Star Charts
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Traditional diagram of the Gemini constellation.
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Rey's alternative diagram of Gemini: twins are shown holding hands.
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Traditional diagram of the Leo constellation.
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Rey's alternative diagram of Leo: A lion walking.
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Traditional diagram of the Virgo constallation.
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Rey's alternative diagram of Virgo: A lying woman.
Before the 1952 publication of Rey's The Stars: A New Way to See Them, (ISBN 0-395-24830-2) star charts used a conventional set of diagrams that were difficult to remember and relied on dim stars that are difficult to see in modern populated areas. Rey invented a new set of constellation diagrams that could be seen as cartoonish depictions of the creature or character the constellations was supposed to represent—- or, at least, were memorable. His constellation diagrams were adopted widely and now appear in many astronomy guides, such as Menzel's A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets. As of 2003 The Stars: A New Way to See Them, and a simplified presentation for children called Find the Constellations, are still in print. A new edition of Find the Constellations was released in 2008, updated with modern fonts, the new status of Pluto, and some more current measurements of planetary sizes and orbital radii.
Dr. Lena Y. de Grummond, a professor in the field of library science (specializing in children's literature) at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. contacted the Reys in 1966 about the university's new children's literature collection. H.A. and Margret made a donation of a pair of sketches at the time. In 1996, after Margret's death, it was revealed in her will that the entire literary estate of the Reys were to be donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at Southern Mississippi.
Read more about this topic: H. A. Rey
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