The JB Library: A Collection for the Modern Stargazer
A special collection of handcrafted guides for the modern astronomer & Dwarfers by John B. Cox.
There is a unique magic in a well-crafted guide. In an age of fleeting data and endless scrolling, there’s a certain weight, a permanence, to a work born of singular passion and deep knowledge. It feels like holding a book from a bygone era—a trusted companion for your journey.
Today, we are thrilled to present a new collection of such works to the DwarfVision community. Our friend and resident master craftsman, John B. Cox, has been diligently creating a series of breathtakingly detailed, beautifully designed guides. Each one is a masterclass, blending modern science with a timeless sense of wonder. They feel both completely new and wonderfully nostalgic, like rediscovering a lost set of treasured encyclopedias.
We invite you to explore this library, to download these digital-first editions, and to let them deepen your connection with the cosmos.
Hey Dwarfers, if you love these posts and want to explore a little deeper into DwarfVision, please upgrade! Supporting subscribers automatically gain access to our Data Club, a growing resource of high-quality DWARF3 stacks of your favorite DSOs, plus our exclusive guides for our Crew on Stacking and Post Processing.
THE EDITIONS
1. LUNA ?: An Ode to Our Timeless Companion
This is not really a map, but a biography of the Moon. With gorgeous imagery and rich detail, John guides us across the scarred, silent seas and the ancient, battered highlands. He recounts the history of our relationship with our celestial neighbour, from the first naked-eye observations of the "maria" to the detailed cartography of the space age. This guide restores the sense of profound mystery and personality to a face we think we know so well.
"Of all the celestial bodies that grace our skies, none holds a place in the human story quite like the Moon... It is our universal inheritance, a shared touchstone for all humanity."
2. ECLIPSE ‘26 and Beyond to ‘30: The Dance of Shadows
There is no celestial event more humbling than an eclipse. This handbook is your essential guide to the next five years of these grand and silent dramas of the Lunar variety. It explains the celestial mechanics with perfect clarity, provides detailed guidance for observing and photography, and tabulates a series of 12 eclipses to come. It transforms a fleeting event into a deeply understood experience, connecting you to the clockwork of the cosmos.
"In essence, you are seeing the light of all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth being projected onto the face of the Moon."
3. SOL ?: A Journey to the Heart of Our Star
To gaze upon the Sun is to witness the engine of our world. This guide takes us on an astonishing journey into the heart of our star, "SOL." It moves beyond simple facts and figures to explore the anatomy of a star, from the unimaginable pressures of its core to the ethereal, million-degree mystery of its corona. It’s a powerful reminder that our constant companion is a place of staggering scale and dynamic, magnetic fury.
"To understand the Sun is to understand our own place in the universe, the very foundation of our existence. It governs our seasons, dictates our calendars, and holds our entire solar system together through its immense gravitational pull."
4. EQUINOX ?: A Moment of Celestial Balance
Some astronomical concepts are so fundamental that we forget to appreciate their elegance. This concise and beautiful guide explores the Equinox, the precise moment in Earth’s journey where our planet’s tilt is perfectly side-on to the Sun. John explains with simple grace why this moment of celestial balance is not just the start of a season, but the very foundation of the entire coordinate system we use to map the heavens.
"The Autumnal Equinox is more than just the start of a season; it’s a precise moment of celestial balance in our planet’s journey around the Sun, a landmark that has been used by astronomers for millennia to map the heavens."
5. CLEAR SKIES ?: Beyond the Weather App
In a world of digital forecasts, have we lost the art of simply looking up? This remarkable guide is about reclaiming that ancestral skill. It teaches you to read the language of the clouds, the meaning in the wind, and the story told by the colour of the sky. It is a field guide not just to the weather, but to developing a deeper, more intuitive connection with the atmospheric ocean above us—an essential skill for any astronomer.
"This guide isn't about replacing those apps; it's about going beyond them. It is about helping you develop your own ‘weather eye’—an intuitive skill that our ancestors relied upon for millennia."
Check out even more of JB’s Guides on our site, including Messier & Caldwell Catalogues, plus much more!
We are incredibly grateful to JB for sharing his passion and expertise with all of us. These guides are a true treasure for our community. We encourage you to download them, dive in, and let them inspire your next night under the stars. For those who wish to connect with him directly, John has graciously shared his email: jbdwarf3@gmail.com.
Clear skies!
Duncan from DwarfVision