FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT is an intimate adventure with the sky and stars. This unique combination of prose, poetry, and art invites the reader to explore-in the company of an astronomer, poet, and artist-a night of wonder under the stars. The book can be thought of as an excursion into the earth's own shadow, from nightfall to dawn, including a liftoff into outer space and a perspective on the delights of our home planet. It is structured in seven chaptrs: * TWILIGHT ZONE, a time when our perceptions shift and we become aware of a wider universe. * MOONGLOW. Through all its phases, our little sister-planet, the moon, is a constant source of wonder. * DEEP SKY. When the moon sets, the sky darkens and deepens, and countless new objects come into view. * ORION AND FRIENDS. Constellations help us make friends with the stars. * REACHING OUT. In our time we have truly begun to reach for the stars. * THE HOME PLANET. From space, we look back on our earth and see, with more discerning eyes, its times, seasons, lights, shadows, and colors. * GOOD NIGHT. Finally, even astronomers must go to bed. Bridging the gulf that so often separates the sciences from the arts and humanities, FIRST STAR I SEE TONIGHT shows how the astrophysicist's space and the poet/artist's sky can be understood and appreciated at one and the same time. It is written for young and old readers alike, but always for the young in heart. Author/poet Robert Eklund and illustrator/designer Virginia Hoge invite you to come along with them on a. Billion-year mission: Descrambling the wonder Outside and inside.