Philip's Stargazing 2005

Philip's Stargazing 2005 is the first edition of a month-by-month guide to the ever-changing night sky, written by internationally known astronomy writers and broadcasters Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest. Concise and informative, it will help starwatchers to see all the year's most fascinating events, whether observing with the naked eye or with a large telescope. The guide is suitable for use between latitudes 40 and 60[degrees]N - the British Isles, Europe as far south as Rome, Canada, and northern United States as far south as Philadelphia. Twelve chapters - one for each month of the year - form the heart of the book. Each month has a colour star map showing the positions and phases of the Moon, the positions of the planets, and other useful information. Each chapter includes: special events during the month, such as eclipses and how to observe them; a featured deep sky object; an astro-photograph; and a brief article related to the view that month.Also included is a concise summary of the 'whys' and 'hows' of observational astronomy, a round-up of new observing or imaging equipment, maps for the whole year's movement for the observable planets and major events in space exploration, and a 'spotters' guide' giving a check list of objects to observe during the year.