Have you ever wondered how the constellations got their names? Or wanted to know the stories of the gods and heroes immortalized in the night sky? In Legends of the Stars, Patrick Moore, Britain’s best-loved astronomer and presenter of The Sky at Night for more than 50 years, re-tells some of the stories behind these star-groups, and explains how to look for them in the heavens. From the great hunter Orion to his nemesis the Scorpion, and from Pegasus the flying horse to Jason’s ship the Argo, he guides the reader through the celestial picture book, bringing alive some of greatest tales ever told. In an age when the ancient myths are seldom taught in schools, this is an ideal book for anyone who has ever gazed at the stars and asked themselves how the names of the constellations came about.
| A Word from the Author |
|
5 | (4) |
| 1 The Mighty Hunter |
|
9 | (11) |
| 2 The Gorgon's Head |
|
20 | (32) |
| 3 The Flying Horse |
|
52 | (20) |
| 4 The Story of Arion |
|
72 | (15) |
| 5 The Three-Headed Dog |
|
87 | (26) |
| 6 The Chariot of the Sun |
|
113 | (17) |
| 7 The Northern Bears |
|
130 | (10) |
| 8 The Voyage of the Argo |
|
140 | (43) |
| Index |
|
183 | |
Sir PATRICK MOORE attained almost legendary status as an astronomer, writer and broadcaster. A former president of the British Astronomical Society and the Society for Popular Astronomy, he presented The Sky at Night on television for over fifty years. The author of more than seventy books on astronomy, he was also an accomplished composer, pianist and xylophonist. He lived in Selsey, West Sussex.
