Autumn nights are magical, especially when the sky is clear and crisp. What do we see when we gaze up at the night sky? Taking a moment to look can transport us on a wonderful journey through the heavens. Join the "Shared Observatory" and their high-tech "Constellation Camera" as we explore seven mysterious and fascinating constellations tonight: Cygnus, Lyra, Delphinus, Aquila, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Corona Borealis. By the end of this live stream, you’ll be able to spot these familiar little stars in the vast expanse of the night sky.
2018, September 3rd
Monday (Today)
Shared Observatory Live Star Tour
Live Stream Time / 9:30 PM – 11:00 PM
[Live Stream Link]
Copy the link to your browser to watch or click "Go".
As we embark on this stargazing adventure, let’s dive into the details of each constellation:
Cygnus
Cygnus is depicted as a swan, bathed in the Milky Way. The easily recognizable cross-shaped star cluster in the sky is the main part of the swan’s body and wings, also known as the "Northern Cross" or the " Backbone of the Galaxy." The name Cygnus comes from the Greek word for "swan," and it plays a significant role in various Greek myths, often involving someone shape-shifting into or being transformed into a swan.
The brightest star in Cygnus is Deneb (Cygnus α), whose name comes from Arabic, meaning "tail" or "rear," located where the swan’s tail would be. Along with the bright stars Altair (Aquila) and Vega (Lyra), Deneb forms the "Summer Triangle," a standout feature in the northern hemisphere’s summer sky, spanning three constellations.
Lyra
The lyre was a popular string instrument in ancient Greece. Lyra is often depicted as the first lyre made from an old tortoise shell by Hermes. The brightest star in Lyra is Vega (Lyra α), named after the Arabic word meaning "falling," derived from "an-nasr al-waqi," or "the falling eagle," reflecting the star’s position in the constellation’s shape, which resembles a bird.
Lyra also contains a quadruple star system called Epsilon Lyrae, which appears as a single star to the naked eye but can be split into two pairs of orbiting stars through binoculars. Each pair of stars in Epsilon Lyrae also orbits each other, making it a complex and fascinating celestial object.
Delphinus
For many ancient Greeks living by the coast or working at sea, the dolphin was a familiar and beloved creature. It symbolized helpfulness and generosity, often mentioned in myths for altruistically saving humans from danger or being sent by gods to guide unsuspecting humans. Sometimes, Delphinus is also described as a messenger of the sea god Poseidon.
The brightest star in Delphinus is Rotanev (Delphinus β), a name cleverly coined by 19th-century astronomer Niccolo Cacciatore, who privately named the star after himself. The Italian word for "hunter" is cacciatore, which translates to "venator" in Latin, reversed to spell "rotanev." Rotanev is actually a binary star system composed of a giant and a sub-giant star.
Aquila
Eagles are common in Greek mythology, so it’s no surprise that many stories involve this constellation. One tale tells of Zeus’s wife Hera transforming an unfortunate widower into an eagle to help him forget his sorrow by placing him among the stars. In another, Zeus himself takes the form of an eagle to deceive and abduct Ganymede, with whom one of Jupiter’s moons shares a name. Since the time of Ptolemy, Greek mythology has identified Aquila as an eagle, though the Babylonians saw it as an eagle centuries earlier. The stars in this constellation do indeed resemble a bird, and if any bird deserves a permanent place in the stars, it might be the eagle.
The brightest star in Aquila is Altair (Aquila α), named after the Arabic word for "eagle," and is one of the closest bright stars to Earth, located just 17 light-years away.
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia is one of the brightest and most easily recognizable constellations in the night sky, shaped like a bright W or M. In Greek mythology, Queen Cassiopeia often dominated her husband, King Cepheus, and was known as the "Vain Queen" for her constant boasts about her and her daughter’s beauty.
The story goes that when Cassiopeia claimed her and her daughter were more beautiful than all the sea nymphs, Poseidon, the god of the sea, took revenge by sending a sea monster, Cetus (the Whale constellation), to destroy her kingdom and place her in the sky. As punishment, she spends half the year upside down. To this day, she can be seen rotating in the sky, half the time inverted.
The brightest star in Cassiopeia is Schedar (Cassiopeia α), named after the Arabic word for "breast," as it is located in the queen’s chest.
Cepheus
In Greek mythology, King Cepheus was the husband of Queen Cassiopeia and the father of Princess Andromeda. When Cassiopeia’s boasts angered Poseidon, Cepheus realized his kingdom was in peril and sought divine guidance on how to save it. He was instructed to bind his daughter Andromeda to a rock—she would have been eaten by the sea monster Cetus if Perseus hadn’t intervened at the last moment. Cepheus wasn’t a particularly likable king, but he still earned a permanent place among the stars.
Cepheus contains some of the largest known stars and black holes in the universe.
Corona Borealis
Greek mythology is full of kings, queens, and various nobility, and Corona Borealis can represent the crown of any of them. Sometimes it’s considered the wedding crown made by the god Hephaestus for the wedding of Ariadne, princess of Crete, and the god Dionysus. But Corona Borealis could also represent any of the many crowns in Greek mythology.
The brightest star in Corona Borealis is Alphecca (Corona Borealis α), named after the Arabic word meaning "broken," as the star chain seems to break at the top; its other name, Gemma, means "gem" or "jewel" in Latin.
So, grab your blankets, some hot cocoa, and settle in for a night under the stars. Who knows, by the end of this stargazing journey, you might just find a new appreciation for the beauty and mystery of the night sky. Don’t forget to tune in to the live stream and happy stargazing!
