The Mythology of the Night Sky : Greek, Roman, and Other Celestial Lore (2nd ed. 2020)

This book is for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of astronomical objects in the night sky.

It covers the lore and legend behind Ptolemy’s 48 constellations, along with significant asterisms, the planets and their moons, the brightest named asteroids and dwarf planets. The revised second edition includes a host of new moons and dwarf planets discovered since 2011.

In addition, it now features a new section on major asteroids and their associated myths.

While still primarily focused on Greco-Roman mythology, the book now branches out to cover more recently named objects from other cultures, such as Hawaiian, Rapanui, Tongva and Inuit.

To assist practical observers, the book gives the location and description of each constellation, including named stars and deep-sky objects.

A host of helpful astronomy tips and techniques, as well as a brief introduction to astrophotography, are included to encourage direct observation and imaging of these mythical objects in the night sky.