Astronomical Calendar 2016

Astronomical Calendar 2016 cover picture: Pilgrimage to the End of the EarthNOW SOLD OUT.  We suggest searching for other sellers on Amazon or eBay.

The 43rd, last, and finest issue of this famous atlas-sized and richly illustrated guide to the sky.

This final issue contains much of continued usefulness (such as the essays on the Moon and the planets), and has become a collectors’ item.

The theme of the cover painting for this issue was the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Compostela, a route that is associated with the Milky Way and that ends in the spectacle of the Milky Way ascending to heaven from Finis Terrae, the westernmost point of Europe.  The cover story is so many-faceted that it is interweven through many other sections of the book.

Each of the 80 pages is the size of about four of an ordinary book, allowing large spreads of mixed diagrams and text. The Astronomical Calendar was used in over 100 countries by amateurs, professionals, journalists, telescope-owners, clubs, teachers, planetariums, enjoyers of the sky.

11 x 15 in., 80 pages, many illustrations.
ISBN 978-0-934546-72-0.

NOW SOLD OUT.  We suggest searching for other sellers on Amazon or eBay.
$29.95

• Double-page spread for each month
• Spread for each planet
• Sun, Earth, Seasons, Moon
• Eclipses, Occultations
• Sky scenes, conjunctions
• Asteroids, Comets, Meteor showers
• Calendar peculiarities
• Magnitude and Elongation graphs
• Hourglass” of rising and setting times
Glossary of astronomical terms
— and more  . . .
Subscribe to GUY’S BLOG. It gives you alerts to sky scenes that are about to happen, and other astronomical comments.

The blog, unlike the Astronomical Calendar, will continue for ever. Or at least into the 2020s and some of the great eclipses and other spectacles ahead.

The blog will also, if Guy has his way, surprise or shock you with a mixture of non-astronomical topics. Check its “index” tab for previous posts of interest, such as about the Multiverse, Sumerian constellations, Long John Silver…

“This is my husband’s favorite Christmas gift. I could buy him the moon and he would like this book better.” —Lynda Detray, Troy, New Hampshire

“Best overall almanac: Once again, the Astronomical Calendar tops the list. It is, by far, the year’s best daily planner for amateur astronomers, and if I were limited to getting one astronomy book this year it would be this.#148; —Dan Benedict in the Times of Trenton, N.J.

“Every inch of its king-sized pages is packed with artistry, information, lucid diagrams, and clever explanations” —J. U. Gunter in Tonight’s Asteroids

“So valuable that many users keep their copies for permanent reference” —George Lovi in Sky & Telescope

“Each year’s book becomes more superb—just when you think it can’t get any better!” —A reader in Florida

“Thank goodness for Guy Ottewell. If he didn’t exist, I would have to invent him… [The book is] of surpassing originality [and is] more than a calendar; it is a compendium of all things astronomical that will happen during the year, described with a graphic flair that is the author’s particular genius. The calendar is useful for neophytes, but it also evokes the appreciation of experienced astronomers. It arrives every year in December and, during early winter evenings, I curl up with it and plan my coming year of stargazing.” —Chet Raymo in The Boston Globe

“It’s hard to find one word to describe Ottewell’s Calendar: marvelous, educational, illuminating, and classic just seem to scratch the surface. Beginning and veteran observers alike love this book. I consider it a must-have even for armchair astronomers. If you don’t have a copy, buy one today… The diagrams showing the motions of the planets and comets are alone worth the price of this book.” —Dave Bruning in Astronomy magazine

Other back issues of the Astronomical Calendar are also no longer available, except for a few in the author’s possession.
Astronomical Calendar 2009 was a special issue for the International Year of Astronomy.
Astronomical Calendar 2007 is rare because it sold out in the first month of 2007. Some readers have found it on www.ebay.com and elsewhere at prices up to $70 or more.“I received a used copy of Astronomical Calendar 2007 by way of amazon.com for about $100. It speaks well for you that past issues make this buyer feel fortunate at this price.” —Rolf Engel, M.D., Minnesota“I enjoy the Astronomical Calendar so much that every year I also treat myself around Christmas to buying one of the earlier issues. I collected 1981, 1983, and 1985-1989 and this year found 1978 and 1984 on the used market. I found a copy of 1980 but the owner priced it at over $100…” —Eric David, VirginiaSo far the highest we know of is $118 being asked for a copy of Astronomical Calendar 1978.
For prints of the cover paintings of some past Astronomical Calendars, see www.UniversalWorkshop.com/RedLionGallery/pages/covers.htm

Click here to see James Weightman’s design for a celestial sphere made from the all-sky star maps in the Astronomical Calendar

For some corrections to past Astronomical Calendars please click here.