...CONSTELLATIONS and ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS * What is a Constellation? * A constellation is a group of stars that appears to form a pattern or picture like Orion the Great Hunter, Leo the Lion, or Taurus the Bull. Constellations are easily recognizable patterns that help people orient themselves using the night sky. * In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky. * The constellation Orion is one of the most recognizable in the night sky. * There are 88 standard constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) since 1922. The majority of these go back to the 48 constellations defined by Ptolemy in his Almagest (2nd century). The remaining ones were defined in the 17th and 18th century; the most recent ones are found on the southern sky, defined in Coelum australe stelliferum by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1763). * There are also numerous historical constellations not recognized by the IAU, or constellations recognized in regional traditions of astronomy or astrology, such as Chinese, Hindu or Austral Aboriginal. * Are the Stars in a Constellation near each other? * Not necessarily. Each constellation is a collection of stars that are distributed in space in three dimensions – the stars are all different distances from Earth. The stars in a...
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...Greek Mythology in Astronomy The creatures and deities in Greek mythology are said to have connection with the astronomy and the star constellations. In this fragment of Hesiod's poem “Nymphs like the Graces, Phaesyle and Coronis and rich-crowned Cleeia and lovely Phaeo and long-robed Eudora, whom the tribes of men upon the earth call Hyades.” (Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica. 1922) titled Astronomy, he mentioned and catalogued many of the constellations based on creatures and gods in greek mythology. Mythological aspect of the astronomy are mostly covered on the northern hemisphere, which includes the 12 zodiac constellations and some other constellations. The zodiac constellations formed an imaginary circle which the sun, moon, and seven of the nine planets orbited in the space, for example the Taurus which symbolizes the bull which describe zeus, and the form he took when he carried off the phoenician maiden, Europa. The other constellations are the constellations located out of the imaginary circle or the "zodiac circle". One example of the constellations are the Canis Major or "Great Dog" which describe several dogs that appeared in many classical myths. One of the story about it is from the book written by Hyginus titled Poetica Astronomica: "He is said to have been given by Jove as a guardian for Europa, and later to have come to Minos. When Minos was ill, Procris, wife of Cephalus, is said to have cured him, and received the dog as a reward...
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...In ancient greece, the signs of the greek zodiac were identified with twelve groups of stars(constellations)which we can see in the night at different times during the year. They were associated with one of the four elements-Earth, Air, fire and water. The word zodiac comes from a greek word meaning “the circle of animals”- “animals” referring to all living all living creatures the relate because zodiac signs are animals. The greek zodiac's twelve signs explain how each group of stars found its way into the heavens. My zodiac sign is taurus. It represents the 2nd constellation of the greek zodiac. It symbolizes strength and power. According to the myth, theseus volunteered to be one of the youths from athens who would be offered as food to...
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...------------------------------------------------- Constellation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the star grouping. For other uses, see Constellation (disambiguation). | | | | * Top: Baroque drawing of the constellation Orionfrom Johannes Hevelius' celestial catalogue * Bottom: Contemporary map of Orion from the IAUand photography of the night sky | In everyday usage, a constellation is a traditional or recognizable group of stars in the night sky, or the region of the sky containing them. In technical usage these meanings have been separated, with groupings of stars being called asterisms, and the word constellation being reserved for a specific area of the celestial sphere with boundaries laid down by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). These areas mostly had their origins in Western-traditional asterisms from which the constellations take their names. When astronomers say something is “in” a given constellation they mean it is within those official boundaries. There are 88 officially recognized constellations, covering the entire sky[1] which have grown from the 48 classical Greek constellations laid down by Ptolemy in the Almagest. Out of these 88 constellations, 12 compose the zodiac signs. Thus, any given point in a celestial coordinate system can unambiguously be assigned to a constellation. It is usual in astronomy to give the constellation in which a given object is found along with its coordinates in order to convey...
