Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Stephen Hawking
Astrophysicist and cultural icon Stephen Hawking shared this recommendation in a 2010 interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer as the first of the “most important pieces of advice” he had passed on to his three children. In a subsequent speech, Prof. Hawking repeated and elaborated on this sentiment:
Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up. While there’s life, there is hope.Stephen Hawking
While most of us will never confront the level of adversity that Professor Hawking had to deal with throughout much of his remarkable life, all of us, our communities and the world over are confronted with real and present threats to our own health and increasing limits on our movement.
If we take Hawking’s strikingly spiritual and optimistic advice to heart in our current situation, we will find that looking up at the stars is something we can still do without seeking anyone’s permission or running any unnecessary risk. It is something that we too can recommend for the children in our lives as a way to inspire them with wonder at what makes the universe exist.
The following is a selection of e-books available from the library, accessible from anywhere with your library card, on how to stargaze, either with binoculars or with the naked eye.
Astronomy and Stargazing Media List
This book for readers ages 6-8 was released in the run-up to the August 2017 total eclipse of the sun, and includes a special section on it in the back of the book. Part of the Science of Fun Stuff series.
Author Dean Regas has been Astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory since 2000. He is the author of two other books on popular astronomy and co-host of the television series Star Gazers. This book is recommended by authoritative sources such as Astronomy Magazine for readers 10 and up.
Part of the enduringly popular series, it includes many of its familiar features and fun, casual presentation. The book includes information on buying binoculars or a telescope, and even photographing the night sky. Includes details about what items in the sky are viewable with the naked eye and which require magnification.
Written from a Christian perspective by a Ph.D. in astrophysics for the interested reader to “better enjoy God's amazing night sky.” The book includes 150 full-color constellation charts and a “Stargazer's Planisphere,” a chart that helps locate the positions of stars on any night of the year. Recommended for readers 10 and up.
The subtitle for this book is Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky. It includes information on how to build and use a reflector telescope. For the more technically adept amateur astronomer, the book includes information on adapting your laptop, using a telescope and even astrophotography.
Also from DK Publishing, this is a colorful guide to the nighttime sky for the amateur astronomer. It includes details about what you can expect to see, and guides to identifying celestial objects. Lead author Carole Stott was curator and later head of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.
The subtitle for this book is Tips and Tools for Observing the Night Sky. It includes information on how to build and use a reflector telescope. For the more technically adept amateur astronomer, the book includes information on adapting your laptop, using a telescope and even astrophotography.
The title says it all: A Guide to Stargazing Through Binoculars. While the shopping guide and recommendations for buying binoculars are now probably out of date (ca. 2005), the explanations of what to look for in each season will still be accurate. The author, who passed last year, was the former Executive Director of the Chabot Space Center in Oakland.
The subtitle for this book is Starwatching Using the Naked Eye, Binoculars, or a Telescope --which also says it all. The book describes all celestial objects that are viewable by the naked eye and introduces deep-sky objects that can be seen with binoculars or a telescope. The book received a very positive review in School Library Journal as a resource for young adults.
Another children’s book, with a recommended age range of 12 and up. The author may be familiar to readers as co-author of the beloved children’s classic Curious George. The focus of this book is constellations. It is full of illustrations and charming cartoons drawn by the author.