Stargazing for Absolute Beginners

Every guide tells you Orion is up. None of them tell you how to find it. This book does one thing: it walks you from a star you already know to one you do not, on forty-five separate journeys, until the night sky stops being a scatter of dots and starts being a place you recognise. You need no telescope. Forty-one of the forty-five sights can be found with your eyes alone. Only four ask for binoculars - the ordinary kind used for birds or sport - and nothing in this book requires a purchase.Inside this book - 45 sights, one section each - the chart first, then the route to find it, step by step. Everything for one sight in one place.- Star hopping, step by step - every entry starts from something you can already see and tells you exactly where to look next, measured in fist-widths at arm's length.- Charts drawn from catalogue data - real star positions, real brightnesses, printed black on white so they stay readable under a red light.- Season by season - year-round, spring, summer, autumn and winter chapters, plus the moon and the planets, so you always know what is up tonight.- A month-by-month almanac and a four-night plan for your very first week outside.- What to do when you cannot find it - every entry ends with the mistake beginners actually make, and how to fix it. Written for - Complete beginners who have looked up and felt lost- Anyone who was given binoculars and does not know where to point them- Parents and grandparents who want something to share outdoors- Readers at mid-northern latitudes - the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe Clear nights are rarer than you think. This book makes sure you know what to do with the next one.