The Astronomy Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Observing and Understanding Stars, Planets, Galaxies, and the Universe

by Govert Schilling

The entire universe in one practical, easy-to-use, easy-to-understand handbook.
An essential guide for every amateur astronomer.

The Astronomy Handbook , by award-winning astronomy writer Govert Schilling, is the indispensable, go-to guide to everything you ever wanted or need to know about space, It also offers an excellent education for every amateur astronomer, including detailed and practical information on how Schilling provides a fascinating history of astronomy, as well as clear and accessible explanations of binary, variable, and neutron stars; black holes and gamma-ray bursts; the formation and structure of galaxies; dark matter; and extraterrestrial life. The Astronomy Handbook  is a primordial soup-to-nuts guide to the cosmos and an essential reference for every student of the universe. 

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published May 28, 2024

About the author

Govert Schilling is freelance wetenschapsjournalist en publicist. Hij schrijft over sterrenkunde en ruimteonderzoek voor kranten en tijdschriften in binnen- en buitenland, o.a. voor de Volkskrant, Eos magazine, Science, New Scientist, Sky & Telescope en BBC Sky at Night. Hij publiceerde tientallen boeken over uiteenlopende sterrenkundige onderwerpen, waarvan sommige zijn vertaald, o.a. in het Engels, Duits en Chinees. Regelmatig geeft hij op radio en tv toelichting op ontwikkelingen in de astronomie. Daarnaast verzorgt hij publiekslezingen en cursussen, en is hij eindredacteur van de populaire website allesoversterrenkunde.nl.

Govert is autodidact op het gebied van de astronomie en de journalistiek. Hij was jarenlang actief in de Jongerenwerkgroep (JWG) voor sterrenkunde, was van 1980 tot 1987 hoofdredacteur van het sterrenkundig tijdschrift Zenit, en was tot 1998 werkzaam als programmaleider bij het Artis Planetarium in Amsterdam.

Voor zijn werk op het gebied van de popularisering van de sterrenkunde ontving Govert diverse prijzen en onderscheidingen, waaronder de Simon Stevin-kijker van de Koninklijke Nederlandse Vereniging voor Weer- en Sterrenkunde KNVWS (1989, samen met astronaut Wubbo Ockels), de Eureka-oeuvreprijs van de Nederlandse organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek NWO (2002) en de David N. Schramm Award van de High-Energy Astrophysics Division van de American Astronomical Society (2014). In 2007 werd planetoïde (10986) Govert naar hem genoemd door de Internationale Astronomische Unie (IAU); in 2021 is hij benoemd tot erelid van deze organisatie.

Govert Schilling is getrouwd, heeft een zoon en een dochter, en woont in Amersfoort.

Reviews

[Cheryl Gatling]

I recently read a book by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and I thought it was delightful except for one thing. I wished it had a few pictures. They weren’t strictly necessary, since NDT writes with clarity, but some diagrams at least of cosmic phenomena would have been nice.

Then I picked up The Astronomy Handbook. Pictures, gorgeous pictures on every page! There is a lot of general science in here. What is the universe made of? Where did it come from? How will it end? How did we learn about the universe? The sun, the moon, the planets, comets, asteroids, other starts, galaxies, nebulae, dark matter, all explained, with pictures.

The focus of this particular book is astronomy for amateurs. There is information about different telescopes you might use in your backyard, how to take photographs, and draw pictures of what you see. There are start charts of the constellations at different times of year, and maps of what you can see on the surface of the moon. There is information about eclipses of both the sun and moon, and how to observe the sun safely.

I am probably not going to become an amateur astronomer. I can pick out the Great Bear, and Orion. But I do love understanding the world we live in, and how it works. And man, do I love looking at these beautiful pictures of it.

[Stan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that covers a wide range of topics in astronomy. However, the title is misleading - it is not an ultimate guide. It is a very basic guide mostly suitable for beginners who are interested in astronomy to start learning about the subject. There are no indepth discussions, nor are there observing details. While a great start, this book should be coupled with more detailed, technical books to assist anyone interested in observing the night sky, otherwise you may well become frustrated with your attempts.

[Tuscany Bernier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly would give a 4.5 but Goodreads doesn't do half stars. It's a very good book that highlights both the basics of astronomy while also slipping in a bit of more recent astronomy news, like the photos that came out of a black hole. I think this is a great book for public and personal libraries alike.

[Tyler Veretto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love handbooks like this, especially cool topics like this. I feel like I learned so much about the universe, as much as we think we know at least. Loved the pictures too, aesthetically pleasing and easy to read even though highly detailed and intricate topic