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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Constellation names
From: Bill Noyce
Date: 2003 Nov 3, 11:18 -0500
From: Bill Noyce
Date: 2003 Nov 3, 11:18 -0500
Others have commented on H. A. Rey's "The Stars - A New Way to See Them." To me, the book's attraction is Rey's line-drawings that connect the stars of each constellation into a shape that depicts its namesake better than the "standard" drawings. He manages to make the Great Bear look like an Arctic polar bear -- rather than the long-tailed beast shown in other books. But Sagittarius still looks like a teapot to me... H. A. Rey was also known as the author of the "Curious George" books for children, about a mischievous monkey. And, he lived for many years here in New Hampshire. Jan Kalivoda recalls the Dipper being mentioned in books by Arthur Ransome. I recall a discussion -- perhaps in Winter Holiday? -- where one character says something like "that's the Plough, though it looks more like a kind of saucepan really." Maybe the Dipper is mentioned as an alternative there. Of course, there's another dipper (a bird) in Swallows and Amazons.... -- Bill