The Sky: A User's Guide

by David H. Levy

This is an ideal book for starting astronomy. It stirs the imagination, and puts observation of the sky into the framework of leisure activity as well as a personal adventure. Written by an award winning astronomer, it is a non-technical guide to the night sky, full of practical hints. The author's lively style enthuses, entertains and informs. • know the constellations, even if you live in a large city • observe the Sun safely • find out how comets are discovered • watch a star vary in brightness from week to week • explore star clusters and remote galaxies Author David Levy is one of the world's foremost amateur astronomers. He has discovered 17 comets. Minor Planet 3673 Levy is named in his honour. An English graduate, Levy has written a beautiful introduction to the glories of the observable universe of constellations, stars and galaxies.

Genres: Astronomy

315 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1991

About the author

David Levy is a prominent astronomer and author, most famous for his co-discovery in 1993 of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which collided with the planet Jupiter in 1994.

Levy was born in Canada, but now lives in Arizona. He has been involved with astronomy, as an observer, promoter, and author, for his entire adult life. Levy has discovered twenty two comets, given innumerable lectures, television appearances, and published articles in the major science and astronomy magazines.

He gained a Phd in English literature in 2010. There is an asteroid named in his honour, Levy 3673. He is married to Wendee Levy.

Reviews

[Anne Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really comprehensive nonfiction book on observing celestial objects, from the sun to distant galaxies. I actually acquired the book some time ago, so I'm sure that any more recent editions do the topic more justice.

With a six-inch Newtonian reflector sitting gathering dust in a little-used room of my house, I was tempted to set it back up in the back yard as I often did in days past to see what I could see. Reminded that what ended my star-gazing with my telescope was the unfortunate construction of so many nearby buildings that effectively block most of the sky from view, I still wonder if I should take my telescope to some of the more remote areas I travel to when I find myself heading out of town. Should I do so, I'll certainly consult Levy's book to make a decision on just what I should look for. A nebula? A galaxy? Or perhaps watch for an occultation?

I'm also reminded that, during both a partial eclipse of the sun and a transit of the sun by Mercury, I had set up my reflector on the sidewalk in front of my house and used it to project the sun onto a piece of white poster board. It wasn't long before I had multiple people from the neighborhood coming to get a look at the projected images. Fond memories that convince me I'm not the only one who enjoys such events. For them, I would highly recommend this book.

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Famed comet hunter David H. Levy offers up a general introduction to what can be seen in the heavens above us. The title of the book is a touch deceptive inasmuch as it implies that this is a good book for absolute beginners. In reality, Levy gives little or no coverage to some of the basics of telescope operation required to take full advantage of his suggested observations. He also omits a lot of the fundamental astrophysics that – at least for my money – make the stars and other astronomical objects more interesting than Christmas lights to look at. Further, a lot of his advice appears to be tailored to amateur astronomers who wish to follow in Levy’s footsteps, making carefully-documented observations designed to benefit the scientific community rather than merely scratching an itch to have a look at what’s out there. Finally, at least some of what he suggests is admittedly beyond the ability of observers with binoculars or entry-level telescopes. However, the book is broad in scope and includes at least a few helpful hints for aspiring astronomers from just about all areas of interest and experience levels ranging from beginners to low-end intermediates. Levy’s writing is easy to follow, and his list of other resources at the end of the book is worth the cover price by itself.