What We See in the Stars, by Kelsey Oseid

When I look up in the sky, what do I see?  Not much, really.  First of all, I don't often know what to look for.  More importantly though, like the vast majority of us, I live in an area where light pollution prevents me from seeing all but the brightest stars.  Kelsey Oseid can't do much about light pollution, but she can dispel some of our ignorance about the night sky.  What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky may be directed at younger readers, but like all good children's books, it provides enough engaging information that adults will enjoy it as well.

The bulk of What We See in the Stars describes many constellations, but she includes chapters on the sun, moon, planets, and other objects.  I like her descriptions and background of the constellations, but she doesn't give a lot of guidance to finding them in the night sky.  Maybe it's a moot point, since most of us can't even see them.  Also, any resource I've ever looked at about constellations leaves me still wondering how in the world the ancients saw that particular shape in the particular cluster of stars. . . .  However, Oseid identifies a constellation that even one as unimaginative as I can appreciate: Triangulum!  It looks just like the name suggests!  Thank you!

What We See in the Stars is not a field manual or a star atlas, but more of a prelude to either.  It will answer questions you always wondered about, regarding the tides, the phases of the moon, the sun, our place in the universe, and, of course, the constellations.  Let Oseid whet your appetite to get out of town, look up, and see the sky as God intended it to be seen.



Thanks the NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!