Stargazing For Dummies® -- Contents at a Glance -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Conventions Used in This Book -- What You're Not to Read -- Foolish Assumptions -- How This Book Is Organised -- Icons Used in This Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: What's Up? Getting Familiar with the Night Sky -- Chapter 1: The Changing Sky -- Night and Day -- Moonshine -- The Changing Seasons -- Chapter 2: Look Up! Your First Stargazing Trip -- Getting Prepared to Catch a Glimpse of the Stars -- Identifying Your Local Stargazing Site -- Knowing When to Head Out -- Looking Up for the First Time -- Chapter 3: Binocular Astronomy -- How Binoculars Work -- Figuring Out Which Binoculars to Buy -- Using a Steady Hand or a Tripod -- A Binocular Bonanza -- Chapter 4: Your First Telescope -- Deciding on a Telescope -- Storing Your Telescope -- Setting Up Your Telescope -- Getting Your First Look -- Chapter 5: Taking It Further: Astrophotography -- Choosing the Right Camera -- Figuring Out What Other Hardware You Need -- Choosing Your Moment -- Taking Your First Astro-Image -- Part II: Joining the Dots: Learning Your Way Around the Night Sky -- Chapter 6: The Fixed Stars -- Looking at a Night Sky Full of Stars -- The Milky Way, the Sun's Local Galaxy -- Getting Familiar with the Faint Fuzzies -- Messier and Messier: Cataloguing the Faint Fuzzies -- Chapter 7: The Wanderers -- Identifying the Wanderers -- Following the Zodiac -- Shining Brightly: The Sun -- Observing the Moon -- Viewing Planets with Your Naked Eye -- Keeping Track of Small Wanderers -- The Sky Is Falling In: Meteor Showers -- Viewing Manmade Lights -- Chapter 8: The Constellations -- Joining the Dots -- Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta -- Star Hopping -- Chapter 9: Mapping the Skies -- Reading a Star Map -- Buying Your First Star Chart -- Part III: Star Hopping.

Chapter 10: Northern Polar Constellations -- Northern Polar Constellation Map -- Ursa Major -- Cassiopeia -- Ursa Minor -- Draco -- Cepheus -- Camelopardalis -- Chapter 11: Stars of December, January and February -- Constellations of December, January and February -- Orion -- Canis Major -- Canis Minor -- Auriga -- Gemini -- Taurus -- Lepus -- Monoceros -- Puppis -- Caelum -- Columba -- Eridanus -- Fornax -- Horologium -- Pictor -- Reticulum -- Chapter 12: Stars of March, April and May -- Constellations of March, April and May -- Boötes -- Centaurus -- Carina -- Vela -- Cancer -- Corvus -- Crater -- Leo -- Virgo -- Antlia -- Canes Venatici -- Coma Berenices -- Hydra -- Leo Minor -- Lupus -- Lynx -- Pyxis -- Sextans -- Chapter 13: Stars of June, July and August -- Constellations of June, July and August -- Cygnus -- Scorpius -- Sagittarius -- Aquila -- Hercules -- Ara -- Corona Australis -- Corona Borealis -- Delphinus -- Equuleus -- Indus -- Libra -- Lyra -- Ophiuchus -- Scutum -- Serpens -- Sagitta -- Telescopium -- Vulpecula -- Chapter 14: Stars of September, October and November -- Constellations of September, October and November -- Andromeda -- Pegasus -- Perseus -- Aquarius -- Aries -- Capricornus -- Cetus -- Grus -- Lacerta -- Microscopium -- Phoenix -- Pisces -- Piscis Austrinus -- Sculptor -- Triangulum -- Chapter 15: Southern Polar Constellations -- Southern Polar Constellations -- Crux -- Apus -- Chamaeleon -- Circinus -- Dorado -- Hydrus -- Mensa -- Musca -- Norma -- Octans -- Pavo -- Triangulum Australe -- Tucana -- Volans -- Part IV: The Part of Tens -- Chapter 16: Ten Targets for New Stargazers -- The Moon -- The International Space Station -- Saturn's Rings -- Jupiter's Moons -- 'Canals' on Mars -- Phases on Venus -- Elusive Mercury -- Sunspots -- The Big Dipper, the Southern Cross -- The Orion Nebula.

Chapter 17: Ten Things to Look for under a Dark Sky -- The Number of Stars -- The Milky Way from Horizon to Horizon -- The Andromeda Galaxy, M31 -- The Triangulum Galaxy, M33 -- The Seven Sisters -- Aurorae -- Meteor Showers -- Zodiacal Light -- Gegenschein -- Airglow -- Index.