

Synopsis

A thorough revision of the bestselling guide to the night sky - over 100,000 copies sold!

The first edition of The Star Guide introduced readers of all ages to the wonders of the night sky. Now comes the highly anticipated revised edition, expertly updated by one of the world's leading writers on astronomy and space. Illustrated throughout in full color, the guide features spectacular new photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope, more than 60 easy-to-use star charts, and an invaluable detachable planisphere. Special sections explain the nature of stars and galaxies and what makes the universe tick.

About this title

About the Author

ROBIN KERROD is and expert astronomer and space buff who travels the world to observe, photograph, and report on astronomical phenomena. A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society, he is well known on both sides of the Atlantic for his bestselling books on astronomy, space, and the sciences, with over 130 titles to his credit.

From the Back Cover

This thoroughly revised and updated edition of the international bestselling guide to the night sky puts the universe at your fingertips, featuring more than 60 easy-to-read color star chart that map the heavens—month by month and season by season—as different stars and constellation come and go.

• Easy to use and lavishly illustrated, The Star Guide is expertly written by one of the world’s leading writers on astronomy and space.
• The high-quality planisphere is an invaluable tool for following the stars and constellations visible every hour of every night of the year.
• Backing up visual observations of the night sky, special information sections provides essential reading to help understand the nature of stars and galaxies and what makes the universe tick.
• Spectacular new images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope are the highlights of more than 150 full-color photographs that provide a stunning backdrop to this unparalleled study of the night sky.

From the Inside Flap

An international bestseller for more than a decade, The Star Guide has been the bible for stargazers everywhere. Now, Robin Kerrod, one of the world’s leading writers on astronomy and space, has expertly updated this invaluable resource to include the most recent developments in astronomical research and technology.

The Star Guide, Second Edition, present the latest findings from the world’s astronomers, as well as by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Magellan probe to Venus. The Photographic coverage has been dramatically enhanced by the newest jaw-dropping views of the universe, which were captured by the latest generation of ground-based telescopes like the Very Large Telescope in Chile and space telescopes such as the Hubble at the Chandra Observatory.

This thoroughly revised edition has also been reorganized to make it even more user-friendly. It retains the moon maps, the detailed maps of the monthly night skies, and the featured constellations that so distinguished the first edition, as well as the immensely useful detachable planisphere. Each key constellation has become the focus feature that dissects the monthly sky where it is more prominent and best observed.

A specially engineered and unique visual cross-referencing system provides easy access to information and to Explanations of core terms and concepts. Discussion and analysis of the astronomer’s tools includes advice on the use of binoculars, telescopes, computers, and cameras. Feature boxes explain scientific theory and both recent and ancient astronomical history harking back to stargazing’s mythological foundations in ancient Greece. Recent planetary discoveries from the newest space probes and landers bring us closer to the cosmos than ever before.

Easy-to-follow star charts means that The Star Guide relies on the user’s observations made with binoculars and the naked eye—you don’t need to be an expert astronomer to interact with the heavens! Star sightings and an introduction to the galactic wonders of giant stars, comets, supermassive black holes, hurling asteroids, satellites, and other uncharted deep space territory are sure to inspire.

Plunge headfirst into the fascinating minutiae of the celestial sphere. From the explosive birth of a star to an eclipse to a cloudy nebula, The Star Guide demystifies astronomy and gets you up close and personal with the awesome wonders of the universe.

Reviews

A bit oversize for field use, this introduction to stargazing nonetheless offers an informative beginning for learning navigation of the night sky before heading outside. (It comes with a removable hand-size sky map called a planisphere.) Kerrod's presentation is structured around monthly star maps (for midlatitude observers) in two-page spreads, with a follow-up feature on that month's outstanding constellation. So that rather than emphasizing rote memorization of all 88 recognized constellations, the book enables identification of just the most striking constellations, such as Orion or the Northern Cross, making the task of celestial familiarization much easier. The text then instructs viewers in using a constellation's brightest individual stars to orient themselves to neighboring asterisms, progressively cultivating a mental image of the entire celestial vault and its changing appearance over the course of a year. Photos featuring Hubble Space Telescope spectaculars, supplemented by tips for viewing the sun, moon, and planets, round out this attractive book on basic astronomy. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471706175
• ISBN 13: 9780471706175
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 160