Turn Left at Orion is a superb guidebook to the night sky; first published in 1990 and now in its 5th edition, the book has been described as ‘the home astronomer’s “bible.” Turn Left at Orion provides all the information beginning amateur astronomers need to observe the Moon, the planets and a whole host of celestial objects.

Unlike many night sky guides, Turn Left at Orion is specifically written for observers using small telescopes. No previous knowledge of astronomy is needed – Turn Left will appeal to skywatchers of all ages and backgrounds.

The co-authors of Turn Left at Orion will discuss their wonderful book, and likely share several amusing anecdotes.

Brother Guy Consolmagno is Director of the the Vatican Observatory and President of the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

A native of Detroit, Michigan (U of D High ’70), he earned undergraduate and masters’ degrees from MIT, and a Ph. D. in Planetary Science from the University of Arizona; he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard and MIT, served in the US Peace Corps (Kenya), and taught university physics at Lafayette College before entering the Jesuits in 1989.

Along with more than 200 scientific publications, he is the author of a number of popular astronomy books besides Turn Left at Orion, most recently Would You Baptize an Extraterrestial? (with Father Paul Mueller, SJ).

[Read more about Br. Guy]  [Follow Br. Guy on Twitter]

Dan Davis is a professor of geophysics at Stony Brook University. His primary area of research specialization is the tectonics of regions where plates converge, causing great earthquakes and the construction of mountain belts. Other areas of research include the application of geophysics to nuclear arms control and to the study of glacial and post-glacial geology.

Dan is a lifelong stargazer, and although during the daytime his attention is focused downward towards the Earth, that changes after dark.

Dan Davis and Br. Guy at the Vatican 40 cm Zeiss Refractor telescope in Castel Gandolfo, circa 1995, along with an earlier edition of Turn Left at Orion.

Read the full write-up on “Turn Left at Orion” on Goodreads.