A Peterson Field Guide To Stars And Planets (Peterson Field Guides)

This book/manual is great to have while star gazing. It has just about all the information you'd ever need from planetary data to star data to Messier data to include Right ascentions and declinations, magnitudes, and charts for almost every object out there. I have been using an older printing/edition of the same book for decades and most of the information contained never expires or is outdated, but the planetary data (rise, transit, set) which does had expired back in 2010. The reason I gave it a 4 star review is that this is the 16th printing of the 4th edition of this manual and only has data for the planets (Graphic Timetable of the Heavens) through 2020. When you purchase the latest version, you should have data that carries you through a decade. The 18th printing of the 4th edition is due out in a few months (info as of Dec 22, 2019) according to the author Jay Pasachoff, which will have a more updated Graphic Timetable of the Heavens among other tidbits of information. To know what printing of this book is pay particular attention to the ISBN # in the description to insure you get the most up-to-date issue available.

If I had to choose a small number of books to take with me into exile on some deserted island somewhere, this would definitely be one of them (and offhand I'm not sure I can name any others).An entire astronomy library packed into a single portable field guide, Jay Pasachoff's entry in the Peterson Field Guide series is a delightful introduction to, and reference for, the universe revealed in the night sky.If you have any interest in astronomy at all, you can always find something in here to look at or just to sit and ponder about.Besides the obvious things like monthly star charts for both northern and southern hemispheres, the book contains a complete 52 chart atlas of the sky put together by Wil Tirion with notes on objects in each chart, clever finder charts and tables for the planets for a ten year period, history and lore of the naming of the constallations, many, many photographs of astronomical objects taken by Hubble and other telescopes, an atlas of the moon, and many enlightening charts and tables of things like details of the brightest/nearest stars, the planets and their moons, and so on.There's a section on each of the planets, and of course lots of coverage of the sun and eclipses of the sun and moon.It always surprises me that this book doesn't seem to get as much respect in astronomical circles as I think it deserves. While you can certainly fill a library with astronomical books and atlases that are better than this field guide in any one area, you will not do better than this book in stuffing all of that information together in one "to go" package.An excellent gift for a child starting to get interested in science and the world at large.I could go on, but you should just buy the book and see for yourself :-)G.

I love the new edition. I had an older version (20 year). The updated version provides a wealth of information on just about all you need to know about the night sky for observations. There color charts included as well as table after table of data. Great Book!

I saw this at a friend of mine's, and instantly knew it was superior to my Cambridge Guide to the Stars and Planets that I've long relied on. Although I own the SkyAtlas 2000 star charts, and am a professional astronomer, these handy reference guides are GREAT for quick look ups, reference info, learning what constellation a given deep sky object is in, etc. I like this one over the Cambridge as the sky atlas' are far more detailed. If you don't have your star charts handy, this is perfect for getting you "in the neighborhood" of an object you're looking for. Depending upon the field of view with which you're viewing, you should land right on it, or just need to move your scope no more than 1 degree in any direction in order to find it. I'm really impressed with this book, and can't believe its only $12 ish.

This is such a fun book! It's written like the author is your friend, and giving you fun advice on what to look for in the night sky!I had the 2nd edition, and I never new there was a 4th until I searched for a friend to find him a copy!Even tho I've got my Sky Atlas star charts, this one is just fun! Especially when lounging at a star party!

Small enough to carry yet exhaustive on the subject. Also has a strong back binding for in the field use.

Jay Pasachoff's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets has been around since I started studying Astronomy many years ago, and in my opinion is the best single work for someone interested in learning about the sky. It is quite comprehensive and the maps drawn by Wil Tirion and other graphics are beautifully done. The material in this book is pretty sophisticated, for a beginner H. A. Rey's 'The Stars' is unbeatable.

This guide is excellent, but takes a bit of getting used to. It has white star atlas charts as well as dark blue sky maps and a different information format from some of the other guides.Very recommended for a night out under the stars, bring binoculars!

This guide is excellent to use for star gazing and covers really interesting topics. I borrowed a friend’s book and liked it so much that I decided to order one for myself. The book was to come on the 3rd of May, end of the month now and I have yet to receive it.

Fantastic book for information an astronomer. Great information on the moon all, the planets, the stars and deep sky objects (star clusters, nebulae and galaxies including the Messier objects). The star charts are from the Wil Tirion Atlases.

Excelente

Exactly what I expected, perfect

Bought as a gift which was well received.