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Guide to the Night Sky: A Guided Tour of the Stars and Constellations (Philip's Astronomy)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Sir Patrick Moore

March 11, 2005
I would definitely recommend this book to a novice astronomer. It explains in simple terms what you're looking at in the sky, and how to find the most infamous star constellations. I discovered a lot of things that I had no idea existed. It even gives advice on what telescope to buy, which is a big help if you're looking to buy a telescope for the first time.

A plain and simple guide to the stars in the sky. A must buy!

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Yearbook of Astronomy 2009

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Sir Patrick Moore

November 07, 2008
I would definitely recommend this book to a novice astronomer. It explains in simple terms what you're looking at in the sky, and how to find the most infamous star constellations. I discovered a lot of things that I had no idea existed. It even gives advice on what telescope to buy, which is a big help if you're looking to buy a telescope for the first time.

A plain and simple guide to the stars in the sky. A must buy!

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A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Michael Driscol

October 07, 2004
Bought this book for our daughter last Christmas, fantastic! Beautiful book, lovely detail and easy to read. Eye catching text and picures - just a great book for young and old.

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I Wonder Why Stars Twinkle and Other Questions About Space (I Wonder Why) (I Wonder Why)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Carole Stott

May 20, 2002
What a great book! Just enough information for an inquisitive 5 year old and his mum who it seems doesn't always have the answers...until now!

Great illustrations to help understanding and simply put text...my little boy is dipping into this all the time. We look at the stars now in a different light. I'm off to buy some different titles in the same series...can't recommend enough.

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Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope - and How to Find Them

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Guy Consolmagno, Dan M. Davis

November 01, 2000
I read somewhere that all telescopes should come with this guide and once you start using it you'll realise why. As I have mostly a south-westerly view of the sky I like to make the most of what I have so I turn to 'Turn Left...' and follow the easy diagrams and text to pick out the best of the constellation I am interested in.
The book gives you diagrams of what you'll see in the viewfinder as well as the telescope and although it can be a bit confusing to the novice when you first start you soon get the hang of star hopping and be delighted when you discover the gems above.
In fact having used this book quite often I find myself hopping around without it on my favourite sights. For example the other night I found the ring nebula ... Read More:

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Philip's Planisphere: Northern 51.5 Degrees - British Isles, Northern Europe Northern USA and Canada (Philip's Astronomy)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
from: Philip's

May 09, 2005
The Planisphere is the perfect tool for any amateur astronomer.
It comes with full instructions on its use, so you can have a quick look at it and be out inspecting the night sky in only a few minutes.

It also explains how to find the major planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn), sunrise and sunset as well as the positions of the constellations, season by season. Luckily, many of these instructions can be found on the back of the Planisphere itself (along with a Key to map symbols) so that you can always flip it over if you get stuck.

The Planisphere itself is sturdy, flexible and laminated so it won't be affected by wet surfaces - which is useful if you find yourself outside and there's a change in the weather. This ... Read More:

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There's No Place Like Space: All about Our Solar System (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Tish Rabe, Dr Seuss

1999-10
Not good for young readers in the UK.

American book - so color not colour.

Otherwise OK

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The Stargazer's Guide: How to Read Our Night Sky

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Emily Winterburn

September 25, 2008
I found this book fascinating especially as Christmas is coming up and we will be into the season for a few clear skies.

I disagree with the mention of old illustrations as the book is suppose to deal with it as an old pastime and give some historical context with which to inspire a new generation of Stargazers.

I found the Star Charts fine as they are supposed to look historic in style. The book is not supposed to be glossy "look at these amazing photos of stars" book. As that is not what Stargazing is about.

All in all a fascinating read and it tempted me into the garden at night!

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The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality (Penguin Press Science)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Brian Greene

February 24, 2005
I started reading this as a complete physics novice. Having heard about the Large Hadron collider at CERN and the experiments that were due to begin in 2008, I wanted to be able to grasp the basics of what those scientists were hoping to achieve, and gain a better insight into cosmology more generally. But I had absolutely zero physics understanding, and the most I knew about Newton was that there was an apple that supposedly dropped on his head - something to do with gravity! I didn't really know what special or general relativity were, or even that these were two separate discoveries. I'd seen the odd TV documentary proposing something called superstring, and speculation about wormholes and time travel. There was also something called quantum physics, ... Read More:

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A Brief History of Time

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Astronomy and Cosmology
by: Stephen Hawking

June 03, 2008
This book blew my brains out.

It's one thing to know a subject, but it's an altogether different thing to teach it and convey it to the layman.