Catherine Tennant

Who hasn't enjoyed gazing up at the diamonds in the sky and who hasn't tried to visualize the constellations? This wonderful boxed set can be a big help in adding new dimensions to star-gazing enjoyment. I love this set. I'm not an astronomer, I just love looking at the stars and I enjoy the myths about the characters that wheel above us in the starry heavens.

This set contains a very well written 87 page guide book that is a quality paperback measuring 5 1/2" X 8", thirty-two cards that are slightly larger, and maps of the hemispheres. The book gives us the Greek myth behind each of the constellations included in the set and also tells us about the major stars in each of the constellations, giving us brief scientific information as well as how to locate the constellation. It is not a professional astronomer's handbook, but is intended for the novice, and as such is excellent.

The publishers tell us the cards were invented by "a lady" in 1825 in London and were originally hand-painted. She called them Urania's Mirror. They are an original way to learn to recognize the constellations. Each card is pierced with tiny holes of varying sizes that glitter when held up to the light. These look like the constellations and give one an image to look for in the night sky. They are made of sturdy card stock and are colorfully painted in the style of 19th century map art. This is a super teaching aid and seems more "hands-on" and intimate than learning strictly from a book. It is also a beautiful work of art in its own right.

The brightest star on the cards is marked by the Greek letter α, the second brightest with the letter β and so on. After the 24 Greek letters are used, lower case Roman letters follow. Last, Roman capitals are used.

The book tells which stars and constellations are most easily seen during each of the four seasons. The constellations in this set are visible all the year round from average northern latitudes. As the star cards were designed primarily for use in the northern hemisphere 19 of the southern constellations cannot be seen from Europe and are not included. At least 44 of the constellations that are found on the cards can be seen from southern latitudes. The guidebook also gives the names of the individual stars within each of the constellations.

I think this is a good learning tool for kids from K-12 or for any adult with a desire to be able to recognize the constellations. An adult will have to read the myths and provide some assistance for the younger kids but they will be able to pick out the actual constellations in the night sky much more easily after using the special perforated cards than if they were simply trying to follow your finger as you point to the constellation in the sky. The cards really help by showing what to look for.

Twelve of the cards show the signs of the Zodiac while the remaining 20 cards picture other constellations including the familiar ones like Orion, Cassiopeia, Draco, Ursa Major and Minor and Canis Major and Minor. Some cards have more than one constellation pictured if more than one constellation uses a particular star or group of stars.

The box that the book and cards come in is very sturdy and will hold up to lots of wear. It is not like the chintzy material that, for example, a Tarot deck would come in. It has a removable top, separate from the bottom, rather than tuck-in flaps. It is a deep indigo color with gold lettering, very attractive. It is meant to be a quality gift set that will last. I got this as the perfect gift for ME, but it really would make a wonderful gift for just about anybody.… (mere)