The Art of Stargazing
Maggie Aderin-Pocock BBC Books
£16.99 PB
How many of us, young or old, have wandered into the garden in our pyjamas on a cold, dark night to catch a glimpse of the sky above?
If you have, then Maggie AderinPocock’s introduction to her latest book, The Art of Stargazing, will strike a chord. A space scientist, science communicator and co-presenter of The Sky at Night, she is one of the most enthusiastic and popular astronomers around today. This is a practical, easy-toread handbook for those wishing to step outside and learn about the 88 constellations in the night sky.
Aderin-Pocock begins by warming the reader up with chapters on what constellations are, the science of stars and how to get started in observing the night sky. Her advice also includes any kit you may need. What follows on the next 212 pages is a wonderful night-sky voyage through the patterns of stars above, including some interesting and maybe lesser-known facts about each constellation and a variety of ancient global mythologies associated with them.
Each page is accompanied by illustrations providing useful location maps, when and where to observe, and what objects can be found within the constellations, including meteor showers and deep-sky objects – especially beneficial for those wishing to test out their observing equipment. The inclusion of a complete sky chart would have been useful to help new observers locate the constellations in relation to one another, but nevertheless this is a no-fuss guide that can be used time and again, and will get any beginner off to a flying start. ★★★★★
Katrin Raynor is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an astronomy writer