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Reflector Book Review:
Soap Operas of the Sky
Category: Mythology
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Soap Operas of the Sky
Jeannie Kuich
Cruising Guide Publications 1995
1130-B Pinehurst Road
Dunnedin, FL 34698
ISBN 0-944428-23-1
6x9 pbk, 192 pages, $12.50
This 192 page softback, billed as
"Your Tropical Vacation Stargazing Story Guide," is
one of the most entertaining books on astronomy I have
ever read. While is main focus is on the folklore and
mythology pertaining to the Sun, the Moon, and practically
all of the constellations - including the minor ones
- it also includes simple but detailed star hopping
guides to many of the better known deep sky objects
found in each of the constellations. Interspersed through
the book are beautiful computer-generated charts, four
for each season, one looking north, one south, one east,
and one west so that one does not have to screw one's
head or the sky chart around. There are also additional
enlarged charts showing particular constellations and
their environs, plus a wealth of humorous drawings illustrating
some of the better known stories. The title, Soap
Operas of the Sky, is very apt, for many of the
stories contain as much sex, gore, jealousy, and rage
as our modern "soaps" do.
While the sky charts are drawn for
12 degrees north latitude, they will certainly be very
useful even for mid-latitudes, and indispensable if
one journeys down to the Caribbean, or the Winter Star
Party.
The sky legends include not just the
classical Greek and Roman ones, but the legends of many
widespread people, including the native Americans, Tibetans,
Polynesians, and Indians. It is sometimes amazing to
see the similarity of the legends between widely dispersed
ethnic groups.
Marvin Jacoby
Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers
Reviewed in the November 1995 issue.
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