Customer Reviews

A Dictionary of Modern Star Names: A Short Guide to 254 Star Names and Their Derivations

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A Dictionary of Modern Star Names by Paul Kunitzsh & Tim Smart

Sky Publishing, 2006, 2nd edition, soft cover, 5 ¼" x 8 1/8", 68 pages

Originally published in 1986 as Short Guide to Modern Star Names and

Their Derivations in Germany, this guide has an Old World look and feel to it.

The paper stock has an almost newsprint quality to it using an antique-like type face. It is like a read through the 101 Arabian Nights with all the references to Arabic and Greek origins and mythologies.

The introduction explains the correct pronunciation, derivations and origins of the names used for the 254 named stars in the book. It also gives a brief a time line broken into historical periods and how the names were changed or reinterpreted to conform to that period in history. Charts on how each language pronounces its vowels assist you as you read through the book.

The main section of the book is broken down by constellations and the major stars alphabetically with their corresponding Greek letter. The star names only are also listed alphabetically in the index at the end of the book.

Under each chapter, the stars listed have their pronunciation (sometimes multiple) to the right of the name, with a paragraph or two giving you the historical significance and the derivation (if any) of the star plus any other interesting fact about the star.

This book is not intended to further your general astronomical knowledge,

but to educate you on the specific topic on the name origins of these celestial lights. It is a nice reference source and the information can be entertaining should the topic of stars come up in you next conversation.

Jack Fox, Richmond Astronomical Society

a dictionary of modern star names is a good dictionary. I recommend it to other that would like to find out about star names. you can't go wrong with it.

The book is very handy to use out in the field, concise and full of interesting and easy to find information. It gives several derivations of each star name, pronunciations and some mythology of the stars that it covers. I would recommend this for the beginner astronomer and those who just love to look up and enjoy the beauty of the night sky.

This book makes an attempt to explain the origin of star names. A much better treatment is Star Names: Their Lore and Meanings by Richard Hinckley Allen (Dover Publications).