Philip's Guide to Stars and Planets provides all the information you need to study the night sky with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It includes a detailed Moon map and a complete atlas of the constellations, and is suitable for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres. A straightforward and comprehensive handbook, it opens with chapters on the Moon, the Sun, the planets, the stars and galaxies, as well as information on astrophotography, telescopes and an explanation of the apparent movement of the night sky. The second section of the book comprises a full set of constellation maps, showing all stars visible to the naked eye as well as the brighter nebulae and galaxies. Each map is accompanied by a description of that particular constellation, pointing the observer to the most interesting stars and deep-sky objects in that area of the sky. Tables give the co-ordinates, magnitudes and distances of the brightest stars in each constellation. The book concludes with a comprehensive glossary, and timelines of astronomy and space exploration. Philip's Guide to Stars and Planets is a dependable, accurate and attractive reference source for all amateur astronomers.

Author Biography

Sir Patrick Moore was the author of more than 100 books and presenter of the world's longest-running television series, The Sky at Night. He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Jackson-Gwilt medalist), a member of the International Astronomical Union, and holder of the Goodacre Medal from the British Astronomical Association, of which he was president from 1982-84 before becoming Life Vice-President. In 1967 he was awarded the OBE for his services to astronomy, in 1988 the CBE, and in 2001 he received a knighthood. Sadly, Sir Patrick Moore died in December 2012. Wil Tirion is an internationally known celestial cartographer.