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...Constellation Leo also referred to as "Neman Lion" is one of the twelve zodiac signs. Its the brightest star among Algeiba, Denebola, and Regulus Mythological history refers to Leo as the Lion killed by Hercules. The myths saw it as a ferocious creature as nothing could bore into its flesh, that couldn't be reckoned with. As a result, Hercules asphyxiated Leo. People told it was a monster Typhon driven to Earth in the ten-year war between Olympia gods, and Titans. Whereas others said, it was the offspring of the two-headed dog of Orthros (Dome Of The Sky). The Astrology behind the zodiac sign Leo (July 23 - Aug22). People of the Leo sign are said to be confident, ambitious, generous, loyal, and encouraging. Whereas their weak points- domineering,...
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...The constellation that I have chosen is Cancer as known as The Crab. The reason is very simple, because Cancer is my zodiac. Cancer or The Crab the fourth astrological sign, which is associated with the constellation cancer. It spans the 90-120th degree of the zodiac, between 90 and 125.25 degree of celestial longitude. The sun transits this area on average between June 21 and July 22, and under the sidereal zodiac, the sun transits this area approximately July 16 and August 15. The symbol of this constellation is Crab. The Crab is based on Karkinos, a giant crab that bit Hercules during his fight with the Hydra. I found the 2 Mythologies about Cancer, one is from the Greek Mythology, and the other one is from Chinese Mythology. As I know...
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...Numerous people confuse astrology with astronomy when they actually have several differences. Mankind's known history of the universe and today's scientific knowledge are ways to tell the two apart. Astronomy is the study of matter outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy studies the chemical and physical properties of outer space. Astrology also studies the effects of apparent influence of the stars on human life. The position and movement of stars throughout the night sky determine the effects. Although astrology and astronomy both study celestial objects, astronomy is different because astronomy studies the actual bodies and the physical effects their motions have on the Earth and other planets. Before the time of astronomy, most people believe the Earth was flat. Most cultures also believe they were in the center of the universe and all life gravitates around them. Aristarchus is one of the first people to voice his belief that the world revolves around the sun and not the other way around. People ridicule such outrageous remarks, so they disregard Aristarchus’ vision for some time. That is until around the 1500s, when Nicolaus Copernicus creates the first heliocentric model of our solar system. In this model, the sun is not the center of the model, but actually slightly off center towards one side. Galileo is extremely well known in the astronomical world. He introduces the law of time and how objects at such given distances can be easily measured by time. Galileo creates...
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...The zodiac constellation Sagittarius is my favorite due to its roots in myths, its features, and the fact that it is my very own zodiac symbol. The Sagittarius or the archer is a fire sign ruled by the planet Jupiter. The name Sagittarius is of Greek/Latin roots and is the ninth astrological sign in the zodiac. The archer is based on Chiron, the Centour. Half man hslf beast the Sagittarius relates to the deul beast in most of us. The centour Chiron is said to be a musician, archer, and tutor. He was shot with a posion arrow by Hercules by accident. Chiron was in great pain and no one could stop it. If Chiron were mortal he would have died, but he was not so he stayed alive riddled in pain. Insted of living this way Chiron decided to trade...
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...If I had to choose what constellation I favored, it would be my Zodiac Sign; Aries. Aries is a constellation that resembles a ram's horns, an animal which I always thought had a lot in common with persons of it's Zodiac. Ram's are male sheep, and sheep are usually thought of as unintelligent animals but that may be more fiction than most might think; an average sheep has a higher IQ than cattle and pigs and they are believed to have a developed enough brain to remember faces and such. By now I'm just babbling on about why my Zodiac is best, I mean I am an Aries after all; We are quite self loving and independent people. Anyways, about the constellation... It is in the northern celestial hemisphere; between Pisces (W) and Taurus (E). It is one of today's modern 88 constellations, and is...
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...Greek mythology, a way to explain the world and why some things had happened. Myths were born and interconnected with religion; which explained the existence of hundreds of immortal gods, goddesses, and demigods; Zeus loved mortal women, but Hades is one hell of a guy. Also within the gods and goddesses, there were 10 Olympians. Each and every one of them, including demigods, had certain powers and abilities and most were immortal. The religion of following these Greek gods was developed back in Ancient Greece, and during the time period of these religions, the Zodiac signs were made up. Hundreds of thousands of years later we are still learning new things about Greek mythology and the religion that followed. Also, Norse legends have been...
