Editorial Review:
"We are children of the night," proclaims Chet Raymo in his excitingly original and many-layered guide to the universe and our place in it. Not so very long ago, the night sky was an intimate part of people's lives. That intimacy has eroded over time, but Raymo's new book offers readers the chance to recapture a personal connection to the heavens. On one level, An Intimate Look at the Night Sky is a unique star guide: twenty-four beautiful star maps, created specifically for this book, cycle through the seasons and across the heavens, revealing what you can see with the naked eye throughout the year on a clear night in the northern hemisphere. Raymo's commentaries amplify the maps, offering intriguing details and tips on identifying stars, planets, and constellations. On another level, Chet Raymo challenges our imagination-to see what is unseeable in the universe, to perceive distance and size and shape that is inconceivable, to appreciate ever more fully our extraordinary place in the cosmos. His elegant essays on the heavens blend science and history, mythology and religion, making clear why he is one of the most insightful and passionate science writers of our time. After reading and viewing An Intimate Look at the Night Sky, which is as visually appealing as it is intellectually stimulating, readers will marvel as much at the wisdom of the ancients as at the advances of modern science: Raymo's artistry enables us to see the universe we inhabit through new eyes.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Poetry.  2008-09-15
For all you grandparents out there, have a section of your bookshelf devoted to astronomy books to share with your grandchildren. This is a perfect book to place on that part of your bookshelf.
You can pull it down to read short essays with your grandchildren and then walk outside during a warm summer night and explore the skies.
The "star-maps" are superb; the essays are short, easy to read.
And if the grandchildren aren't around? Read an essay to remind you of the days you explored the skies with a significant other. For me, the halcyon days of Yorkshire.
Let the stars get in your eyes... 2007-07-16
This is a good, short intro to stargazing from your backyard all year 'round. It also includes informative info on astronomical topics of interest to the amateur, such as eclipses. The diagrams are clear and straightforward and easy to follow. Take your kids out into the backyard and inspire the next Hubble!
A Magical Book About the Heavens 2007-05-09
If you only ever own one book about the beautiful sky above, this is the MUST HAVE. Beautifully written, illustrated and presented, it is also a perfect gift book for anyone who shares a fascination with the stars, planets and heavens above. All in all, a superb little book, especially nice in hardback.
A literary Nebula 2002-12-29
I bought this book on a whim while looking for star atlases. First, this book does have brief guides based on the seasons on where to see some astronomical wonders. But that is not where it strenght lies. Chet Raymo paints a poetic portrait of our night sky in this book which will captivate your imagination. You can actually feel your mind reaching out across the universe as he pulls you into the initial creation of the heavens and sends you flying out at light speed. Each chapter delves into a aspect of the night sky which tickles your imagination. You will find yourself thinking for hours after putting this book down and looking forward to the next time you can pick it up.
If you are looking for a guide to the night sky, try "Turn Left at Orion". If you want to explore the heavens and enlighten your own mind, buy this book!!! You will not be disappointed in its lyrical prose and heavenly sketches.
simply beautiful 2002-12-11
Chet Raymo certainly has a way with words. Couple that with detailed diagrams and pictures of the sky, and you have a wonderful book for anyone remotely interested in the heavens. This book has a poetic nature about it, but it is by no means written on an unattainable level--even for younger readers. This book covers all of the astronomical basics (birth/death of stars, the colors of stars and what that means about heat intensity, planets, comets, galaxies, and universes). It also offers eyes-on experience with diagrams and instructions for night viewing of the sky. The book concludes with a moving chapter about how the universe will end, citing a letter from Einstein and telling the story as if it were a fairytale. Not only is the book enthrallingly beautiful on the inside, but it is equally beautiful on the outside cover (the picture here on Amazon.com just does not do it justice). For a stargazer who is just beginning to search the sky or a seasoned watcher who simply loves celestial beauty, this book will leave the reader satisfied and inspired.
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