Poets often remark on the beauty of a starry night. Beauty, however, is in the context of the beholder. To enjoy the sky, we must understand what we see.

Since there are many celestial bodies that move in complex ways, most people believe that learning observational astronomy requires a tedious effort of memorization.

In fact, the subject is fun to learn. The key is to grasp the observations in the correct order and in an integrated framework. Mr. Harriman shows how to deal with a complex set of data by identifying essentials and relating the pieces into a whole that is easily understood and retained. Students will gain a new appreciation of the sky—and of principles of method that can be applied to any field.