Your guide to the sky / [electronic resource] Rick Shaffer.

Includes index.

Introduction: What it takes to learn the sky -- Standard warnings -- How this book is arranged -- If you're in a BIG hurry, what to read first -- How the sky-and the maps-are arranged: How the earth is laid out -- Relating the earth to the celestial sphere -- How the earth "makes the sky move" -- Showing the "round" sky on a flat page -- Using the maps to find the stars -- Your first night under the stars -- Path of the sun, moon, and planets through the sky-Ecliptic: Why the ecliptic is "tilted" -- Motion of the sun along the ecliptic -- Motion of the moon along the ecliptic -- Motion of the planets along the ecliptic -- Mini-almanac (and almanacs in general) -- Using the maps and mini-almanac to find the planets -- Techniques for viewing the sky: Very short primer on light -- About your eyes -- How a telescope works -- Mounting a telescope so it can move about the sky -- How to purchase a good telescope -- Telescope for each eye-binoculars -- Quick notes on photographing the sky -- Picking a time and place for viewing: Astronomer's worst enemy-earth's atmosphere -- When and where to view what -- Looking at the sky after sunset: Bit more about scattering -- Watching the sun as it sets -- There's twilight, and then there's twilight -- Seeing the earth's shadow -- Finding the first stars and planets (and a daytime surprise) -- Seeing the zodiacal light -- Seeing artificial satellites -- Seeing a very young moon -- Seeing the aurora -- Inside the solar system-Sun, moon, and planets: General description of the solar system -- Scale of the solar system -- Old reliable-Sun -- Our nearest neighbor-Moon -- Observing the inner planets -- Observing the outer planets -- Leftovers-Comets, asteroids, and meteors -- Outside our solar system-Milky Way Galaxy: About the Milky Way in general -- Stars -- Some catchall notes on deep-sky objects -- Nebulas -- Clusters of stars -- Far outside our solar system-Other galaxies: How galaxies formed -- Types of galaxies -- Groups of galaxies -- Observing the galaxies -- All-sky and zoom maps -- Mini-almanac -- Index.