Stargazing 101: Virgo the Maiden - http://clapway.com/2015/07/17/stargazing-101-virgo-the-maiden987/

My mother was a Virgo, so, of course, this was her favorite constellation story to tell us. This set of stars has many stellar objects that can be found in the cluster.

The Mythology behind the constellation

The cluster of stars known as Virgo the Maiden is an homage to Demeter, goddess of harvest and fertility. She controlled all the crops in the world and was very generous to often give the people a healthy harvest. Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, was out in a beautiful field one day gathering flowers that her mother had grown for her. Hades spotted her and a lust burned inside him so strong that he kidnapped her, fearing that he wouldn’t be able to live without her. He took her down into the underworld and planned to make her his bride. Demeter was devastated and retaliated by refusing to fertilize any crops. The land grew barren and dusty, and Zeus knew he would have to do something in order to help the farmers. He called upon the help of a goddess named Hecate, to figure out a way alleviate the situation. Hecate declared that if Persephone had not eaten anything while in the underworld that she must be returned to Demeter. Unfortunately, she had eaten pomegranate seeds while in the realm of the dead, and therefore could not be returned. Demeter persisted with her strike and begged Zeus to help her. Finally giving in to Demeter’s pleas, Zeus ordered that for three months out of the year, Persephone was to live with Hades in the underworld, and would spend the remaining nine months with her mother. Every 9 months, when Persephone leaves her home to spend her time with Hades, the world grows cold and unfruitful, a time also known as Winter, and when she returns, so does the fertile soil and the birth of new crops. Virgo the Maiden appears in the spring as is said to signify the return of Persephone to her mother.

The Facts

“Virgo” is Latin for “virgin,” however; Demeter is represented in this way as a more nurturing, mother figure. You can observe quite a few different objects in the Virgo constellation, such as the Virgo Cluster, a supermassive black hole (also known as NGC 5813), and Abell 1689 (a massive cluster of galaxies.) My favorite object in the Virgo cluster is the Sombrero galaxy, which is 28 million light years from Earth.

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Stargazing 101: Virgo the Maiden

Learn more about noble #Aries and how the #Ram came to appear in the skies. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/15/stargazing-101-aries-the-ram/

I genuinely hope you have all enjoyed my Stargazing series! These stories about the constellations and the facts behind them are so incredibly interesting and I’ve had such a wonderful time sharing them with you!

The Mythology

Aries, a Latin word for “ram,” often identifies with the story of the Golden Fleece (which you might remember from the story of Carina, the ship. It is often that we hear of Zeus and his extramarital affairs, but rarely do we hear of Hera’s conquests.

In the story of Aries, Ixion, King of Lapiths, attempted to woo Hera. Zeus learned of Ixion’s intent to “brand” Hera as his lover and declared that his plan would not come to fruition. Zeus coerced a cloud named Nephele to take Hera’s shape and trick Ixion into thinking he was with the queen of the Gods.

Ixion thought he had succeeded in seducing Hera, but quickly found out that he had essentially impregnated Nephele. Ixion was punished for attempting to steal Zeus’s wife, and Nephele gave birth to the first ever centaur. She later had two more children with Athamas, another king, who tried to have the children killed. She came to Hera for assistance in saving them, so Hera sent a golden ram to aid the children in their escape.

Unfortunately, one of the children fell off the ram’s back and died, however, the other survived and made it to safety. Once on the banks of Colchis, the surviving child sacrificed the ram to Poseidon. Poseidon then instructed him to present the ram’s golden fleece to the king of Aeete, who hung up the fleece in a secret garden where it was protected by a dragon.

It was at this same time, you might recall from Carina the Ship, that Diomedes’s land had overthrown him as heir to his father’s throne. Pelias, the man who took Diomede’s throne in his absence, is the cousin of the boy who sacrificed the ram that saved him to the god of the sea. Hera was distraught that this beautiful ram she had created had been so easily sacrificed, so she placed him among the stars to always be remembered for his heroic actions in attempting to save the two children.

The Facts

This cluster of stars can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere and houses 4 stars with known planets. Its brightest star is known as El Nath, meaning “head of the sheep” and is a giant star that shines a reddish brown color, having grown to be twice the size of our Sun. The most interesting stellar object in the Aries constellation is a spiral galaxy, one of three galaxies that exist in this star cluster.

