Davies - Written in the stars: constellations, facts and folklore

Publishing Director Sarah Lavelle

Editor Harriet Butt

Copy editor Jennifer Latham

Designer Maeve Bargman

Illustrator Jess Sots Vicente

Production Director Vincent Smith

Production Controller Tom Moore

Published in 2018 by Quadrille, an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing

Quadrille
5254 Southwark Street
London SE1 1UN
quadrille.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders. The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

Cataloguing in publication data: a catalogue record for this book is available from The British Library.

Text Alison Davies 2018
Artworks Jess Sots Vicente 2018
Design Quadrille 2018

eISBN 978 1 78713 316 7

CONTENTS

Magic sits in the stars. It seeps from the spaces in-between these mysterious orbs, in patches of darkness that serve only to accentuate the glorious sparkle of far-distant planets. In the moment when you catch a glimpse of a special group or pattern of stars in the veil of the sky, for a second you see what the ancients saw. Then you appreciate the magnificence of the universe, and youre taken back, far back, into the annals of time.

Lets not forget, the stars have seen all of life on Earth unfold beneath them. Like eyes, blinking and watching, these tiny, enduring beads of light witness and hold our stories and memories long after were gone. Since ancient times, astronomers have charted these sparkling pinpricks in the night sky into constellations, giving each one life and meaning, and often a tale to tell. Sky observers have set the constellations neatly in their space and bonded them within their family grouping to give a sense of order to the cosmos. Each pattern of stars slots together like pieces of a giant galactic jigsaw puzzle. And theres no great secret to their success or beauty they simply are, appearing every night for those who wish to look and experience their wonder.

So let this book be your guide, the springboard from which you dive into this glittering realm. With 88 constellations to traverse, youll find much to explore and some tips on when and where to find them in the heavens, what you might see, along with any underlying myths or interesting facts relating to their origins.

Learn to read and appreciate the night sky like the ancients before you, and youll discover an enchanting world full of surprising insights. Most important of all, youll understand that, since the beginning of time, the fate of mankind has, and always will be, written in the stars.

Imagine the scene: a great menagerie of beasts parade before your eyes. Some of them are predatory, others are the prey, and some are animals that once had another form, their fates changed by the gods and then honoured in the stars. Yet others are symbols of beauty and love, cast into the heavens for eternal admiration. The vast family of constellations that make up Ursa Major offers a rich seam of mythology, sprinkled with moral gems that beg closer attention. And like all the best adventures, theres a sprinkling of magic that only the most skilled of storytellers could weave.

URSA MAJOR

FAMILY	URSA MAJOR
LOCATION	Second quadrant of the northern hemisphere
BEST SEEN IN	April
NAME MEANING	The Great Bear
STARS	Alioth (Epsilon Ursae Majoris), Dubhe (Apha Ursae Majoris), Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris), Mizar and Alcor (Zeta Ursae Majoris and 80 Ursae Majoris), Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris), Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris), Megrez (Delta Ursae Majoris)

The vast and ever-present Ursa Major is home to the asterism (a distinct group of stars that are not a constellation) the Plough. The third-largest constellation in the night sky, Ursa Majors existence abounds with legends. According to Greek mythology, it represents a tragic tale of love and envy. Zeus, the king of the gods, seduced the beautiful nymph Callisto, who bore him a son, Arcas. His wife and queen, Hera, was enraged and turned the nymph into a bear. Many years later, Arcas encountered the bear, Callisto, in the forest and raised his spear in fear. Zeus intervened with an almighty whirlwind, which sent the she-bear Callisto and Arcas swirling through the heavens. There Callisto remains, forever bright as Ursa Major, but an embittered Hera wasnt done. Her final command was that the bear may not dip its paws in northern waters, hence Ursa Major never sets below the horizon in the north.

URSA MINOR

FAMILY	URSA MAJOR
LOCATION	Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere
BEST SEEN IN	June
NAME MEANING	The Little Bear
STARS	Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris), Pherkad (Gamma Ursae Minoris)

The smaller sibling of Ursa Major, this little bear contains the seven-starred asterism the Little Dipper. According to one Greek legend, this constellation commemorates the nymph Ida, who cared for the infant Zeus on the island of Crete. The story goes that his father, Cronus, the king of the Titans, was so consumed by a prophecy that one of his children would kill him that he set about swallowing his newborn offspring whole (where they stayed until Zeus made Cronus disgorge them). Zeuss mother, Rhea, the Titan queen, saved him from this fate by substituting a stone for the baby Zeus and spiriting him away for his protection. Ursa Minor is home to Polaris, the North or Pole Star, which is situated close to the north celestial pole. It has been used by travellers on land and sea for millennia to find due north, so while it is not the brightest star in the heavens, it is every adventurers friend.