A "riveting real-lifeHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"(The Telegraph) and "whirlwind tour of wondrous celestial phenomena" (The Idler) shows why so much of astronomy comes down to looking up and lucking outIf you learn about the scientific method, you learn that first we hypothesize about something we’ve experienced, and then we look for more of it. This works well enough—but what if you are interested in studying a heretofore unknown comet or supernova? That is the essential problem of the astronomer: the most important discoveries happen without notice!Indeed, as Chris Lintott argues inAccidental Astronomy, luck defines astronomy. Lintott explores the ways in which happenstance shapes how we investigate the sky. To catch a glimpse of a comet, asteroid, or even a sign of alien life, we must be in the right place at the right time. And if we...