Explore the heavens with this ultimate celestial guidebook! Chock-full of glorious photographs, easy-to-read charts and detailed maps -- there's an image or two on virtually every spread -- it answers every beginner's questions. Start with the most famous constellations: locate Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, Orion, Scorpio, and you'll soon find it simple to identify other star groupings. Acquaint yourself with the meridian, so you can calculate when each constellation will appear in your area. Get visual cues that aid in recognizing the planets, such as color and brightness. The dazzling pictorial section points out and defines the nature of all the deep space objects: stars of various types; our own galaxy, the Milky Way; clusters and nebulae. Search through star maps, constellation maps, and orientation maps. Recognize visible radiation, observe through our atmosphere and see how it limits and distorts our view. A breathtaking and deeply informative handbook that can take you to the stars.