Stargazing

Product Information

From beginner’s telescopes and accessories to stargazing experience vouchers and getaways, here we offer some of the best astronomy gifts to give to enthusiastic stargazers, both young and older, for Christmas 2023. Fascinating and amusing memoir by a art-school drop out, written in the early 1970's about his time working as a lighthouse keeper off the coasts of Scotland.

Mark Thompson’s excellent fact book will amaze anyone with an interest in astronomy, including stargazers both young and old!

Having taken copious notes, you get a real flavor for his milieu as the author's time is split between adjusting to the lifestyle, worrying about the condition of the world around him, and reveling in the explosion of art and music of the era. Full disclosure: Richard Bartlett, the author of Signposts to the Stars, is a regular contributor here at TelescopeGuide.org. While I’m admittedly a little biased on this recommendation, I personally use this book as a reference for viewing sessions, and I endorse it highly.)

Do judge a book by its cover: this one is as gorgeous as it looks. Not only that, it contains the full glory of the cosmos in a language that’s simple and engaging enough for an eight year-old. It is rare to read something that so closely mixes science fiction with reality, but Space 2069 does just that. From the pen of former BBC science correspondent David Whitehouse, this book affords us an intelligent portrait of where we may be in the next half-century: from an Antarctica-like set-up of international Moon bases to outposts on the Red Planet. The solar system. Introduction to the planets, comets, and meteor showers – including tips for viewing each of the planets and other fascinating sights within the solar system. 3. 365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year Christine is a quiet, "good girl," who is intrigued when a wilder girl named Moon moves in next door. They become friends, and Moon pushes her to be more adventurous (paint your nails! let's do the talent show!) Moon tells Christine her deepest secret: that she sometimes has visions of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Moon says some day she will return to the stars where she truly belongs.This full size Dobsonian telescope is another ideal beginners telescope, its larger 8″ mirror collects more light and therefore offers better views of deep sky objects. The below-mentioned book “Turn Left at Orion” is a perfect combination. This astronomy book for beginners is a simple, practical and no-frills guide for someone who wants to start stargazing without using maps or apps. It takes a “star-hopping approach” where you start with the Big Dipper, and then go from one constellation to another. It even has glow-in-the-dark maps that you can refer to during stargazing. A warm bath of a book. A memoir about the author's induction into the adult world of work of a wet behind the ears twenty year old student in what was, even in 1973, very much the twilight of the era of the manned lighthouse. This is no time to skimp on quality; shun the flimsy, semi-toy "department store" scopes that may have caught your eye. The telescope you want has two essentials. The first is a solid, steady, smoothly working mount. The second is high-quality, "diffraction-limited" optics.

The book’s main premise is that physics doesn’t just affect us all as a society, but it taps into our natural desire to learn and understand; and yet one group for many centuries, and even to this day, has deemed itself worthy to tap into that knowledge above others. The joys of astronomy come from intellectual discovery and knowledge of the cryptic night sky. But you have to make these discoveries and gain this knowledge, often by yourself. He's a very engaging writer and the book has a sense of youth, freshness and recency, rather than always feeling like the reminscences of a man in late middle age. He only worked on three lighthouses during his sojourn with this band of men but that is where the again bit comes in. The structure remained unchanged and unchanging. The actual siting of the lighthouses might differ and be new and challenging but the pulse of the work remained the same. He captures, for the reader, the complex but swiftly familiar routine, the struggle against sleep in the 'Rembrandt duty'....the nightwatchman's hours of 2 until 6am, the weirdly affectionate camaraderie which more often than not appears to have been a given for these men even though on occasions, all three would have been total strangers to each other prior to touching down on the island. Whether you’re a budding cosmologist or simply someone with a deep fascination for the Universe and how it came to be, this book is a great introduction to the subject.The authors really help manage a beginner’s expectations, giving honest advice such as ‘leave astrophotography to the last’ – an important lesson that first-time astronomers often ignore. The Secret World of Stargazing is a lovely book. It is personal, delicate and beautifully innocent. For those more experienced astronomers, it is a reminder of why so many of us immerse ourselves in the hobby, and for those just starting out, it is a useful leg-up onto the first rung of the stargazing ladder.

But while the section on the Space Station may not be what we might expect, the book gives an incredible insight into the mind of an adrenaline junkie, test pilot, father and astronaut which many more than just spaceflight enthusiasts will enjoy. The book is incredibly easy to read and very enjoyable. It’s full of little facts and turns of phrase that you can share with others. And with its slightly philosophical angle, it might even get you thinking about how you spend your time. A aweet middle grades graphic novel that I read because I had just taught Wang's Prince and the Dressmaker and some said they like this even better. I liked it, and it is more relatable than the very different Prince and the Pauper spinoff, but I still like the different kind of sweetness and goofiness of Prince a bit more.Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? Would you know what to do if they appeared in front of you? Host of the Star Signs weekly stargazing podcast and founder of Stargazing.London, Tom Kerss’ guide to the Northern Lights goes way deeper than you might expect.