The Great Atlas of the Stars

Binocular-toting amateur stargazers have a new weapon in constellation recognition with The Great Atlas of the Stars by Serge Brunier (Majestic Universe: Views from Here to Infinity). Brunier features 30 of the 88 constellations visible from earth (focusing on those visible in the northern hemisphere) and offers details about the major stars in each: the luminosity of Cancer's ""beehive cluster,"" for example, or the diameter of Perseus's supergiant star Mirfak. Many of Akira Fujii's gorgeous photographs of the night sky are overlaid with a clear Mylar sheet marked with the names of the constellation's stars and the celestial dot-to-dot of their shapes. (Oct.)