Starlight Nights: The Adventures of a Star-Gazer

by Leslie C. Peltier, David H. Levy (Foreword by)

Long out of print, the much-loved autobiography of celebrated comet-hunter Leslie Peltier is being reissued on the 100th anniversary of his birth. In a career spanning six decades and using telescopes from 2 to 12 inches in diameter, Peltier discovered a dozen comets and six novae and made more than 100,000 observations of variable stars. In Starlight Nights he recalls these achievements and reflects on the meaning of observational astronomy as well as all of nature. This new edition features an introduction by Sky & Telescope magazine contributing editor David H. Levy plus 16 black-and-white photographs from the Peltier family archives.

Genres: Astronomy, Science, Nonfiction, Space, Autobiography

240 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2007

About the author

Leslie Peltier was a US amateur astronomer, who lived and pursued his hobby in the early and middle 20th century.

He is noted for his interest in variable stars. In eight decades of observing he submitted over 132,000 observations of variables to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). Peltier also discovered twelve comets and six novae. In addition to astronomy, he was also interested in biology and geology.

Peltier is principally known for his autobiography Starlight Nights, for which he was named Ohio Author of the Year in 1966. This work has been read by generations of astronomers.

The renowned astronomer Harlow Shapely once referred to Leslie C. Peltier as "the world's greatest living amateur astronomer."

After his death the Astronomical League created an annual "Leslie C. Peltier Award" for outstanding contributions to astronomy, in honour of his memory.

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just finished reading this book for the umpteenth time. Leslie Peltier, a high school dropout who was deemed by Harlow Shapley to be the world's greatest non-professional astronomer, writes easy prose from the heart. The story itself is a personal retrospective of life on an Ohio farm in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Peltier traveled a not-so-rare-road in those times where the American work force was discovering that it could work hard yet have time for leisure. So many young men (and occasionally a young woman) in that time open themselves to inquiry of their natural world and have the time to investigate it to a depth normally plumbed by the college professor. This is the backbone of book.

Of course any autobiography would be dry if it simply referred to the intellectual persuits. Peltier's personal, but not too private sharing of his life allows the reader understand how he ticks. In the end, you would know him probably better than you know your neighbor. My "six degrees of separation come from being a pen pal to Carolyn Hurless (briefly mentioned in the story) during the last years of her life as we were all members of the American Association of Variable Star Observers.

If you have grown up on the farm, or collected butterflies, camped, watched birds, or passed a field swarming with fireflies on a moonless night, you may appreciate sharing those moments with man born in another century, yet somehow timeless.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't think of a better review than that written by the most famous comet-hunter of our era, David Levy. "Many books describe how to watch the sky. 'Starlight Nights' tells us why."

A marvelous book, written from a bygone era, but capturing the joy of astronomy so well.

[Luisa Rossina Villani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astronomy was a very different thing for the first half of the twentieth century, and this autobiographical account is an accurate and vivid description of Peltier's life and contribution to that science. The details are engaging. He grows up on a farm in Ohio, doesn't finish high school, teaches himself to build a home observatory, find comets, and become an engineer. His accounts of exploring cliff-dwellings along the Rio Grande with his wife and being at Kit Peak while it was under construction to hear the absolute quiet of the mountaintop are detailed and romantic. I wish I'd read this book years ago.

[Nard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this book is about stars and star-gazing and I loved it... but my favorite passage in it is about farm cows. Still has me laughing to myself.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starlight Nights, as the subtitle says, focuses on The Adventures of a Star-Gazer. Author Leslie Peltier recounts how he discovered the night sky as a teen, picked hundreds of quarts of strawberries to earn money for his first telescope (a three-inch refractor), got involved in monitoring variable stars, and eventually discovered a dozen comets. But his memoir is more than a simple account of his accomplishments: it’s an engaging story of a self-made man who was able to spend his life doing what he loved. Although he had to drop out of high school to work on the family farm when his older brother went off to fight in World War I, he continued his education by reading books and observing the night sky on his own, gradually trading up to bigger and better telescopes and building his own observatories. Along the way he grew into one of the world’s most accomplished amateur astronomers and has an asteroid and an astronomy award named after him. A quietly inspirational, thoughtful book about the rewards of persistently following your passion.

[Siffy Torkildson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Peltier explains how he became interested in astronomy, and his journey through his astronomical life along with his telescopes, meeting his wife, his few travels. I learned a lot about variable star observation; inspiring. Although I am an amateur astronomer, his descriptions about the stars and observing can be understood by everyone. One statement that resonated with me, and this was in 1960, when he revisited his childhood farm after some years. "The moon and the stars no longer come to the farm. The farmer has exchanged his birthright in them for the wattage of his all-night sun. His children will never know the blessed dark night." He would be even sadder to see the brightened night of our times.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a long book, but a fascinating read. Another reviewer said that while you could probably finish this in a day, you shouldn't - read a while and then savor the adventure Mr. Peltier is sharing. If you're an amateur astronomer of any level or experience, you'll find so much to like in this book. It's over 50 years old now, so the equipment descriptions are out of date (mostly), but the book isn't about the equipment, it's about the time spent under the stars.

[Sierra Luce · Rating 2 out of 5]

okay i had some issues with this book, mostly the way it talks about Indigenous ppl. it was written in 1965 but tbh those comments made it hard for me to read some of the book.

i did enjoy learning about astronomy, and the whole world of ppl who are obsessed with stars. that was really interesting. i liked his writing style a lot - chatty and clear, even when he was explaining something pretty technical.

the ending was so funny to me because Peltier talked about how exciting it was that he was alive when pluto became a planet, and followed by talking about how much he hoped we never landed on the moon...neither of which aged very well.

ps my book was missing like 60 pages randomly so there are three chapters that i was not able to read.

[Mark Sisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and one not to be missed by any budding amateur astronomer. Elegant in its direct simplicity.

[Preston Pendergraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so this was a tough book for me. I really enjoyed a lot of it, but some parts I did not. I felt the author showed his love for the sky (esp variable stars and comets). At times he seemed really humble and deep. Other times a bit full of himself. Overall glad I read this. To me it is really a 3.5 star book, but I will round up.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the solitude of this book. Just him and the world - the stars. Even when he mentions his marriage and his boys, they are only a passing idea, barely noted, even though it appears he is quite satisfied with them. His passion is obviously for the stars.

[Dale Alan Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a budding, Amateur Astronomer, I received this book from a friend, and, co-founder of the Cape Cod Astronomical Society.
After, having, both, read it, we decided that Cape Cod needed an Astronomy Club.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. nonfiction, astronomy, autobiography, northwestern Ohio, mom's stash, keep