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The Astronomical Companion has been revised and updated. Purchase an Astronomical Calendar and an Astronomical Companion for special combination price and get free shipping! (US addresses only) A general guide to astronomy; some say it should be called the Astronomical Treasury. Same large page-size as the Astronomical Calendar. Begins with an "Overview of Astronomy" and pictures that almost force you to understand coordinate systems and orientation in space.

A strand running through the book is the series of 30 ten-inch-diameter diagrams showing expanding spheres of space, from the Moon's orbit and the domains of planets and comets out through the nearest stars, the neighboring regions of our Milky Way galaxy, the whole galaxy, the local group of galaxies, the Virgo cloud, and so on to the eerie limits of the universe.

Among many other features: a map and catalogue of star names with their derivations; the seasons (including their linking with traditional dates such as Beltane, Halloween, St. Lucy's Day); the world's calendars; precession and its many consequences; "Moonlight" and "Earthlight" and "Moon as Signpost"; comparative distances; a comprehensive Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (the graph that relates all the kinds of star by color and brightness); and pages on constellations, meteor showers, double stars, variable stars, even cloudiness by month and region.

Guy Ottewell extends a welcome to all Astronomical League Members!

Now in its 39th year, Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar 2012 continues to be the one resource for amateur and professional astronomers, as well as those of us curious about the night sky. Detailed illustrations and descriptions of how to use the book's sky charts abound. On each page Ottewell not only describes the night sky but provides a wealth of sky lore.

An introduction explains how to use the various components of the book and, if you are a beginner, what to select at first, since there are so many levels of information. For each month there is a large map of the evening sky; facing it, a diary of 40 or so events, many with paragraph-long descriptions. Other features on the monthly pages are diagrams of where the planets are in their orbits, "Constellation Clues," "Telescopic Tour" (coordinates of selected objects findable in the month), "Observer's Highlights," and sketches of the most striking sky scenes.

Supplementary sections include Highlights of the Year, The Sun, The Moon, Special Moons, Young Moon and Old Moon, Eclipses, Occultations, Conjunctions, each of the planets, Meteors, Asteroids, Comets, Spaceflight, Deep-Sky Profiles, Light Pollution, Glossary, Magnitude and Elongation, Rising and Setting, Quick Reference, and a colored centerfold all-sky map. Some features are contributed by experts Fred Schaaf, Clifford Cunningham, Alastair McBeath, Alan Hale, Joe Rao, and Richard Nugent.

Specially priced offer for League members - purchase the 2012 Astronomical Calendar and the updated Astronomical Companion for the package price of $39.95 AND get free shipping to US addresses. The Astronomical Companion will ship at the same time as the Astronomical Calendar.
Click here to order this package deal.