United States
£ GBP
This concise guide to the northern night sky helps starwatchers to see the year's most fascinating events, whether observing with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. Philip's Stargazing 2013 is suitable for use between latitudes 40N and 60N, including Britain and Ireland, Europe as far south as Rome, and Canada and the northern USA as far south as Philadelphia.
Each chapter (one for each month of the year) has a colour star map showing the positions and phases of the Moon, the positions of the planets, and other useful information. Each month also includes a constellation described in detail, special events during the month, such as eclipses, a featured astronomical object, usually a deep-sky target and an astrophotograph, with details of how it was taken.
The almanac section explains the movement of the planets, with particular attention paid to their positions in 2013. Solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers and comets are also described. The observer can use the monthly charts to discover which constellations are on view, and then use this information to plan deep-sky observing. Philip's Stargazing 2013 concludes with an equipment review which provides a round-up of what's new in observing technology, from the latest brands of telescope to the best webcams.
Heather Couper is a past President of both the British Astronomical Association and the Society for Popular Astronomy. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Astronomical Society and the Institute of Physics, and a former Millennium Commissioner, for which she was awarded the CBE in 2007.
Nigel Henbest has been Astronomy Consultant to New Scientist magazine, Editor of the Journal of the British Astronomical Association, and Media Consultant to the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
