Author of The Cambridge Guide to the Constellations (1995) and The Cambridge Planetary Handbook (2000).

• Introduction by Jeff Medkeff; Part I. Background: 1. The cosmic backdrop; 2. Positional astronomy; 3. Time and the calendar; 4. The magnitude system; Part II. Equipment: 5. Telescopes; 6. Mounts and drives; 7. Eyepieces; 8. Filters; 9. Telescope accessories; 10. Binoculars; Part III. How to Observe: 11. Sketching what you observe; 12. Astrophotography; 13. Digital and video cameras; 14. The CCD; 15. Photometry; 16. Spectroscopy; Part IV. References and Other: 17. Books and atlases; 18. Catalogues of the deep sky; 19. Software; 20. Observatories; 21. The social astronomer; 22. Light pollution; Part V. What to Observe: 23. Nightfall; 24. The Sun; 25. The Aurora; 26. The Moon; 27. Eclipses and transits; 28. Mercury and Venus; 29. Mars; 30. Jupiter; 31. Saturn; 32. The outer planets; 33. Asteroids; 34. Comets; 35. Meteors and meteor showers; Part VI. Deep Sky Objects: 36. Double stars; 37. Variable stars; 38. Supernovae; 39. Occultations; 40. Nebulae; 41. Star clusters; 42. Galaxies; Part VII. Observing Tips.

'… an essential guide for both beginning stargazers and more advanced observers.' Orion