The Stars
by H. A. Rey · first published 1962
6mentions
5recommended by
6HN commenters
2009–2026first – last mentioned
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Reimagines constellations as the shapes they resemble, making them easy to spot in the sky. It teaches how the Earth moves and how to find constellations, and suits beginners and naked-eye stargazers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A beginner's comprehensive guide to the stars, presenting the constellations in shapes that correspond sensibly to their names. Includes forty charts of the skies through the seasons.
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Depends on what sort of knowledge you're trying to get. If you just want to be able to point out constellations, I would recommend The Stars by H. A. Rey (yes, the same guy who wrote Curious George). It's unique in that it displays the constellations in a manner that makes them actually look like what they're trying to represent (which ends…
on “Scoping out the Galileoscope: $15 telescope designed by professional astronomers” ↗My son is 5 and has proven to be a total scientist. His current favorite book: H A Rey's The Stars, A New Way to See Them. We take that, a red flashlight, and binoculars out back before bed. He insists on learning the stories. The "kit" of the book, binos and red light sit on the coffee table by the…
on “How to Raise Boys Who Read” ↗This awesome book helped me "see" the constellations (sometime I'll really take the time to learn more of them!) https://www.amazon.com/Stars-H-Rey/dp/0547132808
on “Reach for the Stars: Marcus Tullius Cicero and the Classical Constellations” ↗…planets and constellations and I want to suggest these to anyone who is interested: This book introduced me to how the earth moves and how to find any constellations in the sky: https://www.amazon.com/Stars-New-Way-See-Them/dp/0544763440/ My area has pretty bad light pollution and so having this binoculars really helps to see the hard to see stars (The wide angles helps you see several stars at once so…
on “Five planets are lining up in the sky in June and will peak tonight” ↗Even if you don't have a telescope or binoculars, you can still enjoy naked eye star gazing. The book that got me started and which I highly recommend: The Stars: A New Way to See Them by H. A. Rey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stars:_A_New_Way_to_See_Th... https://archive.org/details/stars00hare
on “A practical guide to observing the night sky for real skies and real equipment” ↗H A Rey The Stars (1952) had a nice series of cartoons depicting a caveman, a grey-flannel-suit man, and a futuristic man all looking at their respective versions of the big dipper. The Barbers' When They Severed Earth…
on “Constellations are younger than continents” ↗