DK Handbooks: Stars and Planets (Paperback)

by Ian Ridpath (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Stars and Planets is a sturdy, thorough field guide for amateur astronomers. The book's first section is a general introduction to astronomy. A solar system primer and constellation catalog are followed by a month-by-month night sky guide. Filled with clear, easy-to-read star charts, photos, and diagrams, this is the perfect starter for beginning astronomers, and a handy reference for those with a little more experience. You'll find information on stargazing equipment, a glossary of terminology, and the history of each cosmic feature's discovery. Like all the Eyewitness Handbooks, this one will be a terrific addition to your family science library. --Therese Littleton

Review
For those who gaze at the night sky . . . this field guide will be an invaluable companion. -- Bruce E. Fleury, Science Books & Films

For those who gaze at the night sky, seeking the familiar patterns known to sailors and shepherds, this field guide will be an invaluable companion. -- Review

Handy size, copious illustrations, maps and charts... the latest in astrophotography throughout.... [Begs] astronomers to take [it]... to star parties. -- Astronomy --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789435217
• ISBN-13: 978-0789435217
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,461,562 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent handbook; 224-pages astronomy encyclopedia!, December 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: DK Handbooks: Stars and Planets (Hardcover)

This small handbook is just plain amazing. Each section has a "How This Section Works" that takes the guessing out of charts and sky maps. It covers the solar system with scientific facts, it also has a chart with the location of the planets in the 88 constellations to the year 2009. Monthly sky guides, the constellations from A-Z with hand-measure symbols for width and depth, observation symbols, start magniture, area, size ranking, abbrev., genitive, highest at time/month, history, pictures, etc. I believe it to be better than Peterson's Stars and Planets; and it's smaller! $17 for the softcover.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice starter book..., May 30, 2001

By	Neil R. Roberts (Ridley Park, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a nice, streamlined book. Logical layout, sharp photography, and a clean, crisp design. The first portion discusses the universe and stars (addressed below), and is followed by another section that provides a 2-4 page profile on each planet, including when and where in the sky it's visible until 2009. Following these sections, is a large section covering all the official constellations in alphabetical order with at least one interesting item to check out from each constellation. Obviously, some have more: Sagitarius, Scorpius, Orion, etc. A brief constellation history is provided, along with a small map depicting the constellation stars, surrounding stars, and objects of particular interest. These objects are coded with simple icons to denote "viewability": naked eye, bino, scope, etc. The last section of the book has monthly sky maps. I purchased the flex-cover edition, which is made of some quasi-vinyl material that's quite nice. The book itself seems well made and durable. Why only 4 stars? I have two issues. #1, I wish it were spiral bound. #2, it's not as forthright about its hypothetical aspects as it should be (planetary core composition, Big Bang mechanics, Oort Cloud (!), etc.) Other than that, the book is highly recommended and a pleasure to read/use.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding for novice or intermediate amateur astronomers, May 16, 2002

By	"diversecity" (Oak Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stars and Planets (Princeton Field Guides) (Paperback)

If you own only one astronomy field guide, this should be it. The charts are accurate & easy to read, the text is informative but not overpowering, and the design is very reader friendly. The monthly star charts can be used from most latitudes - both northern and southern.
This is the third edition of this book. I've been a fan of it since it was first published in the mid 1980s.