African Wildlife & Environment Issue 80

GOOD READS

redesigned. Readers who spend time in the bush will find this handbook a very useful aid to finding your way around the night skies of the Southern Hemisphere. Aimed at everybody interested in astronomy, whether novice, amateur or professional, the book covers the 2022 planetary movements, predicted eclipses, meteor showers and any other events and facets of the night sky that change annually. Star charts map the evening sky for each season, and for every month, facilitating the identification of stars and constellations. The Sky Guide also contains a wealth of information about the sun, moon, planets, comets, meteors and bright stars, with photos, diagrams charts and images. The guide also includes an excellent overview of the most useful online resources available to the astronomy enthusiast. There is a chapter on 'telescopes and observing', an historical overview of 'astronomy in southern Africa' and the SAAS. The last pages of the book contain an 'Astrophotography Gallery' with some breath- taking colour photographs. This is the 77th annual edition of the Sky Guide, and all those associated with this landmark publication deserve a solid round of applause!

to whales include being struck by ships and entangled in fishing nets. South Africa's National Sea Rescue Institute has trained teams that will go to the aid of entangled whales. Seal hunting used to be a major mortality factor; today only Namibia still culls Cape Fur Seals, in part because their burgeoning numbers are seen as a threat to commercial fish stocks. Night Skies

Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (2021). Sky Guide – Africa South. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town. Soft cover, 15 x 21 cm, 133 pp, illustrated in colour and monochrome with photographs, diagrams and maps. ISBN 978-1-77584 -763-2. RRP R150.

The Astronomical Society of Southern Africa celebrates its centenary in 2022, and to mark this important occasion the annual Sky Guide has been given a fresh new look, and has been substantially

THE WONDERS OF DESERT L IFE : A COMPELL ING, IN-DEPTH READ THE LIVING DESERTS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Barry Lovegrove

A DEFINITIVE NEW EDITION OF A CLASSIC AVAILABLE AT LEADING BOOKSTORES NATIONWIDE & ONLINE

Join the Struik Nature Club for online talks and events, special offers, prizes and upcoming natural history publications: www.struiknatureclub.co.za

6 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 80 (2021)