Hello Friends,
I'ts been a few more days than I have wanted to update you on our night sky; I apologize. However, I have finally bested this head cold, and I know I am looking forward to going out this weekend to view Leo and Leo's galaxies physically well and clear headed again.
It seems that the seasons are slowly turning to Spring. The sky ladles; the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, are taking their place; the Little Dipper spilling its contents into the Big Dipper. See the picture above; an easily remembered trick to find the North Star Polaris is shown above. Polaris is our celestial north. A very clear night and non-polluted sky will produce the full handle of the Little Dipper and the bowl of the Dipper. Surprising our North Star is so dim, huh?
From the handle of the Big Dipper, you can trace further down to the bright Spring star Arcturus, part of the constellation Bootes the herdsman. We will visit with the herdsman in the future, when he has awoken from the low horizon of the Eastern sky. For now, he guides either the bears or plows we visit with this week, and will be mentioned as the young gentleman Arcas in our star story tonight.
The Dippers have also been known by the ancients as either bears or plows. The Big Dipper is by far the most known and familiar constellation in the night sky. If we take a moment to see them as plows, it is quite simple: the long handles with the square box blades. As for bears, it is a bit more of the imagination to see, but the square boxes would give us the bear's body, and the handles the tails.
If the handles are the tails, why are they so long? Thomas Hood, a writer and astrologer made mention that they were perhaps stretched by Zeus when he flung them to safety into the night sky.
The Big Bear is actually Callisto, a paramour of Zeus. Sometimes the Small Bear gets recognized as Arcas, her demi-god son by Zeus, but more often Arcas gets given the honor of being seen in the constellation Bootes, known as a great hunter. How did Callisto become a bear, and find her way as this bear in the night sky?
Callisto was well noticed by the Gods of Olympus, especially Artemis. Artemis was moved so by Callisto's grace and beauty that she appeared to her and asked her to join her hunter's troupe. She accepted and joined Artemis' hunters. This troupe was well-known for two things: it was all women and these women took a vow of chastity for life, to stay pure and true to the commitment they swore to. Callisto became accustomed to placing a tied white bow in her hair and wearing a white tunic with beautiful brooch. She soon became Artemis' best hunting partner due to her hunting skill and true companionship.
Then, in moves Zeus to disrupt this beautiful friendship and peace. Zeus saw Callisto lying in the field one day and disguised himself as Artemis. He put his arms around her and took her. Callisto was most ashamed and hid the fact that she was pregnant until one day the hunting troop came to a bathing site. She disrobed and bathed in a spring, thus showing her pregnancy. Artemis thus banished her from the troupe, and shared Callisto's ravaging by Zeus with Hera, Zeus' wife.
Callisto later gave birth; all this time Hera had been aware of another of Zeus' transgressions, and she was ready and infuriated. Hera tackled Callisto to the ground and cursed her to become the shape of a bear. Callisto roamed the forest he had hunted and become familiar with for a great time until coming across her son Arcas, who had become a great hunter and was that day tracking in the forest. Callisto recognized her son Arcas immediately and headed towards him. Arcas readied his spear and may have succeeded in taking Callisto's life, but Zeus intervened with a whirlwind and carried them into the sky as Big Dipper and Little Dipper.
Lastly, back we go to the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters, which we mentioned briefly gazing at with the in-laws a bit ago during their visit. I realized that I had not finished the story telling regarding these important sisters.
The Greeks used the Pleiades as a mini-constellation and calendar marker. When the Greeks saw them peeking above the horizon, it meant a start to harvest. They are the seven daughters of the titan Atlas and oceanid Pleione. The Pleiades gained their name from either pleos, the Greek word meaning full, or the Greek word peleiades, meaning flock of doves. Both are fitting to this beautiful open star cluster.
The names of the seven sisters: Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, and Taygete. The sisters were well-liked by the Gods of Olympus. Poseidon wooed Alcyone and Celaeno. Zeus wooed Maia (she birthed Hermes and was the foster mother of Arcas), Electra, and Taygete. Asterope was ravished by Ares. So as you may realize, six became the gods paramours; the last one Merope married a mortal Sisyphus who eternally rolls boulder up the hill in Hades due to his wily of cheating the Lord of Death Hades.
So see? There are six visible sister stars, and one not so visible. It is thought to be Merope because she married a mortal, but astronomers named Asterope the faintest.
See you next week! In the meanwhile, enjoy the warmer nights that are becoming more available; I know I will!
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