Under Dark Skies

About the Book

The constellations and their deep sky objects come into view after the sun sets. The stars may look randomly scattered across the sky, but a closer look reveals recognizable shapes and patterns as well as background nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies that make up the universe. This book provides a detailed introduction to casual backyard astronomy and then proceeds to familiarize the observer with the names and locations of 64 constellations which are visible from Earth's northern hemisphere in addition to their historical, mythological, and cultural significance. More than 400 deep sky objects which are scattered among these constellations are described with hints on where they are and how to find them with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. This is all presented in both a narrative and a graphical chart for each constellation.

Information on the movements of the major planets which spans the years 2008 to 2025 is also provided to help identify them against the background stars.

About the Author

Christopher Lancaster's interest in astronomy began as a small child in Irving, Texas, when his parents bought him his first department store telescope. While in high school, he bought his first "real" telescope, an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, in 1980. After deciding that the music training he was doing in college wasn't keeping his interest, he entered the commercial aviation business in 1986 which first took him to first live under the hazy, cloudy skies of Florida. Currently he lives under the mostly clear, crisp skies of Tucson, Arizona, working for a major airline, and has been a member of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association since 1992. The monthly articles on the constellations that he wrote for the astronomy club newsletter provide the foundation for this book.