Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: What’s Up? Getting Familiar with the Night Sky 7

Chapter 1: The Changing Sky 9

Chapter 2: Look Up! Your First Stargazing Trip 23

Chapter 3: Binocular Astronomy 39

Chapter 4: Your First Telescope 57

Chapter 5: Taking It Further: Astrophotography 81

Part II: Joining the Dots: Learning Your Way Around the Night Sky 91

Chapter 6: The Fixed Stars 93

Chapter 7: The Wanderers 105

Chapter 8: The Constellations 131

Chapter 9: Mapping the Skies 149

Part III: Star Hopping 165

Chapter 10: Northern Polar Constellations 167

Chapter 11: Stars of December, January and February 183

Chapter 12: Stars of March, April and May 211

Chapter 13: Stars of June, July and August 241

Chapter 14: Stars of September, October and November 271

Chapter 15: Southern Polar Constellations 293

Part IV: The Part of Tens 309

Chapter 16: Ten Targets for New Stargazers 311

Chapter 17: Ten Things to Look for under a Dark Sky 315

Index 321

About the Author

Steve Owens is a freelance science writer and presenter with a passion for astronomy. He has been the recipient of the 'Campaign for Dark Skies' Award for Dark Sky Preservation, and he was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for public science engagement.

Reviews

'In my opinion Stargazing for Dummies should be treated as an essential handbook by anyone interested in the night sky and kept very close to your window, binoculars or telescope. You will find it to be very handy.' (Meteorwatch.org, April 2013) 'Well done Steve Owens for a really fun book' (Astronomy Now, June 2013) Stargazing For Dummies is a terrific book...one of the best introductions to practical astronomy on the market... This is the perfect book to get you started. Enjoy!' (BBC Sky At Night Magazine, June 2013)