The sky is a part of nature available to all people, yet how the sky appears is very localized and very personal: No one sees the sky in exactly the same way or the same time as you do. This guidebook provides an introduction to the natural sky for those with little knowledge of astronomy, so that they can begin to appreciate the beauty of the sky and of the laws of nature that determine the motions and appearances of celestial objects. It is hoped that readers will find this book useful even when they have graduated to more technical, more detailed works.
The author wishes to thank many people who have played major and minor roles in bringing this book to the public. In particular, I am grateful to persons who have influenced my astronomical education at critical times: Arthur P. Smith of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, Dan Snow of the Ralph Mueller Planetarium, Dr. Peter Pesch of Case Western Reserve University, and the late Dr. Sidney W. McCuskey, also of CWRU. Appreciation is due also to Barbara Williams, who initiated this project; to Jerome Wyckoff, who edited the text; and to Caroline Greenberg, who saw the book through to completion. The help, advice, and suggestions of my colleagues at the Hayden Planetarium in New York—particularly Allen Seltzer—have been most helpful. I am indebted to the facilities of the Perkin Memorial Library at the Hayden Planetarium. In a very special way, I must thank the artist for this book, Helmut Wimmer—co-worker, colleague, and friend.
The artist would like to thank, particularly, Barbara Williams for her confidence in his ability to visualize the book; also, Dr. Mark R. Chartrand for his assistance and guidance, and Ms. Sandra Kitt for her help in his research.
Mark R. Chartrand
Helmut K. Wimmer