1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910427683303321

Autore

Falkner David E.

Titolo

The mythology of the night sky : greek, roman, and other celestial lore / / David E. Falkner

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham, Switzerland : , : Springer, , [2020]

©2020

ISBN

3-030-47694-4

Edizione

[2nd ed. 2020.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XVI, 331 p. 89 illus., 79 illus. in color.)

Collana

The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series, , 1431-9756

Disciplina

523.8

Soggetti

Astronomy, Greek - Mythology

Astronomy, Roman - Mythology

Constellations

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Sommario/riassunto

This book is for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of astronomical objects in the night sky. It covers the lore and legend behind Ptolemy’s 48 constellations, along with significant asterisms, the planets and their moons, the brightest named asteroids and dwarf planets. The revised second edition includes a host of new moons and dwarf planets discovered since 2011. In addition, it now features a new section on major asteroids and their associated myths. While still primarily focused on Greco-Roman mythology, the book now branches out to cover more recently named objects from other cultures, such as Hawaiian, Rapanui, Tongva and Inuit. To assist practical observers, the book gives the location and description of each constellation, including named stars and deep-sky objects. A host of helpful astronomy tips and techniques, as well as a brief introduction to astrophotography, is included to encourage direct observation and imaging of these mythical objects in the night sky.