Stargazing Guide: The Soul of the Night - Astronomy Book for Beginners & Enthusiasts | Perfect for Camping, Backyard Observation & Astrophotography

In THE SOUL OF THE NIGHT, a collection of tender, lyrical essays praising the night sky, astronomer, physicist and college professor Chet Raymo teaches by example that science and passion are intimately, irrepressibly connected; they're meant for each other.Through his eyes and pen, Raymo draws breathtaking pictures of our universe and connects them to mythology, literature, religion, history and anthropology. He calls on Roethke, Rilke, Shelley, Thoreau, Buddha, the Bible and the Koran, among others, to inspire his instructive reveries. He compares the night sky to Moby Dick, a butterfly's chrysalis to stardust, and the Earth's cone-shaped shadow in outer space to a wizard's cap "8000 miles wide in diameter at the rim, where it fits snugly on the Earth's brow." And when the sun and moon come together in eclipse, he transforms the view into a gentle kiss between lovers.Now THIS is the way to learn astronomy.Raymo deserves to be savored slowly, by candlelight.