Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story by  Jeffrey Kluger 

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025 AND MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF FALL 2025

“A superbly written and thoroughly researched story of early spaceflight that isn’t just for space buffs but for every reader who loves tales of true adventure. You can almost smell the hydrazine fumes as you turn the pages of Jeffrey Kruger’s amazing story of America’s second spacecraft that ultimately gave us the moon.” ―Homer Hickam, bestselling author of Rocket Boys

“Long before my twin brother Mark and I flew in space, it was Gemini, another twin, that taught NASA how to get there ― and back. In Gemini, Jeff Kluger brings to life the grit, danger, and brilliance behind a program that turned theory into skill and astronauts into moonwalkers. This is essential history, told with the kind of precision only Jeff can deliver ― and every space traveler or fan of space should read.” ―Scott Kelly, Retired US Navy Captain and former NASA astronaut 

“Jeffrey Kluger―the best author ever at capturing both the technical and human aspects of space travel―tells the amazing and, up until now, untold story of the Gemini program, the program that developed the technology, experiences, and people needed to successfully land the first humans on the moon… A must read not only for space enthusiasts, but also for any person seeking inspiration from the greatest adventure ever accomplished by humanity.” ―Mike Massimino, Columbia University professor and former NASA astronaut

“A cinematic retelling of the least appreciated―and most groundbreaking―space program in American history… thrilling.” ―TIME magazine, Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2025

“Unbelievable… This heart-pounding account of the most crucial moment in the space race will deepen your appreciation for just how giant a leap the moon landing was for mankind.” ―Shannon Carlin, TIME magazine, 100 Must-Read Books of 2025

“Kluger deserves credit for bringing this program’s significance to the general public’s attention.” ―American Scientist 

“Absorbing… the riveting tale of the valiant souls both high aloft and on the ground whose unyielding efforts made possible the groundbreaking data that allowed for six crewed lunar excursions… [Kluger] paints a vivid portrait of Gemini’s endeavors.” ―Space.com

“[A] page-turner of a U.S. space history book. Jeffrey Kluger has now shone a light into the shadows cast by Mercury and Apollo, and he’s done it masterfully. Read Gemini for the information or for the pleasure of Kluger’s storytelling. But read it you should.” ―National Space Society

“Kluger’s writing verges on poetic. [And] for those who know the basics of the early space program, Kluger includes details that boost those days from black and white to technicolor.” ―Undark magazine

“Jeffrey Kluger offers a front-row seat to the 20th century’s greatest adventure…Rich in extensively researched detail made fascinating in Kluger’s talented hands, Gemini is a transfixing human, scientific and political story.” ―Bookpage, starred review

“[Kluger’s] page-turning prose is written with new journalistic bravado… heartpounding… Impressively researched and stylishly written, the history of the space race achieves liftoff.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Kluger’s book is part history of space-travel technology and part study in human ingenuity and perseverance.” ―Library Journal

“An exciting and inspiring narrative chronicling the herculean efforts of NASA and its astronauts to reach the goal set by President Kennedy in 1961. An unvarnished and engaging read about the science, money, and manpower that helped push the penultimate U.S. moon mission forward.” ―Booklist

Jeffrey Kluger is Editor at Large at Time, where he has written more than 45 cover stories. Coauthor of Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, which was the basis for the movie Apollo 13, he is also the author of 13 other books including his latest book Gemini: Stepping Stone to the Moon, the Untold Story.

This book will be available at the conclusion of the March 9, 2026 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.

The Lamplighter Memorial Library has a new online catalogue! 

Visit the library page to view it.

The 100 Best Astrophotography Targets: A Monthly Guide for CCD Imaging with Amateur Telescopes by  Ruben Kier  

Astronomical observing and photography are favorite pastimes of yours. You want to combine the two, but you’re not sure how. Or perhaps you have dabbled in astronomy for a while and want to take another step.What do you photograph? Will something that looks amazing as you peer at it through a telescope look the same in a photograph? There are so many dazzling sights in the night sky. How to choose?Ruben Kier has some answers for you. With his technical expertise and wide experience as both a visual observer and a photographer, he can help you attain some of the best images you can imagine, perhaps ones you will want to send to a magazine or proudly put up on your website. And the secret is – it’s not that hard! It’s mostly a matter of choosing the right subjects and then doing the necessary post-processing to get results that will dazzle.So get out there on the next clear night and create something to show for your efforts. Your friends will be impressed, and you will be thrilled at how you are able to combine the two passions of your life into one.

This book will be available at the conclusion of the February 9, 2026 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.

The Stars: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Cosmos

Expand your horizons and take in the awesome sights of the Universe. 

Using stunning space photography and easy-to-understand infographics, The Stars takes you to scores of galaxy clusters fantastically far away.

Since the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, there are now hundreds of billions of stars, 200 billion alone in our home galaxy – the Milky Way. The Stars details 88 constellations to be found in the night sky, including Ursa Major, which contains the seven stars that make up the Plough, as well as Hercules, Lyra, Orion, and far away Andromeda. It explains how they came into being, where they are situated, and their key features. 

Feast your eyes on glowing galaxies, and rare sights such as dust clouds in the Carina and Ring Nebulae, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Stars also provides an endless parade of mind-blowing facts such as when Betelgeuse explodes, it will release more energy in an instant that the Sun produces in its entire lifetime!

This book will be available at the conclusion of the January 12, 2026 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.

The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light  by  Paul Bogard

A starry night is one of nature’s most magical wonders. Yet in our artificially lit world, three-quarters of Americans’ eyes never switch to night vision and most of us no longer experience true darkness. In The End of Night, Paul Bogard restores our awareness of the spectacularly primal, wildly dark night sky and how it has influenced the human experience across everything from science to art. 

