“From the creator of what I consider to be the best planisphere available (The Night Sky), comes Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars, a companion to that star dial. Taken together, the two items–plus a pair of binoculars–constitute the best introduction to observational astronomy you could ask for.”–Astronomy Magazine

Our Award Winning Introduction to Observational Astronomy

Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars was written to be a companion handbook to The Night Sky planisphere, serving as a general introduction to observational astronomy. It covers both what can be seen in the sky and the significance of what is seen. Although it was not written explicitly for children, it received honorable mention in the New York Academy of Sciences Children’s Science Book Awards (older children’s division). It is beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork by renowned space artist Don Davis.  Besides being a starter book for beginners, it is used in a number of colleges as a textbook supplement for the first-week’s reading assignment!

Opening Excerpt: Setting the Tone

The Illustrations Are as Important as the Text

The artwork of Don Davis, commissioned especially for this book, is not just an attempt to “approximate” photography: it represents what is seen to the eye better than a photograph can. Shown here is the subtle glow of the “North American Nebula” approximating very well what is actually seen in binoculars.  This is one of the most challenging objects presented in the book, but a very satisfying object to see with ones own eyes.  Photographs show this to be a spectacular nebula, but they can mislead a visual observer, especially a beginner.   What can be perceived visually are subtle “variations in the blackness.”The nebula is quite large, making a pair of binoculars, rather than a high powered telescope, the best viewing instrument.  To find this nebula (visible only in a sky dark enough to show the Milky Way), start from Deneb, the bright star in the tail of Cygnus, the flying swan, and look for the dark cloud forming the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico.  The faint surrounding glow, with the general shape of North America, can then be detected by contrast.