This book and a pair of binoculars are all you need to begin observing the night sky—stars, open and globular clusters, bright and dark nebulae, galaxies, and much more. The binoculars need not be expensive! Everything described in Binocular Astronomy was viewed by the author using a pair of dollar 40 binoculars he purchased in 1978. The chances are good that you now have or can borrow a pair of binoculars that will do very nicely. You don't have to buy an atlas. Binocular Astronomy includes Wil Tirion's 10-map The Bright Star Atlas 2000.0 . This atlas plots practically every star visible with the naked eye plus hundreds of deep-sky objects. Tirion has also created 24 detailed finder charts plus a set of seasonal finder charts. Also included are 24 photographs (most are wide field) and 37 Tables. Not only does Binocular Astronomy help you locate objects but it explains what they are and how they fit into our understanding of the universe. While there is great aesthetic beauty in the night sky, there is also the Science of Astronomy. You can easily skip over the technical jargon, but you will probably soon find yourself recognizing a star's age by its colour, understanding its place in our Galaxy by its distance and much else. Binocular Astronomy will show you why most experienced amateur astronomers think that binoculars should be the first optical instrument for the beginner and why they are of value to even seasoned observers.