The Mythology of the Night Sky: An Amateur Astronomer's Guide to the Ancient Greek and Roman Legends

by David E. Falkner

The Mythology of the Night Sky is intended primarily for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of constellations and planets. It deals with the 48 constellations identified by the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy, as well as all the planets of our solar system and their moons, which are named after Roman gods.To assist practical observers the book gives the location and description of each constellation, including named stars and deep-sky objects. Readers are encouraged to observe and image the constellations for themselves, and there is a lot of practical information in this book to help them along the way.In addition to providing a detailed (and mostly Greek) mythology of the constellations and the vast soap opera that was part of the Ancient Greek pantheon, this book also addresses the planets of the Solar System, which are named after the Roman - not Greek - gods.

Genres: Astronomy, Nonfiction, Mythology

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Vanja Selene · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know little about stars it's a good book to get familiar with night sky in more details. The only thing I didn't like is myths narrative. The author simplifies myths to quite easy language form.
I would definitely recommend this book if you are more into night sky and less into mythology.

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an excellent overview of the Greco-Roman mythology behind most of the constellations and also the planets and their satellites.

As a bonus it also gives the meanings of the named stars, the positions of the constellations and how to find them.

[Colin Kemmis · Rating 5 out of 5]

can't wait to meet the author next week. great book to find stars and enjoy the myths

[So Hakim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Making sense of everyday star maps. If you ever wonder why Orion is close to Canis Major & Minor, well, that's because they are his dogs. (In the legend that is)