If you’re like a lot of people, you don’t own a telescope but still have a passion for the stars. I’ve got good news for you. There’s lots to see up there without any equipment at all. That’s the premise of my new book titled Night Sky with the Naked Eye, a non-technical guide to the wonders of the night sky that anyone can enjoy and understand whether you live in an apartment in the city or 50 miles from nowhere.
I’ve always been amazed at how accessible the universe is. To make that personal connection with the cosmos we only need to get into the habit of looking up. Total eclipses, auroras and rich meteor showers get a lot of coverage and rightly so, but there’s so much up there. Little things that stoke our sense of wonder happen all the time: Earth’s rising shadow at sunset, a giant halo around the full moon, the woolly glow of the Milky Way on a summer night or two bright planets coming together in conjunction.
Skywatching not only informs and delights, it has the power to expand our perspective and sense of place in the scheme of things. Gazing up at the Milky Way on a dark summer night, we feel both humbled and fortunate to be alive. The night sky’s elixir of beauty, timelessness and possibility feeds an inner quietude that can be our strength in stressful times.
While the book touches on the contemplative aspects of skywatching, the bulk of it is activity-oriented, intended to encourage you to put on a coat and get outside. I’ve got tips on weather-watching and using satellite imagery to help you find clear skies for that must-see special event. And if light pollution is a problem where you live, we explore ways to make a difference in reducing it as well as using online atlases to find a dark observing site.
The book covers the basics of celestial and planetary motions, how to find the brighter constellations and naked-eye deep sky objects along with suggested night sky viewing activities to share with friends and family. There are 1o chapters in all:
Chapter 1: Wave “Hi!” to the Astronauts
Chapter 2: Anticipating the Night
Chapter 3: Rockin’ N’ Rollin’ Earth
Chapter 4: Dive Into the Dippers
Chapter 5: Four Seasons of Starlight
Chapter 6: Meet the Rabbit in the Moon
Chapter 7: Face to Face with the Planets
Chapter 8: Wish Upon a Shooting Star
Chapter 9: Awed by Aurora
Chapter 10: Curiosities of the Night
No observers’ guide would be complete without challenges. How about seeing craters on the moon with no optical aid or spotting the elusive gegenschein, a patch of comet dust in the midnight sky? It’s all here. And all in color! As a photographer, I wanted to make sure beautiful and informative photos and graphics were used throughout.
Because the Internet has become an integral part of our lives, the book includes numerous online resources as well as useful mobile phone apps related to constellation finding and aurora tracking. Since I’m do photography for a living, I’ve also included tips on how to take night-sky photos.
Whether for yourself or to give as a holiday gift for a budding skywatcher, I hope you check out my book. It’s published by Page Street Publishing out of Salem, Mass. and distributed by Macmillan. Publication date is November 8 and the cost is $21.99. You can pre-order a copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Both outlets currently have a 15% discount, so it’s only $18 plus change — what a deal! If you’re in northern Minnesota in early November (a lovely, biting time of year), I’ll be doing several book signings, all in Duluth. I’d love it if you dropped by; I promise a warm welcome.
* Wednesday Nov. 9 at the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium on the UMD campus from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
* Saturday Nov. 12 at the Duluth Public Library from 11 till noon after a talk about the upcoming Supermoon of the century.
* Saturday Nov. 12 at the Barnes & Noble at the Miller Hill Mall in Duluth from 1-5 p.m. We’ll have a meteorite on display to see and touch and a telescope for moon viewing if it’s clear.
* Saturday Dec. 3 at The Bookstore at Fitger’s from noon-2 p.m.
Thank you for letting me share this bit of promotion, and I hope to meet you at one of the events!