2026 Guide to the Night Sky - A month-by-month guide to exploring the skies above North America

This is the ideal resource for beginners and experienced stargazers in the United States and Canada, and has been updated to include new and practical information covering events occurring in North America''s night sky throughout 2026. This practical guide is both an easy introduction to astronomy and a useful reference for seasoned stargazers. Now includes a section on comets and a map of the moon. Designed specifically for North America. Written and illustrated by astronomical experts. Content includes: Advice on where to start looking. Easy-to-use star maps for each month with descriptions of what to see. Positions of the moon and visible planets. Details of objects and events in 2026. Now in three editions: Britain and Ireland; North America; Southern Hemisphere.

About the author

Astronomy programmes officer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. She holds a PhD in space dust.

Dr. Dominic Ford is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge UK, where he works on the European Space Agency's PLATO mission. He previously led the development of data-analysis software for spectroscopic surveys of the Milky Way at Lund Observatory, Sweden.

He has worked on many science communication and amateur astronomy projects. He founded the website In-The-Sky.org, an online guide to what is visible in the night sky, which can be tailored to your exact location on Earth. He previously managed the British Astronomical Association's website and built an online image archive which now holds over 80,000 images of the night sky. In 2022, Dominic was awarded the British Astronomical Association's Horace Dall Medal for the development of software for amateur astronomers.

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich is the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World, making it the official starting point for each new day and year. It is also home to London's only planetarium, the Harrison timekeepers and the UK's largest refracting telescope. It runs the annual Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

Product details

• Authors: Collins Astronomy, Dominic Ford, Dr Dominic Ford, Dr. Dominic Ford, Ford Dominic, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Radmila Topalovic, Topalovic Radmila
• Publisher: Collins Reference
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 13
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 28.08.2025
• EAN: 9780008747800
• ISBN: 978-0-00-874780-0
• Dimensions: 148 mm x 210 mm x 7 mm
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Physics, astronomy > Astronomy; REFERENCE / Yearbooks & Annuals, North America, REFERENCE / Almanacs, YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Astronomy, PHOTOGRAPHY / Astrophotography, Cosmology & the universe, Space, planets & extraterrestrial locations, Popular astronomy & space, Space, planets and extraterrestrial locations, North America (USA and Canada), Interest age: from c 13 years, Astronomical observation: observatories, equipment & methods, North America (USA & Canada), SCIENCE / Space Science / Astronomy