Star Lore recounts the origins and histories of star groups as well as the stories of individual constellations: Pegasus, the winged horse; Ursa Major, the Greater Bear; the seven daughters of Atlas known as the Pleiades; the hunter Orion, accompanied by his faithful dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor; the signs of the Zodiac; and minor constellations such as the ship Argo, the Giraffe, and the Unicorn. Fifty-eight black-and-white images include photographs of the actual stars as well as scenes from their related myths portrayed by Michelangelo, Rubens, Veronese, and other artists. This edition features a new introduction by astronomer Fred Schaaf, in addition to an extensive appendix and index.

Captivating retellings of the origins and histories of ancient star groups include Pegasus, Ursa Major, Pleiades, signs of the zodiac, and other constellations. "Classic." — Sky & Telescope. 58 illustrations.

Designed to awaken the imagination in relationship to the stars as a companion to the contemporary scientific approach to our celestial environment, The Star Tales of Mother Goose Includes traditional Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes that the author and illustrator have connected to the constellations of the night sky. Rich with original illustrations and their own additional whimsical rhymes, the book introduces basic astronomical concepts and the history of each rhyme, as well as the history of Mother Goose herself. Here you will find easy-to-use sky maps, a key for finding the stars, and how they are related to the corresponding Mother Goose rhymes. The book is suitable for children and designed for adults. Sixpence, Hey Diddle Diddle, Bo Peep, Boy Blue, Humpty Dumpty and more are found here on the page, carousing beneath a sky full of stars. From the preface: There are few things more delightful than finding your way through the night sky than by whimsy and rhyme and once upon a time.

Follow an epic animal race, a quest for a disembodied hand, and an emu egg hunt in constellation stories from diverse cultures We can see love, betrayal, and friendship in the heavens, if we know where to look. A world expert on cultural understandings of cosmology, Anthony Aveni provides an unconventional atlas of the night sky, introducing readers to tales beloved for generations. The constellations included are not only your typical Greek and Roman myths, but star patterns conceived by a host of cultures, non-Western and indigenous, ancient and contemporary. The sky has long served as a template for telling stories about the meaning of life. People have looked for likenesses between the domains of heaven and earth to help marry the unfamiliar above to the quotidian below. Perfect reading for all sky watchers and storytellers, this book is an essential complement to Western mythologies, showing how the confluence of the natural world and culture of heavenly observers can produce a variety of tales about the shapes in the sky.

This book is the first of its kind, specifically written for the layman, to explore the constellations and star-lore of ancient Babylonia. The introduction describes the structure of the archaic cosmos, then goes on to reconstruct the Babylonian constellation figures, and finally gives an overview of the whole star-map.The main body of the book is comprised of an A-Z gazette, which explores the names, appearances and associated lore of each constellation in greater detail.A set of appendices furnishes additional background information on the history of star-lore, the calendar, the cuneiform writing system and the use of the stars in divination.Beyond the familiar figures of the zodiac, the Babylonian constellations have laid in almost total obscurity for the last two thousand years. Here for the first time the complete star-map is reconstructed and many of its secrets revealed, so that now the whole system of celestial symbolism can be restored to something approaching its former glory.

Casual stargazers are familiar with many classical figures and asterisms composed of bright stars (e.g., Orion and the Plough), but this book reveals not just the constellations of today but those of yesteryear. The history of the human identification of constellations among the stars is explored through the stories of some influential celestial cartographers whose works determined whether new inventions survived. The history of how the modern set of 88 constellations was defined by the professional astronomy community is recounted, explaining how the constellations described in the book became permanently “extinct.” Dr. Barentine addresses why some figures were tried and discarded, and also directs observers to how those figures can still be picked out on a clear night if one knows where to look. These lost constellations are described in great detail using historical references, enabling observers to rediscover them on their own surveys of the sky. Treatment of the obsolete constellations as extant features of the night sky adds a new dimension to stargazing that merges history with the accessibility and immediacy of the night sky.

Share the wonder of the stars with this delightful storybook collection featuring constellation myths from around the world. For thousands of years people have looked up to the night sky and told stories about the stars. These epic tales tell of vengeful gods and goddesses, of monsters and heroes. Others try to make sense of the natural world, or unravel the mysterious forces of the universe. This stunning book brings together 23 of these legends from all over the world: from Ancient Greece to North America, Egypt, China, India, and the South Pacific. Written by award-winning author Anita Ganeri and with beautifully detailed artwork by illustrator Andy Wilx, this is a magical book to be treasured for generations to come.