Tales in the Night Sky: a Gentle Introduction to Star Gazing

Learn to find your way around the stars in an evening sky. This book began as a way for parents to introduce astronomy to their children in an entertaining and memorable way. It is also enjoyable for youngsters who like to read and adults with a casual interest in astronomy. This is not a textbook, but a storybook with pictures, maps, and clues. New star pictures make constellations easier to find. You will soon be able to locate several constellations for each season of the year, and twenty-six in all. With a little practice, you'll learn the names and locations for twenty of the brightest stars, and learn a game to play with your friends as the stars begin to appear in the evening. You'll even discover some exotic astronomical objects like star clusters and nebulae. Simple maps are included to help you locate some of these wonders with binoculars, if you have them. Short stories, borrowed from classical Greek myths and histories, add a friendly element to an evening of star-gazing. Each story has several characters corresponding to the star pictures you're likely to find at a given time of year. Finally, a few "gee-whiz" facts are sprinkled through the chapters so you can impress your friends with your new knowledge of astronomy.