Handbooks: Stars & Planets by Ian Ridpath

Handbooks: Stars & Planets by Ian Ridpath

Authoritative text, charts and diagrams, photographs, and a systematic approach make DK's Smithsonian Handbooks: Stars and Planets the most comprehensive and concise pocket guide to observing the night sky.

Each planet is illustrated and described in detail, with location charts and diagrams and a month-by-month guide to interesting features of the night sky. All 88 constellations are examined, along with objects they contain, such as notable stars, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. For those new to astronomy, a highly visual introduction explains many basic concepts and offers expert advice on the best methods and equipment for observation.

This book is one of a series covering plants, animals, and other natural phenomena from around the world and is published in association with the Smithsonian Institution.

Ian Ridpath is a full-time writer, broadcaster and lecturer on astronomy. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the Association of British Science Writers. A former editor of Popular Astronomy, he is a regular contributor to Astronomy Now. Ian Ridpath's many books include Collins Guide to Stars and Planets, Gem Stars and The Monthly Sky Guide. He is also the editor of the highly respected Norton's Star Atlas - a must-have publication for most practical astronomers - and the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy.

Wil Tirion, who lives in the Netherlands, is the most highly regarded cartographer of celestial maps and charts in the world today.