New Simple Stargazing

No, this is a brilliant book! I agree wholeheartedly with David Bowen's review, but thought it worth me adding mine in as it so deserves more than one comment.

I've been interested in what the night sky has to offer more from the natural environment point of view rather than wanting to become and astronomer, and this book does the trick. It explains clearly in everyday language the main sights that are on offer in the night sky and in such a lively style. Other books on the subject have always fascinated me, but the author's personal approach of New Simple Stargazing just sets it apart, and that is so refreshing.

The scrolling images and the quiz section in particular give the book a great interactive feel, much more than I was expecting, and just like the other review, the constellation section is laid out very well, with some amusing captions and comments.

Well worth the small price tag!

Having just been given an iPad and being keen on the night sky, I've been downloading some relevant apps, including the amazing Star Walk, and I was interested to see what night sky books they had.

What a find this title was!

Not only a fascinating book, it's also 200 pages long! It covers most of the things you can see in the night sky like meteors, planets, satellites, the moon, etc. and let's you know how to get the best out of viewing each.

I would say this book works both as an introduction to astronomy or it's just great for someone who just wants to know what to look at and when, all without feeling like it's a text book in any respect. The writing style is very personable and clearly the author knows the subject very well. It's nice to see humour in there too. For example, the caption to an old painting of a constellation called Monoceros, the Unicorn, says, 'Ride like the wind, Dobbin! Or whatever unicorns used to be called'. This really does make the book enjoyable to read, and you find these gems dotted throughout.

The large constellation chapter is divided into seasons (both for the northern and southern hemispheres) detailing all the main ones you can see at the various times through the year along with any good objects, like nebulas or star clusters. I'm actually amazed how many things I can see with just my eye, and now the weather has cheered up a bit I shall be out to check them out.

I have only had the book for a couple of days, but I can tell it is set to become one of my classics. For anyone with even a passing interesting in the night sky, I would absolutely recommend New Simple Stargazing.