The big moon of November 2016 with some person.

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Have you got space on your shelf? As interest in the night sky mushrooms, more and more authors are sharing stories about the stars, darkness and the spectacular experiences open to anyone who cares to keep on looking up. From the gripping history of our obsession with Mars to lyrical travel writing on vanishing darkness, via the Webb Telescope’s greatest hits and 2026’s total solar eclipse, these titles will keep even a casual skywatcher looking up long after lights-out.

The Martians

The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America

Author: David Baron

Publisher: Liveright

Publication date: Aug. 2025

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 336

Is there life on Mars? Absolutely, said an astronomer in the first decade of the 20th century, who claimed he could see cities and canals on its rusty red surface through his telescopes in Flagstaff, Arizona. The latest page-turner from David Baron — author of The Beast in the Garden and American Eclipse — The Martians reveals forgotten photographs, letters and news clippings that brilliantly bring to life the mass delusion that gripped America and revealed a thirst for a better world.

How to Capture the Coming Solar Eclipses

A Guide to Photographing the 2026, 2027, and 2028 Eclipses of the Sun

Author: Alan Dyer

Publisher: Amazing Sky Photography And Publishing

Publication date: June 2025

Format: eBook

Pages: 400

On Aug. 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will afford millions across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain the chance to see something exquisite — the sun’s spiky white corona. Last seen on Apr. 8, 2024, across North America, this first totality for mainland Europe since 1999 will see many thousands of aborted attempts at capturing the once-in-a-lifetime view. As perfect for amateurs looking to buy the right gear and avoid common errors as for seasoned eclipse chasers seeking new ideas and reassurance, How to Capture the Coming Solar Eclipses comes from master astrophotographer Alan Dyer. Arm yourself with this practical, utterly comprehensive ebook and get on a plane — you won’t regret it.

Nightfaring

In Search of the Disappearing Darkness

Author: Megan Eaves-Egenes

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication date: March 2026 (pre-order now)

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 256

Astrotourism, NocTourism, “star bathing.” Whatever you call it, the act of traveling to see the night sky has never been more on-trend, or more misunderstood. It’s not about staying in chain hotels and being taken outside into the dark for 20 minutes with a glass of champagne — as some would have you believe — but total immersion in darkness and the cultures that respect it. Dark sky advocate Eaves-Egenes knows this only too well, and tells stories not of the stars but of the night and its people in remote, dark places from Ireland to Italy via Tanzania, Japan and her native New Mexico. Her adventures reveal Western culture as dangerously allergic to darkness — cue the intensifying light pollution in cities — but also how only at night can we reevaluate, reset and renew. There’s a deep love of the night sky woven into every sentence, and a powerful lesson for humanity as it fakes a nocturnal existence: only in the stillness of night can we see the light.

Space Hazards

Asteroids, solar flares and cosmic threats facing Earth

Author: Dr. Ryan French

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: Sept. 2025

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 240

It may be the season of goodwill to all, but an apocalypse is way more interesting. From his specialist subject of space weather via space junk and cosmic rays to black collisions and, yes, aliens, Space Hazards sees Dr. Ryan French explain the very worst we can expect from the universe. With plenty of images and standout facts wrapped in plain-speaking and a wry “don’t worry too much, but …” attitude, French’s accessible follow-up to the excellent The Sun is essential reading for anyone desperate for some facts and probabilities about actual threats to Earth in the age of the cosmically ill-informed.

Webb’s Cosmos

Images and Discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope

Author: Marcin Sawicki

Publisher: Firefly Books

Publication date: October 2025

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 304

Remember Christmas Day 2021? The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope was a nerve-racking day for astronomy. It was also the beginning of an entirely new era, as proven by Webb’s Cosmos, which tells the story of arguably humanity’s greatest ever achievement in science and engineering in more than 200 images, many published here for the first time. From star-forming nebulae and sculpted dust clouds to distant galaxies, exoplanets and planets in our own solar system, it’s a front-row seat on Webb’s greatest hits so far. Professional astronomer Marcin Sawicki explains how this infrared observatory works and what its data reveal, making this both a spectacular coffee-table book and an accessible guide for curious stargazers.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.