Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing [Hardcover]

"Philip's Complete Guide to Stargazing" is an inspiring introduction to observing the night sky, written by Robin Scagell, author of the Philip's bestseller "Stargazing with a Telescope", and Vice President of the Society for Popular Astronomy. 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 variety of equipment that can be used - binoculars, telescopes and telescope mounts - with information on what to choose, how to set it up and what to expect to see. There also plenty of tips for those who wish to observe with the naked eye. Next he looks in turn at the Moon, the Solar System, stars and deep sky objects. In each section, he describes how to observe your chosen target and what to look for. The text is illustrated with photographs and observational drawings made by talented amateur astronomers, as well as spectacular images returned by spacecraft or taken by large professional telescopes. A month-by-month guide to the constellations is illustrated with maps showing the constellations on view from both northern and southern hemispheres, as well as more detailed maps of individual constellations. The author describes the most interesting objects on view each month, with the help of photographs. The guide is applicable to any year. Also included is a complete set of star charts, presenting the whole sky in a series of maps that show stars down to magnitude 5.5 - all stars visible with the naked eye in semi-rural conditions. 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 appears to the eye. The book finishes with an illustrated and up-to-date A-Z dictionary of astronomy. This covers the stars, planets 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. It is an invaluable reference source for astronomers of all levels.