Fifteen Eighty Four

We’ve learned about constellations, star charts, astrophotography, and telescopes, but there’s so much more out there! Here are just a few recommendations from our staff. We’re giving you a 30% discount on these titles and more, and you can win some of these books by participating in our astrophotography contest.

Recommended Reading

A Walk through the Heavens 3^rd edition
If you’re eager to learn more about the mythology behind constellations, this is a great book for you. A Walk through the Heavens covers all of the major and minor constellations, detailing their origin myths from cultures around the world.

Stargazing Basics
Paul Kinzer’s two-part Q&A in July was just the beginning. His handy guide for the recreational astronomer has tips for telescopes, notes for observing the solar system and deep space, a detailed stargazing glossary, and simple star charts to help you find what you’re looking for.

Observing the Night Sky with Binoculars
If you want to see more of the sky but don’t think you’re quite ready for a telescope, give binoculars a try! You may even be able to spot Saturn’s rings.

Deep Sky Companions: The Messier Objects
The bright galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae catalogued in the late 1700s by the famous comet hunter Charles Messier are still the most widely observed celestial wonders in the sky. This observing guide is perfect for beginners gazing into deep space. The new updated edition is coming out in November.

Deep Sky Companions: Hidden Treasures
This guide can lead you to galaxies, open clusters, planetary nebulae and more, all of which have been carefully chosen based on their popularity and ease of observing.

Recommended Star Charts and Atlases (with instructions for reading them here):

The Monthly Sky Guide 9^th edition
Author Ian Ridpath showed us around the August chart in this book. Navigate the sky for the rest of the year with detailed maps, helpful tips, and fascinating stories.

The Cambridge Star Atlas, 4^th edition
This classic star atlas is ideal for both beginning astronomers and more experienced observers worldwide. The clear, full-color maps show stars, clusters and galaxies visible with binoculars or a small telescope. The atlas also features constellation boundaries and the Milky Way, and lists objects that are interesting to observe.

The Cambridge Photographic Star Atlas
See the stars up close with this complete and stunning photographic map of the universe.

The Cambridge Photographic Moon Atlas
Amazing maps and images. Dan Davis and Guy Consolmagno recommend looking at the moon through binoculars or a telescope, and this fantastic book illustrates and explains what you might find.

Have your own questions for our experts? Write them in the comments and we’ll ask one of our authors for you!