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Zodiac: Celestial Circle of the Sun

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"Zodiac: Celestial Circle of the Sun" points out something that is true once you think about it. Everyone knows their own star sign, but most poeple cannot identify the Zodiac constellations in the night sky and the stars that form them. I know I sure could not. After the Big Dipper and the North Star I am lost. I did see Saturn once through a telescope, but somebody else had to set it up so that I could. That is why writer Jacqueline Mitton and illustrator Christina Balit take pity on me (and people like me) by providing an astronomical guide to the Zodiac. They also look at the celestial legends of gods, mortal men and fantasy creatures from which we the tradition of the Zodiac is rooted, but I am much stronger on that score.

In Introducing the Zodiac, Dr. Mitton (a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society who has an asteroid named after her and her husband Simon) explains that the Zodiac is made up of twelve of the most well-known constellations, with some of them first being recorded thousands of years ago on clay tablets. It was Babylonian astronomers who divided the band of the Zodiac into twelve equal signs around 500 BCE. Then it was Greek astronomers who adopted the Zodiac, while Greek poets and writers linked some of the constellations to their mythology.

The rest of the book devotes double-page spreads to each of the constellations in turn, starting with Aries and ending with Pisces (because when the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north at the equinox, the Sun happens to be in Aries). Basically for each sign Mitton does two things. First, she describes the constellation in terms of the starts that make it up. You can compare this with Balit's gorgeous full-color paintings, in which the stars that define the constellation are actually shiny silver stars stamped into the artwork. So when Mitton talks about how Aries has a trio of stars that mark the Ram's head, chief among them being a yellow giant called Hamal, you will notice that star is the biggest one in the constellation and that Balit has painted it in a yellow circle. The second thing Mitton does is to explain the significance of Aries in Greek mythology, where it becomes the magical flying ram with the golden fleece sent by Zeus to rescue Phrixus, son of the King of Boeotia.

On some of these constellations there are multiple explanations, so you can choose which one strikes your fancy the most. The mythology parts tend to come out ahead of the astronomical, mainly because Mitton and Balit do not really get to go into all of the stars which make up the various constellations, but also because the stories mix in tales from Mesopotamia to go along with the classical Greek (and Roman) myths. The order of the constellations in the book follows both of the key chronologies, whether you go by the dates the sun is in a traditional astrological sign and the dates sun is in the astronomical constellation (for Aries, for example, the former is March 21 to April 19, while the later is April 19 to May 13). This only sounds confusing, and Mitton explains how astronomical constellations compare with astrological signs at the end. If you want to know when Zodiac constellations are visible in the sky, there is a table for that as well in the back of the book.

After eyeballing it for a long time, I finally purchased this book and was happy as can be with it. The illustrations are beautiful and the written content is informative, fun, and easy to read. The title might scare some people off, thinking it's a book about astrology - a highly controversial subject. However, neither astronomers, nor astrologers, need to worry that this book is biased either way. While it does describe important and little known facts about astrology, it is NOT an astrology book.

Astronomers will like:
This book is about the constellations of the zodiac, not the signs of astrology. When you read about the constellations, you get nuggets of information about two things: 1)The physical structure of the constellation itself, i.e. what nebulae you'll find in them, which of its stars are the brightest, which stars are actually clusters, etc. 2) Some history on the myths of the constellations, not only from ancient Greece, but also ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. None of the information is overly complicated or heavy, making it a superb introduction. You WONT find a description of astrological signs in this book.

Astrologers will like:
1) This is a great book to introduce children to the signs of astrology. I'm an astrologer with a 5-year old daughter. I made this her first real introduction to astrology, familiarizing her with the signs. Because of this book, she knows that she's a Sagittarius and I'm a Scorpio. This was very fun to her. She loves the pictures and identifying people she knows with them. I wasn't sure if she'd be ready to look at this, but her interest was high. Now she wants a bow and arrow. 2) It wouldn't hurt for astrologers to become more familar with the night sky and astronomy. Then, once you've learned it, get out and look! :-)

Despite the best efforts of astronomers and other debunking organizations, astrology will maintain a strong position in modern societies. That being the case, this is a good way to introduce all children to both disciplines.

Although the author doesn't name them as such, she touches on the difference between the sidereal and tropical zodiacs. What she DOESN'T clarify, is that astrologers are aware of the differences. Many astronomers assert that the tropical zodiac is an accidental manifestation of ignorance on the part of astrologers. However, Ptolmey's historic text, the Tetrabiblos solidified the zodiac split. Ptolmey, by the way, was a devout follower of Hipparchus. Hipparchus discovered precession and, we have reason to believe, was also an astrologer. In other words, astrologers have known from the start what they were doing. At any rate, Mitton maintains objectivity on the issue and doesn't seem to take sides, which astronomers and astrologers alike should appreciate.