As someone who grew up in the countryside, outside the pollution of major cities, one of my dearest childhood memories is gazing at the night sky with my friends and pointing at stars. I remember the sky being so clear and the stars so bright and how everything looked like a big mystery. This curiosity remained with me beyond those childhood days and paved the way for falling for astronomy books. In my opinion, they are probably the best approach one can choose to find out more about the Universe.
I doubt that there is a person out there that’s not intrigued by astronomy at some level – whether it’s just for the pretty pictures or because astronomy addresses big questions like what all of this is and where it all came from. In fact, humanity’s interest for the stars is as old as the history of intelligent life on our planet (the ancient people relied on the stars to navigate the vast oceans and to plant their crops). The truth is, astronomy has always had an impact on all of us.
A good astronomy book will intrigue and blow your mind with facts that you surely haven’t learned at school. There are hundreds of great astronomy books that are easy-to-understand, which is great for beginners. You can learn a bit about different things which is great if you want to prepare yourself for branching more deeply into specific topics later on. Some even include setting goals and self-tests with answer keys to make sure that you are acquiring new knowledge as you read.
Let’s say that you a passionate photographer that likes to take pictures of stars. What you will need to do of course is to plan your photoshoot by identifying when and where particular stars are going to be visible in the sky. This is why you may opt for astronomy sky guides that are easy to use and include monthly sky maps and lots of tips and information about annual exciting celestial events. Also, astronomy sky guides can be a great gift for newlyweds that enjoy stargazing – imagine how fun it would be for them to go on a honeymoon across Australia and being able to witness specific celestial events happening at a specific time.
Astronomy books can captivate younger readers as well. Kids are curious by nature, they have a rich and infinitive imagination just as the Universe itself and books can be a powerful tool to get them engaged in astronomy. You can introduce your child to astronomy books at an early age and he/she will surely be intrigued by all the fun and interesting facts.
Simple, non-fiction books with beautiful illustrations and little flaps that can be lifted would be the most interesting way for your little one to find out more about the vast Universe. This way, he/she can learn in a way that is both educational and fun at the same time. Plus, these books can answer most of their questions you probably don’t know the answer of. In addition to the books, you can introduce them to a pair of binoculars for stargazing or if you live in a big city where there can be a lot of air pollution, occasionally you can drive far away in nature for a true look at the stars.
On a final note, even though people have been gazing at the stars since the beginning of time (there are even theories that it was precisely this that made early humans come down from the trees and start walking on two feet) we still know relatively very little about the whole universe. But as long as we humans continue to look up at the sky and wonder what’s out there, there will always be discoveries and new things for us to learn from books.
