A first-time skywatcher’s guide from bright new talent, BBC Blue Peter astronomer, Anton VamplewMost books on stargazing claim to be for beginners, but by page 12 are talking about celestial equators and sidereal months. No wonder so many people have planispheres but no idea how to use them.Working at the planetarium in Greenwich, Anton has met hundreds of enthusiastic but utterly bemused beginners of all ages, and has made sense of the night sky for them. In this book he i...

In the words of those who trod the void and those at missioncontrol, here are over 50 of the greatest true stories of suborbital,orbital and deep-space exploration. From Apollo 8'sfirst view of a fractured, tortured landscape of craters on the'dark side' of the Moon to the series of cliff-hanger crisesaboard space station Mir, they include moments ofextraordinary heroic achievement as well as episodes of terriblehuman cost. Among the ...

Find your way around the night sky with this handy guide to stargazing for the complete novice.In Philip's Guide to the Night Sky, Sir Patrick Moore explains how to find the most famous constellations and the brightest stars, and when to look for them. Clear star maps, showing stars visible to the naked eye, help you to navigate the skies. The maps are suitable for use in Britain, Ireland, northern Europe and Canada.Sir Patrick introduces the wonders of the...

This beautifully illustrated volume reveals the startling discoveries about Saturn's largest moon made by the Cassini-Huygens probe in 2005.In the early 1980s, when the two Voyager spacecraft skimmed past Titan, Saturn's largest moon, they transmitted back enticing images of a world concealed in a seemingly impenetrable orange haze. Scientists speculated about its mysteries for years. Finally, in 2005, the Cassini-Huygens probe successfully parachuted down through T...

The quest for extraterrestrial life doesn't happen only in science fiction. This book describes the startling discoveries being made in the very real science of astrobiology, an intriguing new field that blends astronomy, biology, and geology to explore the possibility of life on other planets. Jeffrey Bennett takes readers beyond UFOs to discuss some of the tantalizing questions astrobiologists grapple with every day: What is life and how does it begin? What makes a planet or moon habitab...

Julia Ward Howe Award FinalistNBC News Top Science and Tech Books of the Year” selectionScientific American/FSG Favorite Science Books of the Year” selectionNature.com Top Reads of the Year” selectionKirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year” selectionDiscover magazine Top 5 Summer Read”A masterful balance of science, ...

From time immemorial, poets and philosophers have looked in awe and wonder at the Universe. Such awe is shared by astrophysicists, too, as they seek to understand its nature, and whether it has any limits. In The Infinite Cosmos, Joseph Silk, Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University, cosmologist and well-known science writer, brings together the modern understanding of the Universe, its structure, its evolution, and its possible fate, combining the latest from theory and observ...

A richly illustrated guide to the myths, histories, and science of the celestial bodies of our solar system, with stories and information about constellations, planets, comets, the northern lights, and more.Combining art, mythology, and science, What We See in the Stars gives readers a tour of the night sky through more than 100 magical pieces of original art, all accompanied by text that weaves related legends and lore with scientific facts. This beautifu...

What is outer space like? This book has pictures and a few facts in text available for your children to ponder over! The use of pictures and the amazing layout will encourage active participation in the creation of memories rich in learning. If you have an early reader, use this book as a practice tool too. Go ahead and secure a copy today!

Celestron’s NexStar telescopes were introduced in 1999, beginning with their first computer controlled "go to” model, a 5-inch. More models appeared in quick succession, and Celestron’s new range made it one of the two dominant manufacturers of affordable "go to” telescopes. Michael Swanson’s online discussions with literally thousands of NexStar owners made it clear that there was a desperate need for a book such as this - one that provides a complete, detailed guide to buying, using and ...

Oceans were long thought to exist in all corners of the Solar System, from carbonated seas percolating beneath the clouds of Venus to features on the Moon's surface given names such as "the Bay of Rainbows” and the "Ocean of Storms." With the advent of modern telescopes and spacecraft exploration these ancient concepts of planetary seas have, for the most part, evaporated. But they have been replaced by the reality of something even more exotic. For example, although it is still uncertain ...

To British television viewers, the name ‘Patrick Moore’ has been synonymous with Astronomy and Space Travel since he first appeared on The Sky at Night in 1957. To amateur astronomers he has been a source of inspiration, joy, humour and even an eccentric role model since that time. Most people know that his 55 years of presenting The Sky at Night is a world record, but what was he really like in person? What did he do away from the TV cameras, in his observatory, and within the British Ast...