September Guest Post: Stars in Our Skies
This September we are featuring a collection of stars from the zodiac known as Capricornus. When translated through Latin, the constellation represents a sea goat. This mythical creature was associated with the god Enki in Babylonian mythology, and later with the Greek deity Pan. In Greek mythology, the constellation is sometimes seen as Amalthea, a goat with a broken horn, which was later transformed into the “horn of plenty,” cornucopia.
August Guest Post: Messier 51 — A Grand Design Spiral with a Dance Partner
Messier 51, also known as the Whirlpool Galaxy, is an iconic Grand Design spiral galaxy found in the constellation Canes Venatici. Located around 31 million light years away, was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral by William Parsons in 1845. It was discovered in 1773 by Charles Messier while cataloging objects that were not comets and has since been a popular target for researchers and amateur astronomers due to its stunning spiral arm structures and interaction with a companion galaxy known as NGC 5195. M51 has been an invaluable tool in the study of star formation, the motion of galaxies, and the evolution of our Cosmos as a whole.
July Guest Post: Stars in Our Skies
Of the twelve zodiacal constellations, only one of them represents an inanimate object while the other eleven depict living entities. It is also the star pattern we are highlighting for the month of July. Called MUL Zibanu (meaning “scales” or “balance”) by ancient Babylonian astronomers, the constellation of Libra was sacred to their sun god Shamash, who also served as a divine judge. The Ancient Egyptians, by contrast, thought that the three brightest stars in Libra (Alpha Librae, Beta Librae, and Sigma Librae) formed a boat.
Pixar’s Elio: Astronomy Review
While Pixar’s newest release, Elio, is a science fiction adventure (with emphasis on fiction!!), and has a lot of fantastical physics (travel to the Communiverse, for example, where the aliens live, takes mere seconds). However, they DO get some of the astronomy right, and I wanted to share some of the delightful nuances and small details that they did well from an astronomy perspective.
June Guest Post: Stars in Our Skies
The evening stars of summer are slowly drifting westward as a new season approaches. Soon we’ll be enjoying familiar star patterns and the return of the Milky Way overhead.
The Naming of Asterisk Observatory
So where did the name Asterisk Observatory come from? First, the word asterisk etymologically comes from Greek and means ‘small star’. We are, indeed, the ‘Small Star Observatory’! Second, a prominent feature in the Smith Rock State Park skyline (which can be seen by taking a short walk across the street from Asterisk Observatory) is the Asterisk Pass.