Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I was disappointed with this book for two reasons. I wanted help locating the planets, but the 50th anniversary edition is obsolete. The book contains charts showing which constellations the planets could be found in for 1992 -- 1997, but I bought the book in 1998! The charts also don't include Uranus and Neptune. These two shortcomings limit the value of this book for anyone who uses it, but primarily for the beginning amateur astronomer who might not have enough interest to seek another source.
I did find the star charts to be very easy to use on my first-ever attempt to use a star chart to find constellations. For about an hour, I preferred these charts to the more conventional (and more cluttered) monthly charts from Sky & Telescope Magazine. I quickly learned to appreciate the extra detail in the magazine's chart and felt as if I had "graduated" to a "real" star chart. Perhaps, if I were younger, I would feel differently.
I appreciated s! ome of the other aspects of the book. It has a very understandable description of star magnitude and brightness ratio. It also has an interesting section on Meteors. I also enjoyed the brief history of ancient star maps and the origins of the constellation names.
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Designed with the beginner in mind and useful to anyone interested in astronomy. Star Maps for Beginners is the classic guide to viewing and understanding the heavens. Its superb maps -- drawn in the shape of two crossed ellipses -- provide the reader with a unique perspective on the sky and have been widely acknowledged as the easiest system yet devised for locating any constellation at any time of the year. Now revised for the 1990s, with updated planet charts and a new section on spotting meteor showers. Star Maps for Beginners includes: 12 complete maps -- one for each month -- showing the positions of the constellations viewed from every direction a synoptic table that shows how to choose the proper map for use at any time special tables that give approximate positions of the planets for the years 1992 through 1997 the most up-to-date overview of the solar system available today the latest facts about each of the planets -- orbit, size, atmosphere, internal structure, climate, and terrain a full chapter on the history and development of the constellations, and the ancient legends and mythological lore surrounding them a special section on meteors -- how they originate and when and where to spot them. Initially published in 1942 and now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Star Maps for Beginners has sold more than 450,000 copies.
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