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The Brightest Stars: Discovering the Universe through the Sky's Most Brilliant Stars
Fred Schaaf is one of the most experienced astronomical observers of our time. For more than two decades, his view of the sky-what will be visible, when it will be visible, and what it will look like-has encouraged tens of thousands of people to turn their eyes skyward.
—David H. Levy, Science Editor, Parade magazine, discoverer of twenty-one comets, and author of Starry Night and Cosmic Discoveries ""Fred Schaaf is a poet of the stars. He brings the sky into people's lives in a way that is compelling and his descriptions have all the impact of witnessing the stars on a crystal-clear dark night.""
—William Sheehan, coauthor of The Lure of the Red Planet and The Transits of Venus In this book, you’ll meet the twenty-one brightest stars visible from Earth. You’ll learn how to find these stars and discover the best ways to see them. Each star is profiled in a separate chapter, with detailed guidance on what to look for while observing it. Suitable for beginners as well as experienced amateur astronomers, the book shares fascinating information about the lore and legends connected with each star through history, as well as what the science of astronomy has to teach us about the star’s physical nature.
—David H. Levy, Science Editor, Parade magazine, discoverer of twenty-one comets, and author of Starry Night and Cosmic Discoveries ""Fred Schaaf is a poet of the stars. He brings the sky into people's lives in a way that is compelling and his descriptions have all the impact of witnessing the stars on a crystal-clear dark night.""
—William Sheehan, coauthor of The Lure of the Red Planet and The Transits of Venus In this book, you’ll meet the twenty-one brightest stars visible from Earth. You’ll learn how to find these stars and discover the best ways to see them. Each star is profiled in a separate chapter, with detailed guidance on what to look for while observing it. Suitable for beginners as well as experienced amateur astronomers, the book shares fascinating information about the lore and legends connected with each star through history, as well as what the science of astronomy has to teach us about the star’s physical nature.
- GenresSpace
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 22, 2015
Astronomy has been a hobby of mine for nearly 40 years. This little book gave a great synopsis of the night sky for beginners and then had profiles of the brightest stars visible from Earth. I learned many new things about star types, star lore, and especially cool was what the sky would look like from a planet orbiting these stars.
Did you know from the star Vega, our sun would be the north star in their sky?
Did you know from the star Vega, our sun would be the north star in their sky?
August 2, 2012
For me, as an advanced amateur astronomer, this is an odd book. Odd on the one hand, because I should like it's subject matter - the 20 or so brightest stars you can see without optical aid - and all about them. But truthfully, this book was a bit of a slog and I had to force myself to finish it.
The book opens with a gentle introduction to observing and to stellar physics, so you have the foundation to understand the discussion of the chapters that follow. Then you get a series of chapters, each one devoted to the brightest stars in the sky, in descending order of brightness. Each star follows a format: what it's like to observe the star in the sky, some science information, storytelling of myths and legends involving the star, and finally what it would be like to view the universe from the neighborhood of that star.
Sometimes the factoids are interesting - the bright star Capella, for instance, is a frequently reported "UFO" in Canada because it frequently appears near the horizon there. The myths and legends make for fascinating reading, and the book also includes some poetry featuring the bright stars.
For a newcomer to astronomy, this would be a great book to take outside with you. You don't need a telescope, binoculars, or any kind of equipment to appreciate it. And reading the descriptions while you're actually looking at the star would greatly enhance your appreciation. But if you're just reading through the book, the observational and scientific descriptions frequently come off as dry recitations of facts. Sometimes I referred to a computer star chart on my tablet which helped visualize the discussion and made the reading more interesting - which is what makes me think this would be a good field guide.
The book opens with a gentle introduction to observing and to stellar physics, so you have the foundation to understand the discussion of the chapters that follow. Then you get a series of chapters, each one devoted to the brightest stars in the sky, in descending order of brightness. Each star follows a format: what it's like to observe the star in the sky, some science information, storytelling of myths and legends involving the star, and finally what it would be like to view the universe from the neighborhood of that star.
Sometimes the factoids are interesting - the bright star Capella, for instance, is a frequently reported "UFO" in Canada because it frequently appears near the horizon there. The myths and legends make for fascinating reading, and the book also includes some poetry featuring the bright stars.
For a newcomer to astronomy, this would be a great book to take outside with you. You don't need a telescope, binoculars, or any kind of equipment to appreciate it. And reading the descriptions while you're actually looking at the star would greatly enhance your appreciation. But if you're just reading through the book, the observational and scientific descriptions frequently come off as dry recitations of facts. Sometimes I referred to a computer star chart on my tablet which helped visualize the discussion and made the reading more interesting - which is what makes me think this would be a good field guide.
October 7, 2014
A thorough, approachable, and personal account of a fascinating field by a true expert.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews