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.
With the aid of easy-to-understand monthly calendars and maps, you will chart the rhythm of the lunar phases, discover events that light up the sky for brief periods, and explore the rich tapestry of characters that adorn the starry canvas overhead. You can delve as deeply as you like, or follow your own favourite subject throughout the year.
* never miss a night sky event wherever you are in the world with this month-by-month guide
* go meteor spotting, track the phases of the moon and explore the constellations
* worldwide coverage - with details for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres
* discover fascinating celestial facts and notable astronomical anniversaries
Written and illustrated by astronomical experts, Storm Dunlop and Wil Tirion, and approved by the astronomers of the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Author Biography:
Storm Dunlop has written numerous books on astronomy and meteorology, and has acted as editor and consultant on many more. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a member of both the International Astronomical Union and the American Association of Variable Star Observers, and is a former President of the British Astronomical Association. Storm is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. Wil Tirion never had any education in astronomy. He education was focused on graphic arts and design, although the starry sky and especially star maps have always fascinated him. In the field of astronomy and uranography (mapping the sky), he is what they call autodidact.
In 1977, just for his own enjoyment, he started making his first star atlas, with stars down to magnitude 6.5). It was published in the Encyclopedia of Astronomy, edited by Colin Ronan, (Hamlyn, London, 1979) and in 1981 as a separate set of maps by the British Astronomical Association (B.A.A. Star Charts 1950.0).
In 1978, still as a hobby, he started working on a larger atlas: Sky Atlas 2000.0., showing stars down to magnitude 8.0. Its publication, in 1981 (by Sky Publishing Corporation, USA, and co-published by Cambridge University Press), resulted in requests from several publishers for star maps for different purposes. In 1983 he decided to quit his job as a graphic artist and designer, and became a full time uranographer. Since then he has created several star atlases, like the Bright Star Atlas and the Cambridge Star Atlas and has cooperated with other people on larger atlases like Uranometria 2000.0. He has also created numerous star maps for astronomy books and magazines.
In 1987 he was honoured by receiving the 'Dr. J. van der Bilt-prize', a Dutch award for amateur astronomers.
In 1993 this was followed by a second, more international 'award', when a minor planet was named after him: (4648) Tirion = 1931 UE.
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World, making it the official starting point for each new day and year. It is also home to London's only planetarium, the Harrison timekeepers and the UK's largest refracting telescope. It runs the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition.
