Just like to share with you that I stumbled across an excellent book on Astronomy.
Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology by Ian Morison
I think it is intended primarily for first year university students, but it is written so clearly that I think a layman could understand most of it. There's a teensy bit of math, but mostly just arithmetic and anyone with basic physics would find it very easy, and those who don't can skip the math.
  