Field Guide to the Night Sky (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

I bought this book used at a substantial discount, so I knew beforehand that some of the information would be out-of-date. Nevertheless, I think it is a nice and compact general reference.Also, I recommend that you use this book in conjunction with other references that are perhaps larger in physical size (e.g., contain larger star charts). If you supplement the material in this Audubon Guide with other sources, then this particular field guide can help you zero-in on objects you want to study in further detail when you venture out into the night sky.I think the detailed diagrams of the constellations are valuable because they identify potential objects for viewing in each constellation, such as Messier Objects or Double Stars.Additionally, the astronomical photos are first-rate - but just remember that celestial objects generally do not look that good in real-time observations due to the limitations of telescope aperture, atmospheric conditions, ambient light-interference, etc.Conclusion: This is a helpful resource in a relatively small and convenient package, but use it along with other astronomy references to get the most out of this fun hobby.

As many have already said, this is the gold standard general astronomical reference. The book comes with many plates showing the night sky throughout the seasons, plates for all 88 constellations, a good map of the Moon, and some older astrophotos.To me, the real value in the book is the collection of writeups covering both the solar system and the individual constellations. The constellation entries are a treasure trove of information containing the history of how the constellations' outlines were formed, as well as technical information on the stars, nebulae, clusters and galaxies within. The book magnificently breaks up the sky into manageable chunks for study.***However, there is a big problem with this field guide, namely that it has gone too long without a major re-edit.*** Much of the information in the appendix covers planetary longitudes, eclipses, etc., and this changes from year to year. The edition being sold today covers 2008-2015. It's mid-2013 and I'm rather miffed that in 2 1/2 years the book will not be useful for these purposes. Yes, the information is on the internet, but try loading the internet from a dark sky location in the middle of nowhere.Other changeable information is out of date. In the book, Jupiter has 17 moons. I just checked the internet, and the current count is 49. That's about 20 years out of date. Also, most of the photo plates were taken 25 years ago with film, which is fine, but there are dazzling Hubble photos with free licenses that would make great replacements. Use them!So, once Knopf gets off their rear and edits this book, it will again be the premiere astronomical field reference.

Audubon consistently produces great field references, and this one is no exception. Great photos. Laid out to make it very user friendly. If you're taking it out to the field or on a trip, recommend the plastic cover.

Cell phones are great for sky apps, but truly out in nature, books still work !!!

The pictures and Sky maps of constellations are priceless. Better then most of my Sky-watching books.

I enjoy the National Audubon Society collection . This particular book gave me all kinds of information I needed. The photos are exceptional and the descriptive writing is also easily understood. I will have a greater knowledge of the different things to discovery in the sky and continue to use as a reference to any further questions I may have. I also will enjoy sharing this book with my family and friends in the future

Good background information and pictures/maps of stars and constellations that helps bring them alive in spirit. I like this more than an app for one’s phone as it engages your memory and forces you to find the stars and constellations in the night sky without the help of technology (i.e. on your own) which I find to be more satisfying. Slowly getting better at recognizing constellations, which I consider a multi-year to multi-decade long project.

I recently purchased a few other books from this series as a gift for someone and saw this book which I got for my wife who wanted to learn more on the topic. I had already given her the new "Patterns in Sky" which was great for understanding the history behind all of the constellations, but it didn't have actual photos or very good star charts. Even through I ended up getting the older version of the book, the photos that are referenced by the very easy to read text are great and I'm sure they're even better in the new version. The other thing she liked about the book is that it travels well because of the size and hard but flexible cover. I would highly recommend this book and any other one in this series.

There is nothing I dislike about it, love it all tons of information.

Great book for use outside. All you need to lnow with a monthly guide to the night sky.

very small and I thought it was a beautiful cocktail table book - looking at the photo on amazon - boy was I wrong. However, the info inside is okay yet a bit mixed up as far as being easy to find anything one may wish to investigate.

Christmas gift

as it is so simple ,clear and , concise as all Sir Patricks books always are . The diagrams are very easy to understand and use to find the constellations.