Satirical Depths - A Study of Gabriel Okara's Poem - 'You Laughed and Laughed...
Constellation
1.
2. Constellations are apparent groupings of stars that make optical
projections at different times of the year.
Ancient people used to observe constellations to distinguish seasons;
thye made constellations a significant part of their culture and
religion.
Samarians and Babylonians were the first people to have a notion of
the constellations and their ideas reached Greece.
Aratus wrote Phaenomena which accounts 43 constellations and
named 5 individuals stars.
Almagest of Ptolemy accounts 48 constellations; it became the basis
for modern constellation systems.
88 constellations are now recognized by astronomers (star patterns)
3. Constellations, viewed from the Earth, shows apparent groupings of
stars (not the actual physical groupings in space)
Polaris (the North Star) points the observers to the North Pole.
Polaris has a constant position all throughout the year and it is
aligned with Earth’s rotation.
To locate Polaris, locate the North Pole and find the handle of the
Little Dipper.
Asterism are figures that can be easily seen the heavens but are
only parts of a constellation. (eg. Big Dipper is an asterism of the
constellation Ursa Major.)
4. The Circumpolar Constellations
Constellations that are found around the North Pole
Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
Cassiopeia
Cepheus
Draco
The Noncircumpolar Constellations
Found lower in the sky
Orion
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Scorpius
5. URSA MAJOR
Also called the Big Bear
One of the most famous constellations
Third to the largest constellation
The Big Bear was a woman named Calisto, the beautiful
hunter whom Zeus, the king of the gods fell in love with.
Hera, Zeus’ wife got jealous and turned Calisto into a
bear
Calisto found her son Arcas, but Arcas was about to kill
her with spear but Zeus turned him to a small bear,
Zeus pulled the bears by their tails and lifted them to
the heavens and pulled their tails long.
6.
7. URSA MINOR
Little Bear
Made up of five relatively faint stars
The tail is the Little Dipper (easily seen
because the end is near Polaris).
8.
9. CASSIOPEIA
Looks like the letter W or the letter M depending on the
time of year
The W or M represents its throne
The five major stars which are very bright-Shedir, Caph,
Gamma, Cassiopeiae, and Ruchbah make up Cassiopeia
(with many nebula clouds).
Cassiopeia was the vain an powerful queen of Ethiopia.
She was set in the skies as a punishment for her vanity
and for claiming that she was more beautiful than the
nymph goddesses.
13. DRACO
Made up of 9 stars (including Etamin, Aldibain,
Rastaban, Altais, and Aldhibah.
Etamin is the brightest star that shines in Draco; it rests
between the Big and the Little Dippers.
Draco is the hardest circumpolar constellation to find
because its stars rise and set.
Draco represents the dragon named Ladon (who guards
the golden apple tree owned by the goddess Hera, when
Hecules her husband needed a golden apple as part of is
12 labors, he had to slay Ladon).
In his honor Hera placed in the skies.
14.
15. ORION
Orion the Hunter appears during the winter season
It can be found by locating the three very close stars (which make
up the belt) and by finding the trapezium asterism
Orion contains two of the brightest stars in the sky- Rigel and
Betelgeuse.
The Greek mythology tells that Orion was a very good hunter and
he bragged about it to Artemis, the Earth goddess, and his mother
Leto.
Artemis sent a giant scorpion to kill him and his mother. He died
defending his mother.
16.
17. CANIS MAJOR
Represents a bigger dog following Orion
Home of Sirius, the brightest star
In myth, Canis Major represents Laelaps, the fastest
dog.
18.
19. CANIS MINOR
Represents a another dog (a smaller dog) following Orion
Home of Procyon, the 8th brightest star
In myth, Canis Major represents Laelaps, the fastest
dog.
20.
21. SCORPIUS
One of the oldest constellations identified by
human civilization
Shows a scorpion figure
In Scorpius, the brightest star is Antares.
22.
23. ASTRONOMY
Deals with the study of all celestial bodies such as
planets, stars, comets, asteroids, and galaxies.
It aims to explain their origin, existence, and the
changes that happen to them.
Deals with astronomical concepts.
24. ASTROLOGY
A pseudoscience (“pseudo” means false)
It aims to relate the path of the constellations to a
person’s fate
It uses a system called zodiac to make predictions.
Zodiac refers to an imaginary band that is the center of
the path that the Sun travels through in its annual
motion.
There are 12 constellations that can be found in the
zodiac, depending on what time of the year it is.