Night Sky

On one level, this book is a star guide: 24 star maps cycle through the seasons and across the heavens, revealing what you can see with the naked eye. On another level, the book challenges our imagination - to see what is unseeable in the universe, and to appreciate our place in the cosmos.

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"We are children of the night," proclaims Chet Raymo in his excitingly original and many-layered guide to the universe and our place in it. Not so very long ago, the night sky was an intimate part of people's lives. That intimacy has eroded over time, but Raymo's new book offers readers the chance to recapture a personal connection to the heavens. On one level, An Intimate Look at the Night Sky is a unique star guide: twenty-four beautiful star maps, created specifically for this book, cycle through the seasons and across the heavens, revealing what you can see with the naked eye throughout the year on a clear night in the northern hemisphere. Raymo's commentaries amplify the maps, offering intriguing details and tips on identifying stars, planets and constellations. On another level, Chet Raymo challenges our imagination - to see what is unseeable in the universe, to perceive distance and size and shape that is inconceivable, to appreciate ever more fully our extraordinary place in the cosmos. His elegant essays on the heavens blend science and history, mythology and religion, making clear why he is one of the most insightful and passionate science writers of our time.