Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars: A Simple Guide to the Heavens
This comprehensive stargazing guide by award-winning astronomer Stephen James O'Meara offers a practical, month-by-month approach to exploring the night sky using handheld binoculars. Designed for mid-northern latitudes, this book transforms backyard astronomy into an accessible hobby for beginners and amateur astronomers alike.
What's Inside This Binocular Astronomy Guide
O'Meara takes readers on a celestial journey through prominent stars and constellations visible throughout the year. Each chapter combines practical observation techniques with engaging storytelling, weaving together constellation mythology, historical anecdotes, and scientific insights. The book features detailed star charts, photographs, and illustrations that help readers navigate the heavens with confidence.
The guide systematically covers how to locate and identify the brightest stars in each constellation, along with other fascinating celestial targets including colorful stars, double and multiple star systems, star clusters, asterisms, nebulae, galaxies, and variable stars. All observations are optimized for inexpensive handheld binoculars, making this an economical entry point into astronomy.
About the Author
Stephen James O'Meara is a renowned visual observer, columnist and contributing editor for Astronomy magazine, and former Eye on the Sky columnist for Sky & Telescope. His credentials include the prestigious Caroline Herschel Award, the Lone Stargazer Award, and the Omega Centauri Award for advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion. The International Astronomical Union honored him by naming asteroid 3637 O'Meara in his recognition. O'Meara made history as the first person to sight Halley's Comet on its 1985 return, demonstrating the exceptional visual observation skills that set the standard for amateur astronomers worldwide.
Key Features
- Informal, story-telling approach - Star charts, photos, and illustrations - Interesting anecdotes, mythologies, and histories about the stars and constellations - Brightest and best stars, star clusters and asterisms, nebulae, galaxies, variable stars and more!
Month by month, star by star, object by object, Stephen James O'Meara takes readers on a celestial journey to many of the most prominent stars and constellations visible from mid-northern latitudes. Filled with interesting anecdotes about the stars and constellations and their intriguing histories, this book is both a useful guide for amateur astronomers, and a great first-time reference for those just starting out. After describing a constellation's mythology, readers are guided in locating and identifying its brightest stars in the sky, as well as any other bright targets of interest - colorful stars, double or multiple stars, star clusters and asterisms, nebulae, galaxies, variable stars, and more. This book will help beginning stargazers become familiar with the stars and constellations visible from their backyards, and explore the brightest and best stars, nebulae, and clusters visible through inexpensive, handheld binoculars.
Steve O'Meara on skywatching with binoculars - Listen to the Podcast interview by EarthSky:
About Steve O'Meara
Stephen James O'Meara, award-winning visual observer, is columnist and contributing editor for Astronomy magazine and former Eye on the Sky columnist for Sky & Telescope. He is the recipient of the prestigious Caroline Herschel Award, the Lone Stargazer Award, as well as the Omega Centauri Award for "his efforts in advancing astronomy through observation, writing, and promotion, and for sharing his love of the sky." The International Astronomical Union named asteroid 3637 O'Meara in his honor. As the first to sight Halley's Comet on its return in 1985, his remarkable skills continually reset the standard of quality for other visual observers.
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