A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends (Paperback)

by Milton D. Heifetz (Author), Wil Tirion (Author) "How do we measure the size of the Big Dipper or the distance between two stars?..." (more)
Key Phrases: slight curve, Big Dipper, Facing South, Canis Major (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'You don't need a telescope to learn where the constellations are - this book tells you exactly how to find them simply by looking at the sky. It's a useful skill to acquire: you can impress your friends when you stumble out of the pub by pointing out what's where in the night sky. the legends are fascinating too. This is a good book for someone who hasn't made their mind up about investing in a telescope.' The Times

Product Description
What star is that? Where's the Great Bear? Who was Andromeda? A Walk through the Heavens is your guide to the pathways of the night sky, answering the commonest questions about what you can see up there. There are simplified maps of the constellations, together with instructions on how to gauge their sizes and the distances between them. With this information you can find the constellations easily, and make a journey by eye from one constellation to the next. Ancient myths surrounding the constellations are retold, enriching our understanding of how historical peoples saw the awe-inspiring spectacle of a sky sprinkled with stars. This book, magically illustrated by Wil Tirion, does not require any instrument or telescope. It is an ideal introduction to launch a young astronomer on a journey across starlit skies.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 87 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (February 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521625130
• ISBN-13: 978-0521625135
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #466,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Has correct constellation segment connections unlike Rey's "The Stars: A New Way to See Them", September 25, 2005

By	Justin Morgan "Programmer, Astronomer, Gadget... (Washington state, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Walk through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends (Paperback)

Undoubtedly lots of beginning astronomers will be trying to decide between Rey's book "The Stars: A New Way to See Them" and Heifetz/Tirion's "A Walk Through the Heavens". I just wanted to point out something that could be a deciding factor for some people: "A Walk Through the Heavens" teaches you to find contellations which are drawn using the time-tested line segments between the stars of the constellations. In other words, the connections between the stars in any given constellation are the "traditional" connections. As an astronomy purist, this is the way I prefer to see them.

In contrast, H.A. Rey used his imagination to re-draw the line segments between the stars in his book "The Stars: A New Way to See Them". Put another way, Rey diverges from the accepted norm in that the connections between the stars in any given constellation are drawn differently than the accepted connections. That means if you look at a planisphere or any other observing aid, the constellations' connections will be drawn differently than in Rey's book (but will appear the same as they do in "A Walk Through the Heavens").

That said, some people find Rey's "new way" easier since Rey's constellation connections are more intuitive for some people to grasp. But if you learn from Rey's book then be prepared to re-learn the conventional constellation segments once you graduate to any other astronomical reference.

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for beginners, October 9, 1998

By A Customer

This little book is an excellent way for beginners to learn the relationships between common constellations and star groups, and the price is right! It has basic iformation on the legends associated with the constellations, and thus would be a good choice for a teacher who wanted to introduce the sky to students.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Confusing Constellation Relationships - Good Basic Astronomy, September 27, 2002

By A Customer

Those who consider this a really good beginners' book must not have seen Hans Rey's classic "Find the Constellations" or "The Stars: A New Way to See Them".
The latter book was "new" generations ago when my now grown children marveled at the heavens using our heavily worn hard copy of "The Stars" with Rey, and is now collecting grubby fingerprints from the frequent use by my grandchildren in our original and several paperback copies.
Part 2 of the Heifetz/Tirion book uses a labored method of originating and extending lines all over the sky from "Star n" of Asterism "m" through several other hard to define positions of far removed stars and further on to numbered or named stars in destination constellations for its "Walk Through the Heavens".
Too complicated for the purpose for beginners.
One could spend all night trying to imagine these lines in the sky while a few minutes with either of the Rey books would have the beginner naming and knowing half a dozen constellations and then star hopping to others.
Parts 1, 3 and 4 save the book. Part 3, the section on Legends of the Heavens, Milky Way, etc. is very good. Part 4, sort of a Misc. chapter has a small collection of good viewing information.
The book is a good buy, but the Rey books are a lot better for learning the constellations for any age group, and only slightly more expensive.
The Time-Life Skywatching/Advanced Skywatching volumes for a few more bucks are a little more advanced but orders of magnitude better for beginning teenagers, adults or advanced elementary schoolers and provide a lot more bang for your buck.