Copyright (c) 2004 Cloudy Nights Telescope Reviews.

Transcription

1 All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by an means without the prior written permission of the publisher. file:///users/asaint/cloudy/lab/copyright.htm3/13/2004 2:02:45 AM

2 See the Stars Your First Guide to the Night Sky by Allister St. ClaireClick to Author file:///users/asaint/pdfs/seestars.htm (1 of 5)3/13/2004 2:00:50 AM

3 Level Age Summary Beginner Children (7+) & Adult An absolute beginners guide to learning the 12 brightest constellations. At the pace of 1 constellation/month, you take the book outside, open it to the appropriate month and find that month s constellation. Cloudy Nights Recommended Book! See the Stars by Ken Croswell. Text copyright 2000 by Ken Croswell; Photographs copyright by Akira Fujii. Published by Caroline House, Boyds Mills Press, Inc. Excerpts reprinted by permission. Have you ever walked outside on a clear night, looked up, and wondered which constellation is which? Ever have one of those rare moments when a child points to a bright grouping of stars and asks you what its name is? If the answer to either of these 2 questions is yes, then the author of See the Stars has some help for you. Author Ken Croswell wants you to grab his book and head outside to learn your first constellation. Constellations are the mythological and historical roots of astronomy, not the scientific roots. By their very nature, they are just visual constructs of our imagination. Teaching constellations is critical to developing interest in astronomy, in either children or adults. Constellations are a concrete and compelling place to start in astronomy, and this book makes this learning easy and enjoyable, with no prerequisites except a clear sky and an open mind. file:///users/asaint/pdfs/seestars.htm (2 of 5)3/13/2004 2:00:50 AM

4 The outline of this book is extremely simple. For each month of the year, the author lays out the following information on two pages: 1. A real photograph of that month s constellation (not a drawing, but a photograph the real deal!) 2. A diagram illustrating the constellation s outline by connecting the stars 3. A table listing where the constellation is located in the sky, by time & date. 4. Several paragraphs explaining the constellation, its constituent stars, noteworthy deep sky objects and occasional bits of mythology. The beauty of this book is you don t need any extra equipment. No telescopes, binoculars or additional star maps are needed to learn the constellations. The author instructs the reader to grab a flashlight (red light preferred), the book and head outside. Once there, open the book to that month s constellation, orient the photograph in the direction given and look for the constellation in the location given in the table. file:///users/asaint/pdfs/seestars.htm (3 of 5)3/13/2004 2:00:50 AM

5 Using April as an example with the date being April 20th: 1. Walk outside and orient the photograph so the Turn Photograph so that this edge faces north actually faces north 2. Consult the table. It says we should face E at 9:00 PM 3. Look for the constellation Boote s brightest star Arcturus Want to look at another constellation? No problem. The author encourages the reader to flip forward and backward to the constellations immediately prior to and immediately following the current months. These constellations will be up in the sky. Simply consult that month s table and look in the direction given. Taking our example a step further, if we are looking at Bootes on the April page, we can also look at; Leo (March constellation) Lyra (May constellation) Ken s commentary is aimed squarely at the beginner. Ken assumes you don t have any background in astronomy. His descriptions and explanations are both enthusiastic and interesting. Here is a sample of the text: As stars go, Arcturus is nearby, just 37 light-years from Earth. So the light you see tonight left Arcturus 37 years ago Arcturus is different from the Sun, for it is a giant, a star that is bigger and brighter than the Sun. It sends out more than a hundred times more light. A billion years ago, though, Arcturus was a yellow star that resembled the Sun. The Sun shines because nuclear reactions at its center turn hydrogen into helium and make energy. But Arcturus s center ran out of hydrogen, so the star began burning hydrogen outside its center. This new energy source caused the star to expand, brighten, and cool, and it turned from yellow to orange. Overall I find this book to be an innovative introduction to learning the stars. I applaud the author s hands-on approach. By skipping lengthy introductory chapters, the author fast tracks the reader into enjoying the night sky. Later, once the beginner has caught the astronomy bug, they can sit back and read the theoretical stuff on Cloudy Nights. Could the author better this book? Yes, in two small ways. First, the diagram of the constellation should show the surrounding constellations. By omitting the surrounding constellations, the reader may become lost for lack of road marks. Surrounding constellations give the reader some points of reference when looking up at that very large sky full of stars. file:///users/asaint/pdfs/seestars.htm (4 of 5)3/13/2004 2:00:50 AM

6 Second, the photographs of the constellation would be easier to understand if the stars were connected via an overlay of lines. For some beginners, the picture of the constellation may not be enough for them to determine the constellations shape. Think of an inkblot test and you get the idea. While they can easily look at the accompanying diagram, I feel this extra step would be helpful in discerning the constellations form. However, don t let these two little nits deter you from getting this book. I feel this book is an invaluable resource for those wishing to get outside and learn a few constellations. This book is a great hands-on introduction to the constellations, that is suitable for kids or adults. If you are looking for a tool to introduce children to the joy of astronomy, this is a great first step that doesn t involve costly equipment, travel to a planetarium or explanations of what FOV is. Recommended Beginners book by the Cloudy Nights Staff Discuss this in the Cloudy Nights Forums file:///users/asaint/pdfs/seestars.htm (5 of 5)3/13/2004 2:00:50 AM