2020 Guide to the Night Sky: A Month-by-Month Guide to Exploring the Skies Above North America - Softcover

Dunlop, Storm; Tirion, Wil

9780228101970: 2020 Guide to the Night Sky: A Month-by-Month Guide to Exploring the Skies Above North America

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0228101972 ISBN 13: 9780228101970

Publisher: Firefly Books, 2019

"This book is recommended for amateur astronomers, as well as school and public libraries."
--American Reference Books Annual (on a previous edition)

Now features planning information on astrotourism.

2020 Guide to the Night Sky is the ideal resource for novices and experienced amateurs in the United States and Canada, and has been updated to include 16 more pages of even more new and practical information covering events to occur in North America's night sky throughout 2020. The book has all of the guidance, information and data that skywatchers need.

Astrotourism -- Aurora borealis has long influenced a decision to visit a location (e.g., Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada) but now we know that major celestial events, exceptional viewing sites and even world-leading telescopes are drawing travelers to the extent that it needed a name: astrotourism. The book includes new charts with helpful information about the best times and places to travel, such as a tour or cruise.

The hospitality industry has seen strong growth linked to astronomical events and to stargazing destinations. More than 50,000 Airbnb guests from 26 countries visited the US for the 2017 solar eclipse, and there were nearly 3000 private homes offering telescopes for viewing.

As space probes, including the seemingly immortal Hubble Telescope, take our cameras to worlds farther and farther away, even to Mars, we want to see as much of it as possible. Observatory tours are increasing, such as visits to the world's largest telescope, the Gran Telescopio Canarias in Spain.

2020 Guide to the Night Sky is organized by month and provides lunar phases, planet activity, constellation maps and tables of planet and star movement, and sky activity and events. Each month has all of the compass points, dates and exact times to view the planets. There are also monthly constellation maps with dates, times and hourly rates of comets, fireballs, and meteor showers. Skywatchers in the United States and Canada won't miss a thing. Even with just binoculars.

Amateur astronomers have come to rely upon and expect each year's edition of this proven sell-through title. It is the handy reference they grab as they head out to do some skywatching, and now they can use it to plan an astrovacation.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Storm Dunlop is an author and translator working mainly on material in the physical sciences and technology.

Wil Tirion has been an uranographer (star-map maker) since 1977. His first star maps were published by the British Astronomical Association, and he has since contributed maps to numerous books and atlases. He is a recipient of the Dr. J. van der Bilt Prize awarded to weather and astronomy amateurs and in 1993 the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after him.

Review:

[Review of previous edition:] This book is recommended for amateur astronomers, as well as school and public libraries. (American Reference Books Annual 2017-03-01)

[Review of previous edition:] This book provides a good introduction for new astronomers, helping them enjoy the thrill of seeing one-time sky events, follow the changes in the night sky, and learn about the Milky Way and its resident stars. (Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin 2018-01-01)

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.