A fully updated edition of Sir Patrick Moore's best selling guide including the latest information from recent space probes. Philip's Guide to Stars and Planets provides all the information you need to study the night sky with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It includes a detailed Moon map and a complete atlas of the constellations, and is suitable for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres. A straightforward and comprehensive handbook, it opens with chapters on the Moon, the Sun, the planets, the stars and galaxies, as well as information on astrophotography, telescopes and an explanation of the apparent movement of the night sky. It also comprises a full set of constellation maps, showing all stars visible to the naked eye as well as the brighter nebulae and galaxies. Each map is accompanied by a description of that constellation, pointing the observer to the most interesting stars and deep-sky objects in that area of the sky. Tables give the co-ordinates, magnitudes and distances of the brightest stars in each constellation. The book concludes with a comprehensive glossary, and timelines of astronomy and space exploration.