Stars tell more
than good tales

By KIRSTEN TATE
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Described by the alternative-rock band 311 as a “back-lit canopy with holes punched in it,” the star-filled night sky has been capturing attention throughout human history.
The Big Dipper and Orion are two of the most well-known shapes formed by stars, known as constellations.
In reality, constellations are imaginary. They have been created by poets, farmers and astronomers throughout history to help determine which star is which, according to www.astro.wisc.edu.
The constellations were helpful in ancient times because in some regions seasons were difficult to distinguish, and farmers planted and harvested crops according to the season.
“Since different constellations are visible at different times of the year, [they can be used] to tell what month it is,” the Web site said.
An example is Scorpius. It is only visible in the evening sky of the northern hemisphere in the summer.
Star names originated with the Greeks, Romans and Arabians. The “popular” names were formed from a variety of ancient languages and
relate to the positions or characters of the stars, reported www.astro.uiuc.edu.
As a way of explaining and understanding the stars, ancient civilizations created shapes and stories about them, said home.earthlink.net/~plumber016/march.htm.
Ancient poets identified the Milky Way as the “road to the Gods,” reports www.cosmopolis.com. The Web site also said the constellation Libra was known as the “Claws of the Scorpion.”
One of the most well-known constellations is Orion, a strong and famous hunter. In the Greek story, he claimed he would destroy all the animals on the earth.
The gods didn’t like his boasting, so they sent Scorpius, the giant scorpion, to kill him. Both Orion and Scorpius were placed up in the sky, but Orion escaped the scorpion by hiding below the horizon when summer approached and Scorpius rose in the East, said home.earthlink.net/ ~plumber016/march.htm.
Orion is accompanied by his two hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, and is the most dominant constellation in the winter sky. It is visible from late fall until early spring, said seds.lpl.arizona.edu.
According to www.cosmopolis.com, the myth most often represented among the constellations is that of Perseus and Andromeda.

  

 

The Greek story, according to www.hawastsoc.org, claims that Cassiopeia, mother of Andromeda and wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia, bragged that she and her daughter were the two fairest women who ever lived. She even claimed Andromeda was more beautiful than the sea nymphs.
Zeus’ jealous wife, Hera, and the sea nymphs overheard her and were furious. They told the sea god Poseidon and demanded a punishment.
Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack King Cepheus’ land. With his kingdom in danger, Cepheus consulted an oracle for advice. The oracle told him to sacrifice Andromeda to the monster.
He dragged his daughter to the coast and chained her to a rock. Just as the monster was about to eat her, Perseus, who was flying with winged sandals, attacked it. Perseus remembered he was carrying Medusa’s head. All who looked at the head turned to stone. When he showed it to the monster, it turned too turned to stone.