Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

24/12/2014

Susanna Hislop on the origins of names of the night sky's constellations: A unicorn – the constellation Monoceros. From December 2014.

A seasonal reading for clear and frosty nights, when the skies sparkle with thousands of dots forming half remembered, almost traceable shapes. These are the stories behind the names and shapes of the constellations that pattern the night sky.

Stories In The Stars by Susanna Hislop is read by a range of voices and accents from around the country and the globe. It might be one of the stories that the great Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy assigned to them in his masterwork that became known as the Almagest, or it might be a personified first person narration from the constellation Chameleon having a grumble about the number of different names and imagined shapes assigned to him over the millennia.

From Greco-Roman mythology to the lives of the eighteenth century astronomers, this is a delightful miscellany which gives us a reason to step outside, look up and wonder at the magic lantern show above us.

Readers: Noma Dumezweni, Jessica Gunning, Colman Domingo

Episode Three:
A Unicorn – the constellation Monoceros is as likely to exist as Father Christmas.

Abridged, directed and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

15 minutes

Last on

Thu 27 Dec 2018 02:45

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Noma Dumezweni
Reader Jessica Gunning
Reader Colman Domingo
Author Susanna Hislop
Abridger Jill Waters
Director Jill Waters
Producer Jill Waters

Broadcasts

  • Christmas Eve 2014 09:45
  • Boxing Day 2018 14:45
  • Thu 27 Dec 2018 02:45

Listen to more Audio Books

Listen to more Audio Books

Including My Sister The Serial Killer, Queenie, The Flatshare and more.

Opening Lines

Opening Lines

John Yorke unpacks the themes behind the stories in Radio 4's weekend afternoon dramas.

Sample our books and authors Clip Collection

Interviews, previews and reviews

Subscribe to the Short stories podcast

Featuring the best stories from the UK's finest writers

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

How many of these 100 Novels have you read?

After a passionate debate, our panel has come up with this surprising literary selection.

Finding Your Story

Finding Your Story

Ten remarkable novels about identity: Which one will help you discover yourself?

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts: Books

Celebrating reading and the 100 novels that have shaped our world.