An Instant Guide to Stars and Planets is an ideal compact identification guide to our night sky. A system of season-by-season star charts enables the reader to identify quickly and easily the major constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere. The Solar System and its planets are described and illustrated using data from the Voyager and Mariner missions. Information on stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and black holes provides the background needed to understand the structure of the universe and how it functions. Detailed, full-color illustrations and a concise but informative text provide everything the novice starwatcher needs to explore the sty.