When the Sun sets on a clear evening, the sky darkens, the air grows cooler, and the stars come out. As daytime fades into night, we look into an infinite universe. Exploring the Starry Sky will help you discover this marvel that's passing overhead every night. The text and maps introduce you to the stars and constellations you can see from Planet Earth's middle-northern latitudes, which includes the USA, plus much of Canada and Europe. This book's goal is to make the nighttime heavens as familiar to you as any other part of the natural world.

To begin, all you need is a clear night sky. If you live in the city or suburbs, you can see the Moon, planets, and the brightest stars from your backyard or balcony. Yet if you go out into the rural countryside on a clear moonless night, you'll be amazed by how much more you can see. The night sky is spectacular, and most of its wonders are hidden by the glow of manmade lighting that hangs over every city.

Celestial storybook

It was very different once. Astronomy was born in the stargazing done by our Ice Age ancestors, 30,000 years ago or more. Under a sky unbrightened by artificial light, early humans tracked the Sun, Moon, and stars as well as the game they hunted for food. They foretold changes in the seasons by changes in the heavens.