Stories of the Constellations: Myths and Legends of the Night Skies By Keiron Connelly (Paperback - 2014)

Stories of the Constellations: Myths and Legends of the Night Skies
How did the Great Bear get its name? Where can I find Orion in the sky? And why is the constellation of Cassiopeia hanging upside?

Stories of the Constellations collects 44 classic constellations from Greek mythology. You may know your own star sign, but can you find it in the night sky? And do you know what the story is behind it? Aries may be a ram, but why can it be found among the stars?

Explained in this book are the stories behind the 12 star signs (the Gemini twins, the Taurus bull, the centaur Sagittarius), along with 32 other characters from Greek mythology who also have a place in the heavens, such as Perseus carrying Medusa's head of snakes, the nine-headed Hydra and hero Hercules about to strike the dragon Draco.

Stories of the Constellations is illustrated throughout with outstanding new full-colour annotated artworks for each character, showing how the constellation fits the character. There are also colour illustrations of one of the stories about the character and locator maps that allow the reader to find the constellations in the night sky. In addition, the story behind each character is explained and there are easy-to-read 'Did you know?' factboxes.

Packed with educational and fun information on both classical mythology and astronomy, Stories of the Constellations is a colourful and exciting read.

Extent: 96pp
Format: 213 x 290mm (81⁄2 x 111⁄2")
Illustrations: 88 col a/ws
Word count: 20,000 words