
Dark night, twinkling stars,
bright planets,
the Milky Way!
Felicity the cat is here to help you see the wonders of the night sky and know what you’re looking at.
You’ll learn important skywatching words like constellation and asterism. Did you know that the Big Dipper is an asterism within the constellation of Ursa Major: the Great Bear?
Different constellations are visible each season as the Earth moves around our star, the Sun. Felicity tells us the Greek story behind each constellation’s name and where you should look for it in the night sky.
Sagittarius the Archer is also called the Teapot, and Ophiucus means Serpent-Bearer in ancient Greek – but Felicity says “I don’t know anyone who sees a man holding a snake. It’s more like a child’s drawing of a house.” (pg. 27)
Along with the stars in the sky, you might see planets, shooting stars (meteor showers), the Northern Lights, satellites and the International Space Station, or even galaxies if you use binoculars or a telescope.
Felicity’s good advice for safe night viewing includes what to wear and bring, where to go to star-gaze, and who to go with, as well as a good glossary and index.
What’s your favorite thing to see in the night sky?
**kmm
Book info: A Cat’s Guide to the Night Sky / Stuart Atkinson; illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Laurence King Books US, 2018. [author site https://stuartatkinson.wordpress.com/writing/] [artist site https://www.brendandraws.com/] [publisher site https://us.laurenceking.com/products/a-cats-guide-to-the-night-sky] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.