Objective – Using a star finder, I can find winter constellations and share myths explaining why they are in the night sky.
Winter Constellations
Introduction
The winter sky is an excellent place to begin exploring the constellations that make up the night sky. Orion is the key, or signpost, for locating many of the other constellations in the winter sky.
The Constellations of the Winter Sky
If you go outside on a winter night, you should be able to see the following constellations (beginning at the southern horizon) – Orion the Hunter, Canis Major the Great Dog, Canis Minor the Little Dog, Taurus the Bull, Auriga the Charioteer, Gemini the Twins and the Pleiades star cluster.
Constellation Myths
Orion
In Greek mythology, Orion was a great hunter. He managed offended the gods, especially Apollo. Apollo tricked his sister, Artemis, the Goddess of the hunt, into shooting at an object in the sea and hitting it. She did. She learned she had been tricked. Apollo had her kill Orion. When she discovered that she had shot Orion, she placed him in the night sky. Orion still hunts eternally with his two dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor. In front of him is his prey Taurus the Bull.
The Hand – (Lakota Native American Tribe)
The constellation of therepresents theof a great Lakota chief. The myth tells us how the gods wanted to punish the Lakota chief for his selfishness. They made the Thunder People rip out the chief’s arm. To help her father, the chief's daughter offered to marry whomever would recover her father's arm. One man made a long and perilous journey through the sky and the Earth.
Fallen Star, a young warrior born of a mortal mother and an immortal father, returned the lost arm to the chief and married his beautiful daughter. The return of the arm to the chief symbolizes the harmony between the gods and the people with the help of the younger generation.
Auriga
Auriga is identified with Erichthonius, king of Athens and son of the fire god Hephaestus. Erichthonius was raised by the goddess Athena, who taught him many skills he wouldn’t have ordinarily learned. He was the first man who used four horses to pull a chariot, imitating the chariot of the Sun god. Zeus was impressed and later placed Erichthonius among the stars.
Gemini
Myth
The Twins represents the two brothers, Castor and Pollux.
Their mother was Queen Leda of Sparta. Castor was the mortal Twin and the son of King Tyndareus. Pollux was immortal. They were inseparable and devoted to each other.
Both twins excelled at the hunt and at the arts of war. Pollux was a champion boxer and Castor was a famous horseman. He was skilled with the sword as well and taught the art of sword fighting to the young Hercules.
The Twins sailed with Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece.
Castor's life ended as the result of an encounter with another pair of twins. In a fight over cattle, Lynceus ran Castor through with the sword, whereupon Pollux killed Lynceus. Idasattacked Pollux, but Zeus killed him with a thunderbolt. Pollux was heartbroken at the loss of his twin. He prayed to Zeus that he might share his immortality with his brother. Zeus took mercy upon the twins and set them together eternally among the stars as the constellation of the Gemini.
Taurus
Myth
Taurus was a bull known as Cerus, a large and powerful bull of whom the villagers were afraid. He would regularly trample their villages. He was owned by no one, and none of the farmers knew where he came from.
The bull was wild and out of control. One daythe Spring goddess Persephonefinds him trampling through a field of recently-bloomed flowers and goes to him. Though he cannot speak, he understands her and her presence calms her. They form a bond together, and the bull learns to behave himself. Persephone teaches the bull patience and how to use his strength wisely.
Every year in the spring when Persephonereturns to the land, Cerusreturns to the land to join her. She sits upon his back and he runs her through the fields, allowing her to set all of the plants in bloom as they ride by. In the fall when Persephonereturns to Hades, Cerusreturns to the sky as the Taurus constellation.
The Pleiadesare said to represent seven sisters. They were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. When Atlas was given the task of holding the world on his shoulders, the daughters were so unhappy that the gods felt sorry for them and transformed them into the stars.
Using Stars in Orion as a Guide to Other Constellations
Finding Sirius and Canis Major
If you follow a line from the belt stars of Orion to the left and slightly down, you will come across a very bright star called Sirius, which is also known as the Dog Star. (See the arrows in the diagram to the right).
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky so it is hard to miss. Once you’ve located Sirius you can locate the other stars in the constellation Canis Major the Great Dog.
Finding Aldebaran and Taurus
Following the belt stars to the right, you will pass just below the bright star Aldebaran and through the constellation Taurus, which is also known as the Bull.
Continuing on you will run across a fuzzy blur of stars closely grouped. These are the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters.
Finding Auriga and Capella (Small Goat)
Follow the bottom most star on the left and the left most belt star upwards (going roughly over your head) and you will come across a very bright star called Capella (“small goat”). From Capella, you can follow the pentagon of brighter stars nearby that make up Auriga. Just below Capella, there is a triangle of stars known as ‘the kids’ as in goat babies.
Capella was one of the most important stars for navigation as it could be seen throughout most of the year from mid northern latitudes.
Finding the Twins Castor and Pollux
Follow a line from Rigel to Betelgeuse heading upwards and overhead. You will come to two rough sticks of stars that are headed by two brighter stars. This is the constellation Gemini, composed of the twins Pollux and Castor. Pollux is on the left and Castor is on the right.
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