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A Walk through the Southern Sky
A Guide to Stars and Constellations and their Legends
2nd edition
What star is that? Where is the Southern Cross? Who was Orion?
A Walk through the
Southern Sky
is a beautiful guide to pathways in the night sky which answers these
questions and many more. Its unique simplified maps make it easy to find by eye the
constellations and the stars within them. Clear instructions guide the user on how to
gauge sizes and distances, and how to move easily between constellations. This new
edition has been updated with additional mythology information, and a list of the planet
positions up to 2016.
Ancient myths and legends of the sky, thousands of years old, are retold to add to the
mystery of the stars. Of value to all ages, this book introduces the patterns of the starry
skies in a memorable way. No equipment is needed to use this practical guide, apart from
normal sight and clear skies. Magically illustrated, this is an ideal introduction to launch
the young astronomer on a journey across the starlit skies.
MILTON HEIFETZ
is an amateur astronomer, professor of neurosurgery, and inventor of
‘The Precession of the Equinoxes’ planisphere, now in the Harvard University Museum
of Historical Scientific Instruments. It is used to determine positions of the stars in
ancient history and years in the future.
WIL TIRION
is a freelance uranographer and graphic designer. He is co-author of
The
Monthly Sky Guide
, now in its seventh edition (Cambridge University Press, 2006).
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MILTON D. HEIFETZ & WIL TIRION
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A WALK THROUGH THE
SOUTHERN SKY
A Guide to Stars and
Constellations and their
Legends
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✶
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521689458
© M. Heifetz and W. Tirion 2007
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2007
Printed in China by Printplus
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
National Library of Australia Cataloguing in Publication data
Heifetz, Milton D., 1921– .
A walk through the southern sky : a guide to stars and
constellations and their legends.
2nd ed.
ISBN 9780521689458 (pbk.).
1. Southern sky (Astronomy) – Observers’ manuals. 2.
Astronomy – Southern Hemisphere – Observers’ manuals. 3.
Constellations – Observers’ manuals. 4. Stars – Mythology –
Southern Hemisphere. I. Tirion, Wil. II. Title.
523.80223
ISBN–13 978-0-521-68945-8 paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or
third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such
websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
Acknowledgements
page
x
Introduction
1
Part 1 Measuring distances in the sky
3
Distances to the stars
5
The brightness of stars
5
The Milky Way 6
Life in the heavens 8
Instructions for use of the atlas
8
Four seasonal star maps
9
Part 2 A walk through the heavens
13
A walk through the southern sky
15
The Southern Cross (Crux)
17
Pathways from Crux
19
To locate Musca 19
To locate Corvus 19
To locate Carina 19
To locate Achernar of Eridanus 19
The Centaurus–Crux–Carina–Vela relationship
The True and False Southern Crosses
21
To locate Vela and the False Southern Cross
21
The Acrux–Canopus–Achernar triangle 23
The Centaurus–Lupus–Ara–Libra–Scorpius
relationship 25
Pathways from Centaurus
25
To Lupus 25
To locate Libra
25
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