The 21 brightest stars in the night sky are known as the first magnitude
stars. The prolific Patrick Moore has recognised their appeal to would-be
astronomers who lack expensive means of stargazing, grouping them together in
Brilliant Stars (Cassell, £16.99, ISBN 0 304 34903 8). This is one for the
Christmas market. No piece of information for the ground-based, naked-eye
astronomer is omitted, as well as more detailed notes for those wishing to
pursue their interest. And thanks to the notes, the position of each star is
easy to work out. Anybody who fails is just not trying . . .
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