#15 Full Moon May and Libra the Scales of Justice

Hello Friends!

It has been awhile since I've posted last.  May has been rather busy for me, and it appears there is a bit of a waiting game to get into the summer constellations.  I realized then that the summer night sky, while interesting, has a bit of a meditative quality to it in regards to the fact that it is one of the visually darkest and devoid skies, other than for the Milky Way that is beautifully stretched across the sky.

So, this past week the Full Moon made its appearance.  This then is our fodder for today's post.  The May Full Moon is named the Full Flower Moon, for the sole idea that most every plant and tree has flowered due to the April precipitation.  The May Moon is also known as the Milk Moon, for what reason we do not know.

When I saw the full moon a few nights ago, I likened it to a Milk Moon, because the weather had cooled out here in the desert southwest and humidity (yes...moisture) had been evident in the sky, thus the moon took on a milky appearance to me.  I have enjoyed recently sitting on my balcony and staring into the blackness of the sky, and relaxing and being grateful for life in general.  Life has been tough as of late, and I have missed the slow and calming energies of the night sky.  This urges me to find when the next meteor shower will be active so as to just enjoy a night of gazing into the sky and catching the chance to see a brilliant spark of burning gas hurtling to the Earth from outer space.  HINT: Late July and Early August!

I realized that I have not given credit to my zodiac sign, Libra the Scales!  Libra is the only zodiac sign that is not human or animal, and did not exist until separated from Scorpio the Scorpion.  Libra used to represent the claws of Scorpio, but later was given a place in the sky by the Romans as the scales of justice and balance in 1 AD.  I suppose this makes sense, as Libra balances out the zodiac, and could be seen as a mark of balance between times BC and AD.  It also marks the fascination of the ancients with the balance of all celestial life cycles, whether they be the seasons, day and night, or birth and death.

Catch you next time: we will start with an introduction to Hercules and Draco!

#14 A Serpent's Story

Good Evening Fellow Star Spies!

The ancients had a way of using constellations and stars to mark immortality and legend.  I think it is relevant to think of the sky above us as amazing and wondrous, along with having the characteristics of being the easel of the myths of great men and figures alike.  The night sky is a great place to dream, to wonder, and to envision our mysteries of life.

Want to view the largest constellation in the night sky?  The constellation that takes over half of the year to be fully visible?  Behold!  Hydra, the serpent.  This constellation is most known as one of the labors of Hercules, the second to be exact, and was known for having multiple heads.  There is, however, only one head associated with this constellation.  This then leads us to realize that the middle and dominant head was immortal.

This serpent was the great water-snake of a town called Lerna.  It's breath was known to poison and kill, and  running across its path was not suggested.  This snake is also the brother of Draco, the dragon that guards the golden apples of Hera.  We will soon visit Draco, as he is almost finished with his slithering into the night sky from the Eastern horizon.

Hercules had to take care to draw the Hydra out from the poisonous swamp it inhabited.  Hercules used his flame arrows to irritate the beast, then grappled with it and clubbed in one of its heads.  To his surprise, the head grew back and sprouted two identical heads!  Hercules had to think quick, and called for his charioteer IIolaus to cauterize each of the stumps when he would cut off a head to prevent further regeneration.  He finished the immortal head and buried it deep in the Earth under a nearby rock.  He used the poisonous gall of the remainder of the body to dip his arrows in.

Upon this serpent's back rides two other constellations that are part of the second story given to this massive serpent.  These are Corvus the Crow and Crater the Cup.  I just realized that is a lot of C's. Crater is the immortal cups of the Gods, known to carry the life-water for sacrifice, or ambrosia, the nectar of the Gods and their life force.  This life force was known to impart eternal life. Crater is the cup that is seen in Aquarius, the symbol of the water bearer Ganymede, picked by the God Zeus for his attractiveness.

Corvus was the favorite bird of Apollo, and his valuable servant.  Corvus was called upon one day by Apollo to take Crater the cup to the well-spring to collect water for a sacrifice.  The crow was on his way to the spring and came across a fig tree in full bloom, and being tempted, stayed and ate his fill of the figs for three days!  In the meanwhile, Apollo was left to find his own water for the sacrifice.  Corvus knew he would be in trouble if he returned without an alibi.  He found a water snake and returned with it, trying to convince Apollo that the water snake was vicious and would not let him collect water from the spring.  Apollo was not fooled, as he is gifted as the God of prophecy, and saw through the lie.  He condemned the bird to a life of thirst, thus why the crow has such a raspy call.  Our lesson here is: keep our word impeccable and truthful, for if we do not do so, our word will become ugly and unbelievable.

The crow also gets given a story about why it is black; Apollo turned this once white as a dove bird black out of spite of the news the crow delivered to him about a love being unfaithful.  This also warns us that gossip or being overly involved in others' relationships can tarnish our image to others.

There is one more constellation that rides the back of the celestial serpent.  This is Noctura the Owl, which did not make it to the identified current constellations.  I think it interesting to know that this is one of the least known obsolete constellations; even I did not know of this constellation until recently.  English amateur astronomer Jamieson placed the owl in the sky at the tail end of Hydra, to the right of Libra, the scales.  He was boggled as to why the bird did not make it into the night sky, especially with its fame and popularity in ancient cultures (Greek/Roman/Egyptian.)

I think its neat that the more I stare at the night sky and look for further objects, the more the stars reveal to me.  I enjoy truly the vastness and endless enjoyment I receive when marveling at the night sky; I hope you do as well!