Tales of the Night Sky

Revealing the Mythologies and Folklore Behind the Constellations - Includes a Beautifully Illustrated Constellation Poster

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Pub Date 15 Sep 2020 | Archive Date 13 Oct 2020

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Description

Tales of the Night Sky shines fresh light on the mythological meaning and cultural significance of constellations, and includes a beautiful 18 x 24–inch poster illustrating 33 of the best-known among them.

Astronomer and ordained ex-zen monk offers a modern approach to stargazing that reflects growing interest in popular and accessible science through mindfulness. Through a mix of both scientific fact and meditative insight, discover how the mysteries of the twinkly skies can connect us all more deeply to our inner selves. Noticing the bright constellations in the night skies above can foster a sense of curiosity, awe, and deep interconnection like nothing else on Earth.

For each of the constellations, discover:
  • Philosophy and lifestyle advice learned from the origin of the constellation
  • Myths and cultural connections of the constellation
  • Celestial events that occur annually
  • The deep sky objects contained in the constellation, including nebulae and star clusters
The stars and planets have been a constant source of fascination since the earliest times, and different cultures have tried to explain the existence of these heavenly bodies with a host of myths and legends. This book explains the folklore behind the names and shows how to locate the constellations in the night sky. The quest to discover the secrets in the night skies speaks to something deep in human nature. Become part of the resurgence in the lost art of "reading nature," to connect both with nature and also with the intuition, traditions, and wisdom of ancient cultures.
Tales of the Night Sky shines fresh light on the mythological meaning and cultural significance of constellations, and includes a beautiful 18 x 24–inch poster illustrating 33 of the best-known among...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781577152286
PRICE $19.99 (USD)
PAGES 128

Available on NetGalley

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Average rating from 9 members


Featured Reviews

The book gives an insight into the naming and history of constellations, and the stars forming them, it also links astrology to the science of astronomy, explaining how the art of astrology came about.
Reading it as an ebook was very difficult, as the book was clearly meant to be a form of an encyclopedia. I would love it if I could read the hard copy because reading it online was a task.
The information given was highly accurate, and being a stargazer myself it was very helpful and I would definitely apply these findings to my quest of searching meaning in the night sky.

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This was an enchanting, succinct read, taking one on a journey into the heavens.

This book focuses on the constellations, featuring details about their discovery, how the ancient cultures perceived them and the mythology surrounding their names. It also features a short history of how we come to learn about the heavens, the mythology of the planets and some references to the astrological considerations concerning the zodiacal constellations.

It can be a great gift for anyone passionate about the skies, especially for beginners. The graphic of this book is pure enchantment! Highly recommended!

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I love astronomy, and seeing as how I live in an area with tons of light pollution, books are one of the only ways I get to enjoy constellations.

This book does a great job breaking down some of the major constellations, giving details about their shapes, the famous stars that make up the constellations, and locations where they are most visible. The writing is simple and easy to read without dumbing down the content.

Although the pictures inside the book were nice, it would have been nice to have a real photograph along with each constellation, which then had the line drawn from star to star to show what the constellation looks like in real life. The pictures are nice, but sometimes, especially in areas with light pollution, it's harder to connect the dots considering how huge the night sky really is.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone who loves the stars and the night sky.

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I love the sky and the stars, and I always liked mythology and the stories behind them. I've read books on these topics so this book didn't provide much new information for me.

It contains a brief overview of astronomy, but the main feature of this book are the most notable constellations. Each one is explained through the myth that gave it its name, along with the picture of the stars in the constellation.

I liked that there were pointers on how to find particular constellations in the sky. The illustrations were beautifully done and, aesthetically, the entire book looks great!

I didn't like that, for some reason, a big portion of the text was dedicated to astrology, and I don't understand how relevant traits of certain zodiac signs were for this book.

The last portion of the book is dedicated to planets. The author claims that we know the least about Pluto because no space probe visited it yet. Pluto was, in fact, visited by a New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. For a book that was released in 2020, I consider this a serious oversight.

I would recommend this book to people who don't know much about this topic but want a brief lesson. I also think it would be a perfect book for children who are getting interested in astronomy.

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