Stargazing For Dummies

Stargazing has always been one of those things I have found interesting. However, gazing up at the night sky, I could only ever make out a few constellations and not much else. I quickly found out that I didn't have the patience to learn the night sky from star charts and such. This book was the perfect solution.This book does a good job of covering many topics essential to stargazing without being a bore. It discusses the different methods of stargazing (e.g. naked-eye, telescope) and how to do each one well. There are guides for purchasing binoculars and telescopes, and then how and where to use them. It talks about some of the science behind stargazing and astronomy without going over anyone's head. It also discusses the different constellations and how to find them, how to distinguish a planet from a star, the different types of twilight, and even how to determine how good a spot is for stargazing.The author does a good job of making his point without rambling on and on. Like all "For Dummies" books, this one is meant for pick-up and put-down. There is no need to sit down and read it cover-to-cover. If you want to find out how to find Orion in the sky, just look it up - you don't need any prior knowledge.There is one minor thing - in the Kindle edition, at least - that may take away from the reader's comprehension. The author is obviously British and writes with British English. While most words may simply pop out as an apparent misspell ("colour" instead of "color;" "practise" instead of "practice"), there are some words that stop you dead in the middle of a sentence ("manoeuvre" as opposed to "maneuver").Overall, if you are interested in learning about the magnificent gift we are given every night - the nighttime sky - buy this book. Whether you want to be a casual naked-eye stargazer or buy a telescope and take it up as a hobby, you will find what you need to know here.

Great to read

This book is for dummies and so assumes you know nothing. That was more or less the case with me so I found it a useful tome. Also I live in a (small) city and don't have a telescope. I imagine there is a whole lot to get out of this book if you've got access to a place without light pollution and a telescope but I was very satisfied with what I got out of it.

Author tells you what you can see with the naked eye, with binoculars, and with small telescopes. He tells you what can be seen in the city, and what you need a dark sky (little or no light pollution) to see. Quite a time saver!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The authors style was casual and engaging. His knowledge of the material deep enough to be able to explain it so most anybody could understand. He differentiated what could be seen with small, medium and large scores. This is especially useful for new stargazers who might not realize that the insdistinct object they have in their view is what they were looking for. Highly recommended.

The book is full of useful information, but all of the sharts and scales are outdated, ad of 2017.

I love this book. Perfect for beginner stargazers. Teaches you a lot

Just to clarify, if you want to learn about choosing binoculars and a telescope, what to look at on the Moon, how to see the planets, and where and how to find nebulae and other assorted stellar objects, then you've found the right book. If you're more interested in learning about gravity, planetary orbits, black holes, what Jupiter is made of, and the life cycles of stars then I recommend "Astronomy for Dummies". Both books do overlap in content, and if you want to understand what you're looking at you'll buy both anyway, but "Stargazing" is mostly about looking, and "Astronomy" is mostly about learning.That said, let's review this book, "Stargazing for Dummies". This provides a great introduction to HOW to look at the stars, including your equipment selection, where to find the constellations, how to observe the planets, seeing meteor showers, and the other topics mentioned earlier. The later chapters do a great job of introducing each of the constellations, organized by what months they are usually visible. Each constellation also includes a listing of most of the interesting objects to be found in it -- mainly "faint fuzzies" such as galaxies and nebulae. This is a good reference that the amateur astronomer will pull out regularly throughout the year.One thing that -- happily! -- modern technology has rendered a little unnecessary in this book is where to find the constellations and many other objects in the night sky. Modern cell phone apps make this much easier than it used to be in the old days of planisphere star finders -- they'll point you in the right direction every time. My favorites are SkyView (simple and very easy to use), and SkySafari (with lots of detailed features but not as user-friendly), and there are actually free versions available. And, you don't need a flashlight to use them like you used to for those old star charts. One very nice feature of these apps is that when you search for something in a category (like planets) they will highlight the ones that are currently visible to you -- VERY handy! However, where "Stargazing for Dummies" will continue to shine is that once you located a constellation using your app, the book can tell you what is in that constellation and exactly where to find it.My only complaint with the book is the numbering system for identifying said objects within the constellations. Instead of simply labeling the objects of interest (and most of the names are darn short -- M81, M82, NGC 457) each constellation is sprinkled with 1, 2, 3, etc. to identify the objects of interest which you then have to match up with their number in the text. Also, some of these numbers are occasionally missing. I docked a star because this system is so prevalent in the latter half of the book.But that's my only complaint. Again, this is a great reference that will give any aspiring star seeker a great start. To add knowledge to your observations, go ahead and Grab "Astronomy for Dummies" too.