#26 The Water Bearer and Twin Fish

Hello Fellow Stargazers!

It really brings up a lot of feelings realizing that this is the last post on the zodiac constellations.  All that is left to share with you is the month of December and the constellations that tell the story of Perseus and Andromeda, as well as the story of the name of the full moon of December.  Things are coming to a close this year, and as the Farnsworth household prepares for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the heat is turned on in the house, the tree and decorations bring a warmth all their own, and the evenings are a quiet and blissful time of warm drinks and cozy activities indoors.

I picture myself this December spending some time outdoors walking the lake and reflecting on the gifts poured out over myself and Cassie this year.  As soon as the Christmas lights start appearing on the houses, I find time to enjoy the twinkling stars not only above us, but around us.

Speaking of pouring out, the first of the constellations we will share is Aquarius.  Aquarius is one of the tougher constellations to trace out due to dim stars as well as the area of the sky that it occupies.  The ancient Greeks aptly named this area the "celestial sea" and was the source of all the waters of the night sky.  You can see that the Milky Way seems to spring from this area.

Ganymede is the celestial water bearer, a young man holding either the celestial urn or cup of immortality of the gods.  A young shepherd boy that Zeus judged as the most beautiful of the mortals, he claimed him as the water boy of the Olympian gods and goddesses.  As you will remember when we talked about Jupiter, Ganymede is one of the four Galilean moons, along with Io, Europa, and Callisto, and one of Zeus' many trifle jaunts with the mortals.  He granted Ganymede immortality for his service and symbolized in the night sky as Aquarius.

Pisces is the other of a pair of water signs/constellations which can be seen wrapped around the bottom of the great square of Pegasus, which we will observe in December.  The easiest part of this constellation to view is the circlet of Pisces, which is one head of the two fish that make up this constellation.

 This pair of fish was believed to symbolize the gods Aphrodite and her son Eros (Venus and Cupid) as they transformed themselves into fish to escape the monster Typhon.  Typhon was the largest and most feared of the monsters/Titans by the Gods, and when Typhon led the waged war of the Titans on the Gods for control of Olympus, most of the great ancient gods and goddesses transformed into animals and fled.  Zeus was able to confront and defeat Typhon and seal him under Mount Etna, which is thought to this day to be the source of the mountain's eruptions.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

#25 Full Moon November and S.T.A.R.

Hello everyone!

This week we had the pleasure of enjoying the November Full Moon, the Beaver Moon or Frosty Moon.  So called because either it was time to set beaver traps to assure warmth from the beaver pelts gathered, or that beavers were preparing their dams and dens for winter.  The Frosty Moon makes sense: it's starting to get cold and frosty!  Time for the jackets and hats and gloves to come out!  The beautiful part of the winter night sky is its amazing clarity due to dipping temperatures, and you cannot beat its majesty and excuse to carry out a warm beverage like cocoa, coffee, or cider with you to sip on as you take in the cosmos above you.  Speaking of which, I believe that I will have to do just that very soon!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending S.T.A.R., my employer's alumni reunion for our clients that have successfully completed treatment.  I have made it a given each year I have worked with my employer that I am available on Saturday evenings to not only offer stargazing but also to catch up with past clients and honor their recovery and continued success.  This is my fourth year of enjoying the reunion activities.

I have had a 50% success rate with the stargazing activities.  The first two years were spectacular, with clear skies and a wonderful turnout and time!  It is sad to say that the last two outings were overcast and the sky was not available to enjoy.  It is interesting to notice that when I was stargazing actively at my workplace with  clients (at the time, I was working as a night counselor,) I had a similar energy about the experience at S.T.A.R.  Once I moved into my daytime therapist position, stargazing with clients became slowly non-existent.  The once well-used Orion telescope gathers dust in the far corner of my office.  I still harbor sadness about this, but it did spark the interest and motivation for this blog to be created, so the activity has continued to evolve into where we are today within Russ' Star Stories.  And shortly after we finish our journey through the night sky this year, I will probably turn your attention to Spirit Stories, which will continue to grow and share how stargazing has been a profound spiritual experience in my life.

This does not mean I did not enjoy the time spent at S.T.A.R. this year; the true gift had been from seeing some familiar faces and hearing that life was continuing to treat them well.  These clients, no, human beings, are a real source of inspiration; it is not easy doing what they did.  To me, they are the true stars!  Keep shining bright!

#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.

#23 Full Moon October: Birthday Fire and Swing Nap

Hello There! Happy Autumn!

