The Art Of Urban Astronomy: A Guide to Stargazing Wherever You Are

by Abigail Beall

Did you know that stars are seasonal? That Orion is one of the brightest constellations? That a single day on Venus is longer than an entire year on Venus?

Space has captivated mankind since the beginning of time. Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon and since then our knowledge of astronomy has continued to expand. With so many mysteries yet to be solved, science journalist Abigail Beall takes readers on an astonishing journey though the landscape of space.

In The Art of Urban Astronomy, you will be guided through the seasons and learn about the brightest stars and constellations, the myths and legends of astronomy and how to identify star clusters and galaxies with just your eyes or a pair of binoculars. For urban dwellers wrapped up in the rush and bustle of the city, it can be calming and truly valuable to take the time simply to stop, look and reconnect with nature.

Packed full of seasonal star charts, constellation charts and fascinating facts, this is the perfect guide for those who have looked up at the night sky and don't know where to begin. After reading this book, you'll never look up in the same way again.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Reference, Space, Astronomy

224 pages, Hardcover

Published July 10, 2019

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mankind has looked to the heavens for aeons. Sometimes seeking meaning for events, tracing the movement of the stars as the earth hurtles through space and often just marvelling at the wonders that the night sky can bring. We lost some of that magic with the advent of artificial light, the glory of the Milky Way faded as the glare from cities stopped us seeing it. But head out into the countryside away from street lights and security lighting, wait for your eyes to adjust and the wonder of the night sky is revealed once again.

But where do you start? This is a book that can help you discover the night sky. Abigal Beall has packed this full of seasonal star charts, constellation charts, details on the myths and legends of astronomy how to identify the stars and constellations in each month and information about some of the equipment that you’ll need to see the sky properly.

This is not a bad little book for those wishing to begin stargazing. The information is laid out is a logical and clear format and is eminently practical. This is very much a beginners guide though and should be considered a mere opening chapter for those that want to get into looking at the night sky. It has enough to pique the interest for someone wishing to dabble in it, but they will need more books on the subject if they wish to expand their hobby.

[Peter Chisnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for a beginner like me!

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars! I love them.

[Lois Merritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good introduction for someone that would like to know something about stargazing, but just can not get to a dark location. I listened to it, so I'm not sure what pictures or charts I didn't see alas, but it was still a good listen.

[Mary Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is geared to people who live in cities and who would like to study the night sky....or at least have a little fun with the stars and see a few constellations despite light pollution.

I live in Washington, DC, and I like to watch stars from my backyard. It's not easy. I can't see a lot, but Abigail Beall makes it a bit easier. She gives some common sense advice, and tells you how you can manipulate your situation a bit by buying a red flashlight to read star charts without impeding your night vision, using binoculars.....and above all, wait half an hour for your night vision to kick in before you give up.

Ms. Beall does urge us city dwellers to go to parks and perhaps take a trip outside the city for optimal conditions. But she knows we can't always do that. And besides giving practical advice, she gives beginners everything they need to find the stars, planets and constellations. All the diagrams. The constellations, my favorites are shown individually, not as a whole overwhelming night sky. It's a decent technique when you combine it with star hopping, a good way for everyone, especially someone directionally-challenged (like me) to get one's bearings.

I have enjoyed using this book as a reference for the past year and a half. And I just realized I'd read it all.

I recommend it to all stargazers who are trying to learn more about the sky. And of course, if you live in the city, this is a good resource for you.

[Robert Stout · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Art of Urban Astronomy promises to give you a head start in stargazing but quickly flames out. The book starts with the International Space Station, meteors and comets but does not explain how to see them or where they are located in space. Next the author talks about the planets but does not provide any references to see them. The second half of the book deals with the stars and constellations. The author writes about the zodiac constellations by showing a bunch of blobs connected by lines with no labels for the stars. For example the author will say start at star "A" draw a line through stars "B" and "C" and you will arrive at the constellation. There are no diagrams listing the stars so it's impossible to find anything. A good picture or diagram is worth a thousand words and this book is worthless without them. Overall, I give the book one star and a star for the appendix in the back. The appendix list a lot of websites in the back which is nice. If you are looking for a book to get started with stargazing, stay away from this book.

[Richard Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good starting point but this is such a messy book: there is no structure or order to it, so you need to do a lot of page hopping to find what you can see at any particular point in the year. Related stars and constellations/asterisms are not together in one place, so it's a very frustrating book to use.

[Piyush Laad · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative book about stars and stuff. I like the way he split constellations stories and astronomical concepts.
Whenever I look at the moon now it's not the same..

[MKF]

DNF

[Anna Švarcová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, but the way the book was written isn’t.

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

super cute and helpful guide. I liked it a lot especially the pictures and the way it was organized. pretty cover too

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book a bit frustrating in that it was very focused on the Northern Hemisphere, and once it got into different constellations I could pretty much skip every "how to spot it" section because they all involved star hopping that could only be done in the Northern hemisphere. It also could have branched out from greek mythology a little more when talking about the mythology behind different constellations. I'm sure it would have been a lot more enjoyable if I lived in the UK like the author.