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...People have had an innate curiosity about the world since the beginning of time. Many observations and discoveries have been made over the last several thousand years. Such observations include that the Sun slowly travels east during the year relative to the zodiac constellations, the stars do not appear to shift their positions, and the planets exhibit retrograde motion. The Mesopotamians developed the idea that the Earth and the heavens were a spatial whole, making references to the circumference of heaven and Earth and the totality of heaven and Earth. Babylonian cosmology suggested that the cosmos revolved in a circular motion with the heavens and the earth being equal and joined as a whole. This led Plato to develop a model placing Earth as a...
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...I have chosen the constellation Libra also known as The Scales. I have chosen the constellation Libra simply because it is my Zodiac and it is also beautiful and elegant. The brightest stars in Libra form a quadrangle. Quoted from the Muggle's Wikipedia " distinguishes it for the unaided observer. Traditionally, Alpha and Beta Librae are considered to represent the scales' balance beam, while Gamma and Sigma are the weighing pans.Alpha Librae, called Zubenelgenubi, is a binary star divisible in binoculars, 77 light-years from Earth. The primary is a blue-white star of magnitude 2.7 and the secondary is a white star of magnitude 5.2. Its traditional name means "the southern claw". Zubeneschamali (Beta Librae) is the corresponding "northern claw"...
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...My favorite constellation is Sagittarius, or "The Archer" because it's my zodiac sign. Sagittarius is the largest constellation in the Southern Hemisphere, making it the fifteenth largest constellation overall. It's located at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy and its brightest stars form a teapot. This infamous constellation, often depicted as being a centaur holding a bow and arrow, was catalogued in the 2nd century by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy. Though Sagittarius is a constellation like all the rest, it's unique shape comes with a fascinating story of how it came to be. A long time ago, there was once a centaur named Chiron. Chiron was renowned for his gentleness and archery skills. However, one day, Hercules accidentally shot and wounded Chiron with an arrow dipped in the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. Though Chiron had excellent healing skills, his pain was too great to be healed. Since he was immortal and could not die, he requested to take the place of Prometheus. Prometheus had been punished for bringing fire to Earth and would get his liver devoured day after day. After the switch had been made, Jupiter put Chiron in the stars as recognition for his righteousness. There was once a Roman god by the name of Vyaos. Vyaos was rather unpredictable. At times he...
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...The constellation that I am choosing to write about is the Leo constellation, because I am a Leo! This constellation represents a powerful lion. The Leo constellation lies in the northern part of the sky, and is the 12th largest constellation. It was discovered by the Greek astronomer, Ptolemy in the 2nd century, the same time that the other zodiac constellations were discovered. The creation story of this constellation is one that I find to be very interesting. Hercules had to perform twelve labors for killing his family, and killing Leo, the Nemean lion, was one of them. This lion was terrorizing the citizens, and killing many people, children, and animals that were used for food, so Hercules was sent to kill it. While Hercules was trying to kill...
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...photographs of a desolate, crater-pocked world that seemed incapable of supporting life. Mariner 9 would complicate the picture, revealing an active planet, with volcanoes, canyons, and channels apparently carved by catastrophic floods. With those discoveries, the prospects for finding life on Mars – or at least evidence of ancient life – would rise again. But in 1968, Mariner 9 was still three years away. NASA’s decision to launch a mission to search for life on Mars was made at a time when few believed there was any life to be found. The Greeks named the planet after Ares, the god of war. The Romans later renamed it after their god of war: Mars. Little more was learned about Mars until the Renaissance, which marked the dawn of modern astronomy. During the Renaissance, Mars played an important role in one of the fiercest intellectual battles in the history of Western civilization: the debate over whether Earth was the center of the universe. The Greeks were the first to place the Earth in that exalted position. As they watched the heavens revolve above them, the constructed a marvelous theory in which the Earth...
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