National Geographic’s new ‘Stargazer’s Atlas’ is a stunning guide to the cosmos (Exclusive)
Those looking for an ideal gift for the astronomy The lover of your life need look no further than heavy weight and heavenly imagery “Stargazer’s Atlas: The Ultimate Guide to the Night Sky”. (opens in a new tab)
Created by a team of National Geographic experts along with the orchestrating efforts of Andrew Fazekas, aka The Night Sky Guy, the gorgeous new coffee table book is not only a utilitarian guide to the sky, but a treasure trove of 170 detailed charts. historic photos, images of space missions and mind-blowing maps of our country’s planets and moons solar system.
This 432-page oversized hardcover tips the scales at 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) and is filled with bright photographs and informative explanations that draw you into the cool night air to gaze at the cosmos in awe.
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Nat Geo’s handsome volume won’t collect dust on a shelf; it will become a beloved reference tool for navigating the night sky and getting to know all the inhabitants of our vast galactic home.
Fazekas has been writing stargazing articles for National Geographic for 13 years. Here he has merged a prestigious constellation guide for the average layman with the depth that astronomers and space enthusiasts of all ages can also enjoy.
“This is an atlas at heart, and National Geographic came to me to help me envision what this book should include,” Fazekas told Space.com in an interview. “Very soon we realized that this is basically a complete overhaul, in AZ, of humanity’s connection to the night sky, past, present and future, and how intricate that connection is. beyond what a traditional atlas would be. The science goes into archaeoastronomy, astrotourism, space missions, and that kind of thing. I thought we should dig into the expertise that Nat Geo has, and we tapped into these writers who could really dig into some other issues that accompany it”.
Fazekas’ specialty is observing the boundless beauty of the sky, so the book is about encouraging people to get excited about being under the stars.
“Any time you’re dealing with issues related to space, science, the universe or exploration, today it can get very overwhelming very quickly,” Fazekas said. “Online, we’re inundated like never before with astronomy news. It’s everywhere and that’s thanks to the digital age we live in. And it’s kind of ironic because most humans live in cosmopolitan areas and are disconnected from the nature more than ever. There is a hose of information out there so it can be daunting.”
Fazekas has been a practicing amateur astronomer since childhood, learning from his mentors at the local astronomy club. Now, he’s watching in real time as astronomy missions send home data like the stunning first images of the James Webb Space Telescope.
“It’s amazing what the average Earthling can have access to, so when we were creating this book, we wanted to make it digestible in chunks,” he said. “We wanted the maps to be relatable. These are destinations. I think we’re in a transition as a society where people are going to need to know space and jargon and astronomical language. It’s becoming part of our lives.”
He sees the opportunities as endless.
“Humans will live and work in space and we are seeing the beginnings of space tourism,” he said. “We’re talking about going to the south pole of the moon and setting up shop there before moving on to March. We are looking at the moons of Jupiter and Saturn as possible destinations where life could exist. This is where our future lies! This book is a guide to making sure people explore these worlds and see them as more than just dots in the sky. That was the inspiration to absorb the maps and the little details and factoids in the sidebar.”
The night sky is Fazekas’ passion and he loves sharing that wonder with people to let them appreciate what’s out there and this new atlas does just that job.
“We are much more than this spaceship we call Earth floating around Milky Way” he said. “When I was growing up hunting, fishing and camping with my dad, we spent a lot of time in faraway places without light pollution. One of the things it taught me is that the night sky is part of nature. Those stars up there, that band of the Milky Way and the universe beyond are also part of the natural world. There’s a disconnect that most people don’t consider.”
National Geographic’s “Stargazer’s Atlas: The Ultimate Guide to the Night Sky” (opens in a new tab) he is out now Personalized and dedicated copies are available for The boy from the night sky web site (opens in a new tab).
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