New book: You don’t need a telescope to be a stargazer

Protests, a global pandemic and political up heaval are reshaping life on Earth. Meanwhile, our planet circles the sun – and other stars pre dictably appear and disappear in the night sky.

That’s probably not what TV host and Cin cinnati Observatory house astronomer Dean Regas had in mind when he wrote “100 Things to See in the Night Sky.´ But his book points to an unexpected source of entertainment, and even solace, in the skies above.

Regas teaches readers how to use their fin gers – a pinkie, which represents about one degree of sky, three fingers, which represent about five, a fist, which represents about 10 – to make rough estimates of the star’s angles. 8sing those measurements, you can locate ce lestial bodies and identify constellations.

There’s navigational help in the sky, too. Polaris, also known as the North Star, can help lead the way. So can Merak and Dubhe, stars Regas dubs the “ultimate pointer stars´ for their ability to point not just to Polaris, but a variety of other constellations Hemisphere.

The book is packed with star maps, Tuotes and photos. But according to Regas, “The best teacher of astronomy is the sky itself.´ ,nvest ing some time into stargazing will yield not just a better understanding of Earth’s relationship to its galactic surroundings, but a bit of perspec tive in unsettling times. As the world roils, the stars spin on.

visible

in the Northern