Product Description

An accessible guide to the wonders of the night sky, now updated
From asteroids to black holes, from quasars to white dwarfs, this new edition of Astronomy For Dummies takes backyard stargazers on a grand tour of the universe. Featuring star maps, charts, gorgeous full–color photographs, and easy–to–follow explanations, this fact–filled guide gives readers a leg up on the basic principles of astronomy and shows how to get the most out of binoculars, telescopes, planetarium visits, and other fun astronomical activities. This updated edition includes an updated color signature and covers the many discoveries made in recent years, as well as new astronomy Web sites.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4568 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.60 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

From the Back Cover
Features charts, star maps, and full–color photos!

Ever wonder what′s out there?

This is the book for you!

Do you know the difference between a red giant and a white dwarf? From asteroids to black holes, this easy–to–understand guide takes you on a grand tour of the universe, showing you how to get the most out of stargazing, planetarium visits, and other cool astronomical activities. It also covers recent discoveries and new astronomy Web sites.

Discover how to

• Enjoy skywatching in your backyard
• Identify planets and stars
• Explore our solar system, the Milky Way, and beyond
• Understand the Big Bang, quasars, antimatter, and more
• Join the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI)

About the Author
Stephen P. Maran, PhD, is a 36–year veteran of the space program who has worked on numerous NASA projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope. He is the press officer of the American Astronomical Society.

Customer Reviews

Very US-centric
Good book, well written, well laid out, nice tone, pleasant to read.

Loses one star (scuse pun!) for the US-ness of the content. Bit more of a nod to the rest of the planet in the next edition puh-leese.

really simple
the book is written so that any beginner can understand what's going on in that galaxy of ours! nice & easy to understand, this make astronomy easy for the dimmest of the dim!

This book is great
It's great for budding astronomers, full of detail and easy to read!