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Stargazing 101: Aries the Ram

Learn more about the #constellation #Gemini and its #myth. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/14/stargazing-101-gemini-the-twins/

It’s exciting to see many of these stories start to intertwine! The Gemini brothers, as I mention later on, have been involved in many adventures throughout Greek mythology. They rescued their sister, Helen of Troy, the first time she was abducted (a separate abduction from the Trojan War). I’m also really enjoying these cover images by Sidney Hall.

The Mythology

You may recall Leda, who was seduced by Cygnus the Swan (Zeus). She was impregnated by the swan and also by her husband, making half of her spawn mortal and half demigods.

She had four children by the two men, Helen of Troy, Pollux, Castor and Clytemnestra. Helen and her brother Pollux were the children of Zeus, thus immortal, and Castor and Clytemnestra were born from their mortal father, King Tyndareus. As the children grew up together, Castor and Pollux grew very close. They became inseparable and had many adventures together, some of which intertwine with various tales throughout Greek Mythology. They rode upon the ship, Carina, with the Argonauts in the story of the Golden Fleece.

It is said that the Gemini brothers were involved in a family feud with their cousins over two women whom Caster and Pollux had kidnapped. The two women, the wives of their cousins, became pregnant and made their new home with Castor and Pollux. One evening, at a family dinner, a brawl ensued between the cousins and the Gemini brothers that inevitably left Caster dead. At this same time, a guest of the family dinner, Paris of Troy, had taken it upon himself to kidnap Helen.

Not only did the events that evening separate the Gemini brothers, but it also set into motion the events that lead to the Trojan War. Pollux was devastated at the loss of his brother, so he asked Zeus to take his life as well. He desperately wanted to be with his brother, whether it be in life or in death. Zeus placed the brothers among the stars so they would always be together. Some stories say that Poseidon, a fan of the brothers, gave them the ability save shipwrecked sailors, and the quickly became known as the patron saints of sailors.

The Facts

This constellation contains four stars with known planets, and can be seen in the northern hemisphere. It was given the name in homage of the twin brothers, “Gemini” meaning “twin” in Latin. The two stars that represent the heads of the twins are recognized as two of the brightest stars in the night sky. The Medusa Nebula can also be found in the Gemini constellation.

Stargazing 101: Gemini, the Twins

Ever wonder about the constellation Taurus? - http://clapway.com/2015/07/07/stargazing-101-taurus-the-bull/

Taurus is among one of the oldest constellations recognized by human civilization. The bull, in many ancient cultures, is a symbol of strength and fertility. It is very prominent in Greek mythology, and many stars in the constellation are also significant.

The Mythology

As we’ve learned, Zeus had an insatiable lust for beautiful women. Europa was no exception. The beautiful daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre, was out by the sea picking flowers when Zeus saw her. The night before, a terrible dream had kept her up, so she made her way to the beach early in hopes to calm her worried mind.

 

Zeus saw her on the shore, immediately fell in love with her and transformed himself into a handsome, white bull, called Taurus, to capture her attention. Taurus pranced around her, capturing her interest as he intended, and she placed her flower necklace around his neck. He became very gentle with her, so much so that she tried to climb onto his back. When she became securely on him, to her surprise, the bull ran towards the sea and kidnapped Europa. He confessed his love for her and took her to the island of Crete, where he told her the truth of his identity. Zeus kept Europa there and made her his lover, and together they had three sons. One son, Minos, became the king of Crete and set a very successful code of laws. Minos died and, along with his brother Rhadamanthus, became one of the three judges of the dead in the Underworld. Europa was the first queen of Crete, and Hera never found out about their affair. To pay homage to his beautiful mistress, Zeus placed the image of the Taurus into the stars, forever to be close to him in the heavens.

The Facts

The Crab Nebula is a beautiful stellar object that can be found in the Taurus constellation. This nebula had been a supernova explosion that created what it is now. Atlas is also an important star in this cluster. DG Tau is another star located in Taurus, a young one that expels high energy x-rays. It’s believed to be about 450 light years away from Earth, and has the same mass as the sun.

 

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Stargazing 101: Taurus the Bull