#24 Two Goats

I cannot believe that my trip through the night sky this year is coming to a close in a little more than two months!   A few zodiac signs and the winter night sky legend of Andromeda are left in our exploration of the star stories.

This post will look at the two goats of the universe: Capricorn and Aries.

Capricorn is one of the most ancient constellations; it dates back to 3,000 b.c. Babylonia.  It was known as the solstice point to the ancient civilizations, and over time, due to the wobble of the Earth's axis, the sun now sets the lowest in Sagittarius.

My friend and fellow stargazer Vince introduced me to Capricorn by stating that I look for the "bikini bottom" of the night sky; he was right.  Capricorn is a  large triangle in the night sky, difficult to view due to its placement on the low horizon, even in the late summer months.  You ask...how is this a goat?

Well, Capricornus is Latin for horned goat, and the Greeks saw the constellation as a sea goat, with the forequarters of a goat and the tail of a fish.  Greek myth links this star collection to Pan, the half goat and half man god of deceit, illusion and music.  Pan was known also for the woodland magic and regenerative nature of the Earth.

In a well-known battle, an ancient Titan creature named Typhoon threatened the Greek Gods.  Pan sounded a conch horn as a warning, then changed into the sea goat as he jumped into the sea.  Other Greek Gods also changed into animals to defeat this large storm-based creature.  Zeus defeated Typhoon and placed the constellation in the sky as an honor to Pan's timely warning and clever escape.

Aries is the second of the sky goats, a ram with a golden fleece sent by Zeus to save two children from a sacrifice.  Many see the parallel of the ram as a "sacrifice" to human life, and the "golden fleece" the promise of wealth and spiritual transcendence and eternity, as similar to the story of Christianity.  

This is one of the few stories that we see Zeus as having a bit of gentleness and humanity.  He takes interest in the lives of two children named Phrixus and Helle.  They were a prince and princess that their step-mother despised.  Ino, the evil step-mother, knew that if she secretly planted diseased crops, this would serve to set up a poor harvest.  In the past, it was the King's children that were too be sacrificed to the gods for alleviation of famine.  Zeus saw that the children were fated for sacrifice and sent a golden fleeced ram to the children.  The ram collected the children and flew them East, out of danger and into safety.  During the trip, Helle fell from the ram over the sea and perished, but her brother Phrixus survived.  The ram gave its golden fleece to the King that was now the guardian to Phrixus, then returned to the heavens to Zeus.  Zeus placed the ram in the night sky.  The Greeks thought that the constellation was faint because it left its fleece on Earth.

Next time, we will explore the November Full Moon and the two water signs of the late fall and early winter sky.  I'm getting ready for S.T.A.R., and sharing stargazing with some past clients and alumni, and remembering the small starts of the hobby of stargazing in my life.  I am glad that I looked up and saw a wealth of stories, and further a wonderful opportunity to share the awe of the universe with others.