Aratus of Soli was a third century BC didactic poet at the court of Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia, where he wrote his famous astronomical poem ‘Phaenomena’ (Appearances). It describes the constellations and other celestial phenomena, while the latter section is chiefly concerned with weather lore. Aratus’ poem was extremely popular both in the Greek and Roman world, as demonstrated by the large number of commentaries and Latin translations. He enjoyed immense prestige among Hellenistic po...

An ancient Greek guide to the heavens, translated in a new accessible modern English edition.A poetic guide to the heavens, the Phaenomena of Aratus—dating from around 270 BCE—was widely known across the ancient world, second only in fame to the works of Homer. Beginning with an invocation to Zeus, the poem describes the constellations of the northern and southern skies, the celestial sphere, and weather signs. Aratus's vivid work offered a complete handbo...

'Athena seized the writhing serpent and hurled it into the sky, and fixed it to the very pole of the heavens.' The constellations we recognize today were first mapped by the ancient Greeks, who arranged the stars into patterns for that purpose. In the third century BC Eratosthenes compiled a handbook of astral mythology in which the constellations were associated with figures from legend, and myths were provided to explain how each person, creature, or object came to be pl...

After the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Phaenomena was the most widely read poem in the ancient world. Its fame was immediate. It was translated into Latin by Ovid and Cicero and quoted by St. Paul in the New Testament, and it was one of the few Greek poems translated into Arabic.Aratus’ Phaenomena is a didactic poem—a practical manual in verse that teaches the reader to identify constellations and predict weather. The poem also explains the relatio...

Micromegas is a science fiction novella by the French philosopher and humorist Voltaire. The saga describes the visit to Earth of a being from a planet orbiting the star Sirius, and of his fellow from the planet Saturn.

Many have believed that Atlantis was a fiction created by Plato. Well Plato was not the first to write about it.We have found a very much earlier document. It was written in 9619 BC, about 9,250 years before Plato's writing.This ancient document is believed to be the oldest document that has survived almost intact down through the ages.Further, archeological finds and scientific evidence provide convincing proof that Atlantis really did exist; Atlantis was real....

An informative sidekick to Stan Shadick's annual award-winning Skywatchers calendars, Skywatcher's Companion presents fascinating stories for skywatchers of all ages.Discover the wonders of the night sky and learn how to find the star patterns that have inspired the myths and storytelling of great cultures of the past. Meet the gods and goddesses of Rome, Greece and Mesopotamia and see how they found their way into the many constellations that dominate the ever-changing no...

Artificial intelligence has been developed to a point where human intelligence can be uploaded into a computer, achieving a sort of hybrid immortality. Astronaut Christian Brannock welcomes this technology that will make it possible for him to achieve his dream and explore the stars.A billion years later, Brannock is dispatched to Earth to check on some strange anomalies. While there he meets Laurinda Ashcroft, another hybrid upload. Brannock and Laurinda join forces and investigat...

THE PREFACE OF THEOPHRASTUS PARACELSUS TO ALL ALCHEMISTS AND READERS OF THIS BOOK.PART I. THE SEVEN CANONS OF THE METALS. THE FIRST CANON. CONCERNING THE NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF MERCURY. (1)THE SECOND CANON. CONCERNING THE NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF JUPITER.THE THIRD CANON. CONCERNING MARS AND HIS PROPERTIES.THE FOURTH CANON. CONCERNING VENUS AND ITS PROPERTIES.THE FIFTH CANON. CONCERNING THE NATURE AND PROPERTIES OP SATURN.THE SIXTH CANON. CONCERNI...

Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these "myths" did not begin as fiction.This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for ...

A retelling of the classic myths and timeless tales by bestselling author Annette Giesecke that underlie the 88 named constellations in the night sky--from Andromeda to Orion to Ursa Major.Classical Mythology of the Constellations is a stargazer's guide to the wondrous stories of the gods, heroes, and monsters that populate the night sky. As long as humans have lived on Earth, they have gazed up at the starry sky with fascination and longing. For the ancie...

What star is that? Where is the Great Bear? A Walk through the Heavens is a beautiful and easy-to-use guide to the constellations of the northern hemisphere. By following the unique simplified maps, readers will be able to easily find and identify the constellations and the stars within them. Ancient myths and legends of the sky are retold, adding to the mystery of the stars. Written for the complete beginner, this practical guide introduces the patterns of the starry skies in a memorable ...