This handbook is a guide to exploring the night sky and its wonderful telescopic sights. All eighty-eight officially recognized constellations in both hemispheres are presented in natural groups, related by their origin and location. The author, a former astronomy instructor and planetarium director, has for over thirty-five years, researched myths from all over the world to identify the most memorable stories which link multiple constellations in a single story. Thus, the interested observer may discover that it will be easier to use already known constellations to locate and remember new constellations. The author has found that showing each constellation figure with a simple line drawing is helpful for remembering each constellation. He includes photographs of many of the brighter celestial objects, as well as many accompanying drawings which illustrate how the telescopic views differ from the photographs.
One way to use this handbook, which is useful to beginners as well as experienced astronomers, is to read the myth or story that explains the constellation of interest, view the corresponding photograph, finder and detailed charts, and then go outside and find it! This method was successfully used with groups ranging from third graders to college astronomy classes. An index and seven appendices help the user find specific objects or subjects of interest. Other helpful features of this comprehensive guidebook include:
Specific instructions for finding each constellationA list of the named stars in each constellation with the correct spelling, pronunciation, and origin of the star namesFinder charts showing each constellation with a large area of the sky around itDetailed charts showing the location of the celestial objects in each constellationConstellation photographsPointer stars and special star groups which can be used as aids in finding specific constellations
