...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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...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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...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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...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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...Summary 1 : The study of the Universe The Universe consists of the space, planets, all the different stars and other matter in it. The size of the Universe is beyond our imagination. According to astronomers a huge explosion named the Big Bang created the Universe about 14 billion years ago . There are four basic forces that control the Universe : electromagnetism, the weak force, the strong force, and gravity. The asteroids, galaxies, comets, black holes, red dwarfs, meteors, moons, planets etc also constitute the Universe. There are nine planets planets in our solar system. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The distances between these planets are huge compared to their sizes. The Sun is about the size of a grapefruit, on a scale of 1to 10 billion. Galaxies are vast collections of stars, gas and dust spinning in space and held together by gravity. Summary 2 : Observing the sky The night sky was made for us to observe. The stars and other celestial objects seem to lie on a large celestial sphere surrounding the Earth. The celestial sphere is an imaginary hollow sphere surrounding Earth to which all objects in the sky were once considered to be attached. The celestial equator is another important imaginary line on the sky. Actually this line is an imaginary circle on the celestial sphere, directly over or above Earth’s equator. As the celestial sphere appears to rotate above us, all the stars rotate on paths that are parallel...
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...that the Earth is not the center of the universe and what evidence supported this revelation of thought? 6. Which of the following correctly describes the meridian in your local sky? 7. What do the following terms mean: zenith, meridian, latitude, declination, longitude, ecliptic, zodiac, and constellation. 8. Explain how we describe a location on Earth's surface. 9. Describe why we have seasons on Earth using the following terms: solstice, equinox, aphelion, perihelion, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn. 10. Explain why we have phases of the moon, what the different phases of the moon look like to an Earth observer, and how much time is takes to go between each phases. 11. Which of the following have the greatest frequency of occurrence: lunar eclipse or solar eclipse? 12. True or False: An observer on Earth can see the entire surface of the moon over 365 day period. Support your answer with reasoning from the textbook and Mastering Astronomy. 13. Explain an eclipse of the moon and sun occur. 14. Why were the following individuals important to astronomy? Ptolemy, Brahe, Kepler, Newton, Copernicus, Eratosthenes. 15. Why do the ancient Greeks get a lot of attention for their contributions to science? 16. What were the major observations made by Galileo that were used to advance astronomy of the time? 17. Can you apply an understanding of Kepler’s Laws to astronomical principles stated in your textbook...
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...Hercules is thought to be one of the world’s greatest hero. There are children’s movies about him, but they all have a happy ending. Hercules, originally born “Heracles” lived a short cruel, yet heroic life. “The 12 Herculean tasks he performed over a period of 12 years have been immortalized in everything from classical poetry to Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion.” (French 1). Hercules, in Greek mythology, was a hero known for his strength and courage and for his legendary adventures. Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek hero Heracles. He was the son of the god Zeus and a human mother Alcmene, wife of the Theban general Amphitryon. Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, was determined to kill Hercules, and after Hercules was born, she sent two great serpents to kill him. Hercules, while he was still a baby, strangled the snakes. Hercules conquered a tribe that had been demanding money from Thebes. As a reward, he was given the hand in marriage of the Theben princess Megara and they had three children. Hera, still filled hatred of Hercules, sent him into madness, which made him kill his wife and children. In horror and remorse at what he did, Hercules was about to kill himself, but he was told by the oracle at Delphi that he should purge himself by becoming the servant of his cousin Eurystheus, king of Mycenae. Eurystheus, urged by Hera, planned as a punishment the 12 impossible tasks, the "Labors of Hercules." Eurystheus first ordered Hercules to kill the Nemean lion...
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...“The northeastern or America is densely populated, because of the extensive corridors of the urbanization it has been called the national “megalopolis”” as stated by Molly Doane in her statements at http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html. After years of acting as the leader for technology and the industry in America the Northeastern part of America falls off of being the leader to California’s Silicon Valley. Though it’s not towards the restaurants and businesses of the Italian, French, German, Russian, Muslims, Jews, and the English; “Huge waves of non-European immigration since the 1960s have made the United States the nation with the highest immigrant population in the world” also stated by Molly Doane in her statements at http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html and so because of this today most of the cultures that are a part of America and its history would be the Italians, Jewish, and the English cultures. This is because before the revolutionary war people emigrated from Britain to America to the 13 colonies, then there were the Italians who immigrated to America because of the English population saying it is a land of the free and people would live better and richer than they already were. The Italians are most famous for creating the mafia and godfathers that people have heard or known about today. The Jewish have more history with America than the Italians. The Americans helped free the Jews and leads them to America so...
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