Philip's atlas of stars and planets - Ian Ridpath

A completely updated and redesigned edition of this popular children's title. Written specially for 8 to 14 year olds, Philip's Atlas of Stars & Planets is a colourful and entertaining introduction to astronomy. It is illustrated with more than 200 colour photographs, artworks and maps, the majority of which have been chosen or created specially for this new edition. The author has completely revised the text, updating the book to include the latest developments in the fast-moving fields of space exploration and astronomy, right up to the NASA Mars probes.Concise chapters introduce the Sun, the Earth and all the other planets in our Solar System. Then, moving further into space, the author introduces the stars, galaxies and the origin of the Universe.Philip's Atlas of Stars & Planets includes an entire set of star charts, showing all the stars visible to the naked eye. A budding astronomer will be able to use these charts to learn the constellations from any point on Earth. A large photograph of the Moon, with all the major features labelled, will encourage anyone with binoculars or a telescope to start Moon watching.The book concludes with a quiz, so that the reader can test how much he or she has learned.Ian Ridpath is a full-time writer, broadcaster and lecturer on astronomy. He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the Association of British Science Writers. A former editor of Popular Astronomy, he is a regular contributor to Astronomy Now and organizes the speakers for the annual Astro-Fest conference in London.Ian Ridpath's many books include Collins Guide to Stars and Planets, Gem Stars and The Monthly Sky Guide. He is also the editor of the highly respected Norton's Star Atlas - a must-have publication for most practical astronomers - and the Oxford Dictionary of Astronomy. He is based in Brentford, Middlesex.Main map scale: