A Walk Through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and Their Legends

by Milton D. Heifetz

A Walk through the Heavens is a beautiful and easy-to-use guide to the constellations of the northern hemisphere. By following the unique simplified maps, readers will be able to easily find and identify the constellations and the stars within them. Ancient myths and legends of the sky are retold, adding to the mystery of the stars. Written for the complete beginner, this practical guide introduces the patterns of the starry skies in a memorable way. No equipment is needed, apart from normal sight and clear skies. Milton D. Heifetz is a clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University of Southern California and visiting professor at Harvard Medical School. This is his first astronomy book. Wil Tirion is the author of numerous sky guides, including The Cambridge Guide to Stars and Planets (1997), The Cambridge Star Atlas (1996), and The Monthly Sky Guide (Cambridge, 2003). Previous Edition Hb (1998): 00-521-62513-0

Genres: Astronomy, Science, Nonfiction, Reference

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Milton D. Heifetz was Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Southern California. He was a Visiting Professor of Ethics as well as of Neurosurgery at Harvard University Medical School. Following his retirement he was Adjunct Professor at the Boston College Law School. Besides his numerous publications in the field of neurosurgery, he also authored Ethics in Medicine and the astronomical guide A Walk through the Heavens.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

É um bom livro e muito interessante, mas com uma escrita meio chata!!

[Dolank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the backstories of all the constellations, and this is a book to refer to throughout the year. However, I do recommend cheating and getting an app that can easily point out those beautiful constellations until you get used to reading the stars.

[Ester De Marinis · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[James Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was growing up, I loved the little book Neighbors in Space (originally published in 1942 as Seeing Stars). The closest things that I've found to Neighbors in Space are this book and Patterns in the Sky (q.v.), both of which are actually much better than my old book as a great introduction to stargazing. A Walk through the Heavens is the more elementary of the two and has a fine introduction to guideposts for finding your way around the night sky. It also includes stories about the constellations, although these are in the back of the book and not grouped with the constellations themselves, as the legends in Patterns in the Sky are. This book and Patterns in the Sky are excellent places to start for the novice stargazer.

[Anders Norge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the southern sky for people with no experience with such stuff. It's very easy to use and once you learn to identify the southern cross, then you can suddenly and easily spot other constellations in a sky that you have looked many times but without being at all familiar with it. The design of the book is a bit meeeh though. But its simplicity adds to its being very easy to use.

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, but neat introduction to the constellations that are visible in the southern hemisphere, schematics that help to find constellations are very helpful and the myths about constellations are very interesting.

[Carole Hazell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my introduction to astronomy; a perfect companion & guide to understanding the Southern skies. Highly recommended for anyone interested in our night skies.