 I enjoyed the latest Full Moon and beautiful orange hue this past week. The October Full Moon is known as the Full Hunter's Moon and Harvest Moon. Imagine if you will that you are camping at the edge of a forest; the leaves are falling, a crisp chill is in the evening air, and the pumpkins are ripe for picking. The wonderful smell of wood smoke enfolds the surrounding air. I get an inkling for the seasonal brews, especially pumpkin ales.

 Many early campers and trappers, as well as Native Americans, found this the time to hunt and store for winter. The crops were gleaned, therefore game like fox and small creatures that were after the left-overs were easier to see and capture. Deer and game are fattening for winter. Because of winter looming, this moon was given great significance within the Native American tribes and European civilizations.

I enjoyed celebrating my 33rd birthday on the swing in the backyard last weekend; a fire burning down to ash and hot embers and a chill in the air made for a nice nap. I awoke to the beautiful clear night sky above, and was filled with awe and gratefulness for another year and reflected over the last year's challenges and blessings.

Be well Friends! Enjoy the upcoming fall months!  Also, I have added to the Spirit Stories Tab, so head on over there next!

#22 Full Moon September and Deep Sky Frustrations

Hello there fellow stargazers!

Has the cooler air and shorter days started to impact your inner-autumn flow?  You walk into your local coffee and pastry shops and they are offering wonderfully pumpkin-spiced beverages and pumpkin deserts, and we start to crave apple pie, warm deserts, and warm beverages as the colder nights creep in.

The walk-in closet becomes transformed as long sleeve shirts and sweaters make a come-back.  Millions of new clothes combinations become available!

So, as the full moon rose this past week, have you noticed the beautiful golden hue about it?  It has been a rich treasure to behold.  The September Full Moon is the well-named Full Corn/Full Harvest Moon.  The staple fall crops of corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice are ready for harvest.  Kind of gets you thinking about Thanksgiving already!

Farmers can work later into the night with the light of the moon shining down upon them; the week of the autumn equinox the Moon rises about the same time each night, versus 50 minutes later as usual.  Try timing the moon rise this weekend to see if this holds true for you!

In other horizons, I have been glad to have the somewhat clearer skies of September to start to pull out my "Big Daddy" telescope into the driveway and start to spy the late summer and early fall deep sky objects.  I have been trying to view the recently discovered supernova which lies in M51, the Spiral Galaxy, yet have still have not seen it!  The first few nights of this past week it was cloudy and raining, and the last few clouds have obscured the night by about more than half.  I do enjoy the slow-down and cooling of the weather, however I would really like the chance to catch a view of M51 before the Big Dipper ends up too far below the horizon.

So, with the telescope out, I decided to view the tried and true deep sky object of the bejeweled Butterfly Star Cluster in between the tail of Scorpio and the spout of Sagittarius.  I was not disappointed; it is an easy find even with a pair of binocular or even a keen pair of eyes as a white smudge on a dark moonless night.

Next time we will seek out and finish with the Zodiac with the constellations of Aquarius and Pisces.  These are the two most obscure constellations in the night sky, and an exercise in patience with the reward of tracing them out on the Fall horizon being some pretty killer bragging rights!

Be Well until then!

#21 The Scorpion and the Archer

Happy Labor Day weekend!

The summer is coming to an end, and the night sky is becoming clearer as the Monsoon storms are dissipating. Peeks of the fall constellations are teasing my already deprived spirit.  Before we move onto the fall night sky, we must spend some time with two constellations that are a large part of the Southwestern night sky: Scorpio and Sagittarius.

Scorpio and Sagittarius are a great late summer and early fall focus, as they take up most of the south-western night sky.  They hold wonderful binocular deep-sky treasures.  You can see four "M" star clusters near or between these two Zodiac constellations.  I enjoyed each of these star clusters with only a pair of field binoculars!  It feels so nice to stand underneath the clear starry night sky again!  My wife Cassie is currently on her "scorpion hunt" with the black light flashlight and has found quite a large one on the wall in our backyard.  Interesting things these arachnids are, and glad not to have been stung by one.

Scorpio is not hard to miss, as it appears as an elongated "S" in the night sky.  Towards the middle of the constellation you will the the beautiful "jewel box" of the summer night sky: Antares, or enemy of Mars, so named due to its pinkish coloration which is similar to how the planet Mars appears in the night sky.

Scorpio also has some wonderful binocular viewing points to be aware of.  M4 is seen to the upper right of Antares (about 1 o'clock) as a beautiful globular star cluster and it is easily viewed with Antares as a viewing guide.  The tail of Scorpio holds wonderful "double" stars, twin stars sparkling within the same field of view.  Between Scorpio and Sagittarius sits M6 and M7, both about 9 o'clock from the prominent tail stars of Scorpio.  M7 is a nice example of an open star cluster, and M6 is aptly named the Butterfly cluster; can you see the butterfly pattern?

