Celestial Delights

Preface.- Chapter 1: The Meaning of the Sky.- Chapter 2: Moon Dance.- Chapter 3: Morning Stars, Evening Stars - Venus and Mercury.- Chapter 4: Eclipses of the Sun and Moon.- Chapter 5: Mars - the Red Wanderer.- Chapter 6: Distant Giants - Jupiter and Saturn.- Chapter 7: Introduction to the Starry Sky.- Chapter 8: Meteors and Meteor Showers.- Chapter 9: Unpredictable Events.- Appendix A: Timetable of Celestial Events through 2020.- Appendix B: Phases of the Moon, 2011 - 2020.- Appendix C: Greatest Elongations of Mercury and Venus, 2011 - 2020.- Appendix D: Oppositions of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, 2011 - 2020.- Glossary.- Index.

Francis Reddy is the senior science writer for Astrophysics Science Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. He is a former senior editor of Astronomy magazine and is the recipient of the Popular Writing Award of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division. Currently her is under contract to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, through SP Systems, Inc.

He was Technical Editor for two editions of the multi-volume series Isaac Asimov Library of the Universe (Gareth Stevens, 1987-1991, 1993-1996) and has published two previous editions of Celestial Delights (Ten Speed Press, 1992 and 2002), with a total sales of more than 20,000 copies. He also wrote the Children's Atlas of the Universe (Rand McNally & Co., 1990) and Halley's Comet! (AstromMedia, 1985)

Praise for the second edition:

"Celestial Delights is a wonderful addition to the introductory astronomy classes I teach at the university. Students are starved for ways to connect with the universe around them, and Celestial Delights offers a clear and concise description of what, where, when, and why, with helpful figures, diagrams, and tables."- Dr. Judith S. Young, Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts

"The book's long span of coverage not only keeps it current for many years but also helps illuminate the physics behind what we see - for example, Venus's motion relative to our own planet's and the Sun... the authors here provide a pleasant and enjoyable tour that will keep  beginners oriented."- Robert Burnham, Astronomy magazine

"The book provides a 'listing' for everything that's going to happen in the sky during the decade from 2011 to 2020 ... providing plenty of detail about each event, and also introducing you to things you hadn't considered before. ... the style is always readable and easily understood. Each topic chapter provides a calendar of events, with highlights and points of interest. ... If you were going to buy just one book on astronomy, 'Celestial Delights' would be an ideal candidate." (Dianne Castaneda, Universe Today, February, 2012)

From the reviews of the third edition:

"This book is clearly aimed at the novice astronomer and is presented in a very readable style with a generous number of good-quality illustrations. ... This book is nicely produced and will no doubt find a home on many amateur-astronomers' bookshelves. In many respects, it is an introductory guide to what is observable in the night (and daylight) sky. It also provides the first port of call for an explanation of some of the interesting happenings in the night sky." (Steve Bell, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1228), June, 2012)

Praise for the second edition:

"Celestial Delights is a wonderful addition to the introductory astronomy classes I teach at the university. Students are starved for ways to connect with the universe around them, and Celestial Delights offers a clear and concise description of what, where, when, and why, with helpful figures, diagrams, and tables."
- Dr. Judith S. Young, Professor of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts

"The book's long span of coverage not only keeps it current for many years but also helps illuminate the physics behind what we see - for example, Venus's motion relative to our own planet's and the Sun... the authors here provide a pleasant and enjoyable tour that will keep beginners oriented."
- Robert Burnham, Astronomy magazine

"The book provides a 'listing' for everything that's going to happen in the sky during the decade from 2011 to 2020 ... providing plenty of detail about each event, and also introducing you to things you hadn't considered before. ... the style is always readable and easily understood. Each topic chapter provides a calendar of events, with highlights and points of interest. ... If you were going to buy just one book on astronomy, 'Celestial Delights' would be an ideal candidate." (Dianne Castaneda, Universe Today, February, 2012)

From the reviews of the third edition:

"This book is clearly aimed at the novice astronomer and is presented in a very readable style with a generous number of good-quality illustrations. ... This book is nicely produced and will no doubt find a home on many amateur-astronomers' bookshelves. In many respects, it is an introductory guide to what is observable in the night (and daylight) sky. It also provides the first port of call for an explanation of some of the interesting happenings in the night sky." (Steve Bell, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1228), June, 2012)