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The Stars - A New Way To See Them
by H.A. Rey 160 pages Level: Introductory A gentle introductions to the wonders of SkyGazing that both the novice and the experience amateur astronomer will enjoy. |
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H.A. Rey, who is probably most famous for being the creator of the
"Curious George" series of children books, wrote a charming introduction to sky gazing
called "The Stars".
"The Stars" is mostly dedicated to familiarizing the reader with the constellations. Rey helps the reader, not yet familiar with the sky by cleverly connecting the stars in his diagrams in such a way that they actually (more or less) resemble their namesakes. For instance, the Twins appear as two stick figures holding hands. Hercules is drawn as a man with one leg raised and a club poised to strike. Each constellation is accompanied by a short explanation with just enough information to whet one's appetite for more. The book is extremely NON-technical and leaves explanations about right ascension and ecliptic and other more technical subjects to the last chapter. There are also sections on the Moon, the Milky Way, planets and the Zodiac. The "Stars" is a gentle introduction to someone who just might be becoming interested in learning about the sky. |
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| Review by Ed Ehrlich | |
| Table Of Contents | |
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Part 1 - Shapes In The Sky
Twins, Bears And Whales First Steps And Plain Facts Part 2 - Meet The Constellations The Constellation Charts Part 3 - The Stars Through The Year Part 4 - Some Whys And Hows Polar Star And Latitude Ecliptic And Seasons Solar And Sidereal Day Time And Time Zones The Precession Of The Equinoxes Zodiac And Planets Stars, Light-Years, And Universes Constellations Through The Ages Life Outside The Earth Index-Glossary Universal Sky Chart The 21 Brightest Stars Bibliography |
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