Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars

Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars was originally written to complement The Night Sky planisphere (by the same author). The planisphere helps the beginner find what is up in the sky for any day and time. The book discusses the significance of what is seen.

The book starts with a discussion of how to observe the sky and how to choose binoculars with astronomy in mind. Then comes a brief geography lesson of the universe, including helpful models to keep in mind when trying to visualize large numbers, such as millions, billions, and trillions. The bulk of the book is a survey, starting with the Sun and its family of planets, moons, asteroids and comets, then moves outward into the Milky Way with its nebulae, stellar remnants, open star clusters, and globular star clusters, and finally out beyond the Milky Way to the realm of the galaxies. Examples of each kind of object are given that are visible with no more than binoculars, and each is discussed with enough detail to make it meaningful but not overwhelming to the beginner.

The appendices include seasonal tours of the sky, tips on buying telescopes, and a resource guide for those who want to go further.

(Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars received honorable mention at the New York Academy of Sciences Children's Science Book Awards.)