Space Out with The Ultimate Stargazing Book
One of the best parts about camping is spending time outside under the starry night skies. Each season brings new stars and constellations to gaze at in the night sky. That is, if you know what to look for.
The new book, 100 Things To See In The Night Sky by Dean Regas, is the perfect companion for RVers who love camping out under the stars. This beautifully illustrated guide details everything you need to know about the night sky. It includes what constellations you can view during different parts of the year. You’ll also learn how to find them. The book is also a guide to the planets and satellites. And you’ll learn when to experience various astronomical events such as the Northern Lights.
In-between the chapters are inspiring quotes from astronauts, physicists, authors, poets, artists, and more. Throughout the book, you can find specific dates for upcoming astronomical events over the next 10+ years. These include the best upcoming solar eclipses that will be visible from most parts of the U.S. The introduction also includes useful tips on determining viewing locations and sections of the sky. It helps you understand various viewing conditions. Plus, you’ll get a list of essential equipment.
Author Dean Regas is well-versed on the subject. He works as an astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory and is the creator and cohost of the astronomy podcast Looking Up. Regas also writes for Astronomy magazine, Sky & Telescope magazine, and is a frequent guest on the radio show Science Friday. He has also written other books on the subject including Facts from Space! and 100 Things To See In The Southern Night Sky.
Dean brilliantly summarizes what makes the night sky special in each season. Take this excerpt for example:
“Warm summer evenings are perfect for lying in the grass and looking up. Most of the brightest stars of the season are high overhead. The temperatures are perfect. And there’s something amazing about that time when the Sun has set and the stars are slowly emerging from the royal blue sky. In this season it really seems that stargazing is a moment to slow down, breathe, think, and prepare.”
The summer night sky is full of wonders. All photos by author (Nikki Cleveland)
What you will learn about the night sky.
100 Things To See In The Night Sky includes a comprehensive guide on each season’s constellations. It is nicely organized by what can be seen during different parts of the year. The Northern Sky also gets its very own section as the stars in the Northern Hemisphere are visible every night of the year.
Fun, illustrated patterns, as well as informative descriptions, make it easy to identify them in the night sky. Each constellation is also detailed with its history, classification, as well as its visibility.
Learn how to identify constellations in the sky
Understand planet identification markers
Five planets can be seen with the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. You can view them even better with a pair of binoculars or a portable telescope. The book elaborates on each planet. Learn their history, the best times to view them, and their different phases. Of course, a section on the Sun and Moon are included as well.
This stargazing book also includes everything you need to know about our solar system
Find roaming satellites in the night sky
When it’s not a bird, a plane, or a meteor, it may just be a satellite. 100 Things To Look For In The Night Sky details exactly what to look for when the International Space Station, OTV, or Hubble Space Telescope are passing by overhead.
Look out for satellites in the night sky
Get to know big and small astronomical events
Towards the end of the book, you can also learn all about the various astronomical events that take place in the night sky. These include:
- Meteors and meteor showers
- Fireballs
- The Perseids
- Meteor Storms
- The Milky Way
- Great Comet
- Green Flash
- Lunar Eclipse
- Total Solar Eclipse, as we saw a few years back in 2017
- Auroras, also known as the Northern Lights
100 Things To See In The Night Sky (Expanded Edition) was published on June 16, 2020 by Simon and Schuster. The stargazing book is available on Kindle and as a hardback book (255 pages). Get your copy on Amazon here.
For stargazing road trip ideas, check out these articles
- The Ultimate Stargazing Trip From Big Bend National Park To Yellowstone
- Go Stargazing At Golden Pond Planetarium & Observatory
- 10 Of The Best Places In The U.S. To Go Stargazing
- Sleep Under The Stars In These 5 Teardrop Trailers With Skylights
- Take This Road Trip To The New Dark Sky Parks
Very nice intro to a needed book. When I was young I could see most of the constellations in my area, but I’ve moved a lot and now I have trouble finding even the Pole Star. I’ll get this book and use it to find what I want; I live in an area where I can find Dark Sky’s in twenty minutes.
Nice……..
Don’t bother marketing to RV-ers.
Most leave their “aircraft landing lights” on all night at the beehive campgrounds they stay in.
……but the book is nice to have in boondock WY, where I do most of my (actual) camping………