Scorpio is known as the scorpion, and at one time had also included Libra as its own.  Libra had been thought of as the scorpion's "claws" at one time, until Julius Caesar decreed the sign of the scales of Libra be created to symbolize justice and democracy.  Thus, the scorpion lost its claws, but it is still very dangerous with its stinger and venom.

Scorpio is immortalized in the night sky as the one creature that was able to take down Orion the Hunter.  Notice that Orion is the "king" of the winter night sky, and that Scorpio is the "king" of the summer night sky?  This is so both do not again meet, as they are mortal enemies.  Scorpio, at the call of Hera, landed the poisonous and deathly blow to Orion with a sting to the heel, yet took the brunt of Orion's club crushing down upon its rough exoskeleton, also causing death.  Scorpio is placed in the night sky to remind those that have a tendency to boast about their skills that even the smallest sting can unravel their inflated words.

Sagittarius is our "teapot" in the night sky, complete with the sugar spoon to the upper left (about 10 or 11 o'clock.)  Sagittarius holds the M22  globular star cluster which I call the "spoonful of sugar."  M22 can be found just above the tip-top of the teapot lid and a bit to the left (about 11 o'clock.)

Sagittarius is known as a centaur, or a half-man/half-horse creature.  This centaur is visualized as hunting with a bow and arrow in this constellation, which was not the usual hunting weapon of centaurs.  Therefore, it is thought that Sagittarius is representative of the satyr Crotus.  A satyr is a half-man/half-goat creature, with goat horns and a large goatee.  The satyr's instrument of choice was pipes, and the satyr was known to possess musical magic, known to ably soothe irritated folks or muddle the mind with illusions.

Crotus was the childhood friend of the Muses, the source of inspiration for the human arts. He studied the fine arts of hunting, athleticism, music, and art and excelled at all.  It is thought that Crotus invented rhythm as he clapped time for the muses during their lyrical songs.  It is thought also that he invented archery.  Crotus was placed in the night sky at the request of the Muses to their father, Zeus.

#20 Full Moon August, Satellite Tracker, and Neptune Viewing 8/22

Hello Stargazers!

Happy August!  Today is the 100% Full Moon; August boasts the Sturgeon Moon or the Red Moon.  The sturgeon is a fish in the Great Lakes areas that continues to be most easily caught around the August Full Moon pattern.  The red moon reflects that those humid and sultry evenings can cause a reddish-orange moon to appear in the sky.

August is a prime month for some fun viewing in the sky, unless of course you are sitting under the monsoon pattern thunderstorms out in southern Arizona.  Look for the following this week:

1) Perseids meteor shower (although the full moon will wash out most of the shower activity); the peak is this evening/early dawn!  For the next about three to four days thereafter, you can still see the remainder of the activity.  When folks recall their childhood meteor shower experiences, chances are that it was a summer night and it was the Perseids.  They are certainly "cosmic fireworks!"  I remember plenty of times heading out and viewing the showers.  One time in my childhood single-digits, I sat underneath the night sky and put out a white sheet, hoping to catch some "meteor dust!"  Another time I remember sitting behind my next door neighbor's house sipping on apple cider and chatting about teenage angst.

2) Neptune Viewing August 22nd (I am hoping for a clear sky, as I have never viewed Neptune!)  Although this will only appear as a little blue speck in the binoculars, and a larger one in a telescope, it is worth viewing as Neptune has not been this close in quite some time, if you can say Neptune is astronomically "close," being so far out into the solar system.

3) Another fun link at the bottom of the blog: A satellite tracker!  I would argue that Spaceweather is a pretty good introduction to what you can find in the night sky other than the cosmic.  The International Space Station (ISS) is a favorite, but take a look around for other interesting satellites and man-made junk!

I am getting that inner yearning for fall evenings in the core of my being.  Of course, it seems that this deep character trait has been well-developed over the years growing up in the Northeast.  It is about this time I start to plan to pull out my foliage pictures and longingly stare at them, dreaming of long New England walks in the woods.  The evening get a bit more chilly and there is something about looking at the late summer and fall constellations that brings nostalgia to me.  The fall night sky also reminds me of the start of my journey into the wonderful past time of stargazing close to five years ago...yes, FIVE years ago!  I am fondly smiling.

Into September the posts will pick up again and we will visit the bottom of the lineup of the zodiac constellations, enjoy a few deep-sky gems, and dig deep into one of the richest mythological stories in the night sky: Perseus and Andromeda!

Be Well until then!

P.S. Keep looking for updates to Spirit Stories!

P.S.S. You might have noticed the new book list on the blog; these are 30 "classics" that I would like to take on, perhaps over the next year or so...anyone interested in a "blog book club?"