From Las Vegas’ Luxor Beam — the brightest single spot on this planet — to nights so starlit the sky looks like snow, Bogard blends personal narrative, natural history, science, and history to shed light on the importance of darkness — what we’ve lost, what we still have, and what we might regain — and the simple ways we can reduce the brightness of our nights tonight.

Paul Bogard is the author of The End of Night and the editor of the anthology Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark. His writing and commentary on the natural world have appeared in the Los Angeles Timesand on Slate, Salon, and All Things Considered. He teaches creative nonfiction at James Madison University and lives in Virginia and Minnesota.

This book will be available at the conclusion of the December 8, 2025 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.

Final Orbit  by  Chris Hadfield  (Author)

From the #1 bestselling author and astronaut Chris Hadfield, an edge-of-your-seat thriller set about China’s secret role in the 1970s Space Race between the US and the USSR.

Houston, 1975. A new Apollo mission launches into orbit, on course to dock with a Russian Soyuz craft: three NASA astronauts and three cosmonauts, joining to celebrate a new dawn of Soviet-American cooperation. But as NASA Flight Controller Kaz Zemeckis listens in from Earth, a deadly accident changes everything.

Meanwhile, from a remote location in East Asia, the first Chinese spacecraft secretly launches. On board is China’s first astronaut, Fang Guojun, whose mission puts him on a collision course with the Apollo crew. As Kaz races against an enemy on the ground and for answers beyond the sky, the safety of the remaining crew hangs in the balance…

Full of intrigue and real history—including the fascinating story of Professor Tsien Hsue-shen, the “Father of Chinese Rocketry” and founder of China’s space program—Final Orbit accelerates to a thrilling conclusion that captures the beauty and terror of survival 270 miles above Earth, as could only be written by one of the most experienced astronauts alive.

CHRIS HADFIELD is one of the most experienced and accomplished astronauts in the world. A veteran of three space flights, Hadfield crewed the US Space Shuttle twice, piloted the Russian Soyuz, helped build space station Mir, conducted two space walks and served as Commander of the International Space Station. He was also NASA’s Director of Operations in Russia. Hadfield’s debut novel, The Apollo Murders, became an instant #1 bestseller in Canada, as did his second, The Defector. His first work of nonfiction, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, his photo book, You Are Here, and his children’s book, The Darkest Dark, also debuted at #1, remaining on the lists for months, and went on to become international bestsellers. Hadfield is the co-creator and host of the BBC series Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes? and helped create and host, along with actor Will Smith, the National Geographic series One Strange Rock. His zero-gravity version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” has received more than 50 million views, and his TED talk on fear, over 10 million. Hadfield advises SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and other space companies, chairs the board of the Open Lunar Foundation, leads the CDL-Space international tech incubator, and teaches a MasterClass on space operations.

This book will be available at the conclusion of the November 10, 2025 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.

It Actually Makes Sense!: Astronomy of Srimad Bhagavatam
by   Vic DiCara 

The astronomy described in the Puranas of Ancient India is usually seen as a mythological relic irreconcilable with basic empiric observation. This book demonstrates – by careful translation not only of Sanskrit to English but of poetry to math – that the astronomy of Bhagavata Purana (5.16) is rational and empirically accurate. With clear and thorough analysis, transparent translation, and 12 inter-verifying geometric proofs, it reveals:

• A spherical earth composed of a core, mantle and crust with geologically accurate dimensions.
• Longitudes and latitudes with accurate tropics and arctics.
• An ecliptic map with the exact quadruplicities and triplicities of the classical zodiac.
• A rotating and revolving earth producing apparent yearly and daily solar motions.
• Accurate measurements for the size of the Earth and Sun and the distance between them.

Vic DiCara (“Vraja Kishor das”) took up the practices of divine love (bhakti-yoga) in 1990, concentrating mostly on japa and kirtan of the Hare Krishna mahamantra, and deeply studying the pertinent Sanskrit scriptures and guidebooks, eventually leading him to become intimate with the language and the concepts it attempts to convey.

He began writing by creating a short fantasy novel in fifth grade, and has been writing poems, essays, short stories, books and booklets ever since. He is an accomplished songwriter and musician, a professional astrologer, a reluctant computer programmer, and a husband and father of four.

This book will be available at the conclusion of the October 6, 2025 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.

The Night Sky Observer’s Guide: Autumn & Winter
by  George Robert Keppleand  Glen W. Sanner 

The original purpose of The Night Sky Observer’s Guide was to close the gap between observing literature and modern optics. It provided the owner of a medium- or large-aperture telescope with some idea of what to look for in such instruments — both what objects can be seen, and what details may be seen within these objects. Now, with four volumes, it has become an indispensable resource for observing.

The Night Sky Observer’s Guide is especially aimed at amateurs interested in observing galaxies, nebula, and clusters, and also includes double and variable stars. The most famous or visually impressive of these have written descriptions similar to those for other deep-sky objects. 

Each chapter is devoted to a constellation, with general comments on the first page . The second page shows a map of the constellation facing a table of stellar data, which usually fills the entire page. The remaining pages of each chapter contain photographs, sketches, and finding charts. Throughout, descriptions of objects include views seen through different-sized instruments.

CONSTELLATIONS COVERED:
Andromeda, Aquarius, Aries, Auriga,Camelopardalis, Cancer, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Columba, Eridanus, Fornax, Gemini, Lacerta, Lepus, Lynx, Monoceros, Orion, Pegasus, Perseus, Pisces, Piscis Austrinus, Puppis, Pyxis, Sculptor, Taurus, and Triangulum.

This book will be available at the conclusion of the September 8, 2025 RASC meeting.  The Lamplighter Library is just off the main entrance to the Zeidler Dome and is open before and after our meetings.