The starry night sky has always filled us with wonder. Down through the ages we have looked to the skies for guidance from the images of our heroes, gods, and monsters. Storytellers have illustrated their mythologies and legends with it, passing on to future generations the customs of their people. Many of these stories have survived to the present. In this Skylore from Planet Earth we explore some of the stories about the planet VENUS. People from the entire planet have looked to it for a reminder of their own traditions. Fifteen richly illustrated stories take the reader on a trip around the world, giving a glimpse into the histories and cultures of the planet’s early civilizations. The six books in this series feature other sky phenomena as seen from early cultures around the world. Read stories about the constellation ORION; the star cluster PLEIADES; and our galaxy, MILKY WAY. Two more books are coming soon: the MOON and the SUN.

“The Sky’s my treasure chest. It’s there that I store Diamonds and sapphires, emeralds galore. Rubies of red, jades of green Topaz and opal, iridescent sheen. Gems of all color, jewels of all hue, This treasure’s all mine, but I’ll share it with you.” G. O. Pitcovich The brightest jewel in the night sky is the planet Venus. Sometimes it sparkles in the early morning as the Morning Star, rising in the east just before the sun. Other times it follows the sun down to the horizon in the west as the Evening Star. Some nights it is not visible at all. Venus is a wanderer. The word “planet” comes to us from the Greek and means “wanderer”. Early sky gazers could see five wanderers: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These wanderers could depart from the fixed motions of the constellations, seeming to wander from one group of stars to another. To explain this magical ability, they were considered to be god-like. Of the five visible planets Venus was, and still is, the brightest point of light in the sky. It is not surprising that early cultures around the world found this jewel central to their mythologies. Come explore fifteen of the stories around the world about Venus told down through the ages.

During her over thirty years of teaching, Dayle Brown specialized in planetarium education, finding that a planetarium is the perfect classroom for teaching astronomy related subjects. She discovered that storytelling becomes even more magical while gazing up at a starry sky. Storytelling is a wonderful way to introduce children to past and present cultures of the world. In 1993 and 1994 Ms. Brown served as co-director of NSF Leadership Institutes in astronomy and space science, and in 2001 was a writer for Indiana Science Curriculum Frameworks Document. As the owner/director of Pegasus Productions, Ms. Brown provides astronomy related presentations to schools and the public. She presents papers and workshops about planetarium education and storytelling under the stars at professional conferences. Ms. Brown left the classroom to continue her work as a planetarium educator and to pursue her love of art. Her award winning watercolor paintings have shown in area museums and galleries. She has received commissions and grants for her artwork. Ms. Brown lives with her husband, David Piser, in South Bend, IN. They enjoy traveling and spending time with their children and grandchildren.