Tag Archives: Mythology

M45 – The Seven Sisters

Posted on February 28, 2023 by 7smessier45

Hey, y’all, and welcome back!  Today, we’re taking a quick jaunt outside our solar system to visit the Pleiades. This grouping of stars–commonly referred to as Messier 45 (M45)–is one of my favorite observables and can be best viewed in January–but the cluster is easily visible from late fall through the winter. The cluster is […] Continue reading →

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What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wendyyb

Much like many of their small world counterparts, Gonggong and Xianglu are a dwarf planet and moon (respectively) named after characters in mythology. Gonggong, a dwarf planet residing in the scattered disc beyond Neptune, is named after a Chinese water god. Gonggong is depicted as having a copper human head, read hair, and a dragon-likeContinue reading “What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu” Continue reading →

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The Mythology of Jupiter’s Moons

Posted on April 17, 2021 by bellagoodnight

When I heard about the names of Jupiter’s moons, I immediately wanted to dive into the mythology behind them! The four largest moons of Jupiter, each interesting in their features, are also interesting in their mythological stories as people who were lovers of Zeus. In this post, I will briefly describe the story behind theseContinue reading “The Mythology of Jupiter’s Moons” Continue reading →

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The Dwarf Planet Sedna

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Chloe

According to Inuit mythology, Sedna was the name of a mortal woman who became a goddess of the ocean and the underworld. One version of the myth holds that Sedna was a young woman who consented to marry a hunter, only to find, once she had left home with him, that he was in fact […] Continue reading →

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Eclipses Throughout History

Posted on January 26, 2016 by astr2110geoffren

Eclipse science! You’re just mowing grass one day and the sun disappears. You look up and see an eclipse. Today, people would just brush it off for the most part. There would be some oohs and ahhs, but most people would just treat it like any other day and probably forget about the occurrence a […] Continue reading →

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Vikings and Astronomy

Posted on April 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

This link details how the ancient Vikings were themselves keen astronomers. As the article details, the Vikings utilized the ever-popular Polaris as a guiding light during sea travel. They would measure the angle relative to Polaris to determine cardinal directions for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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The Pleiades Myth

Posted on April 9, 2014 by haydenwalling

In Greek Mythology the pleiades are seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the nymph Pleione. They were said to be extremely beautiful and served as companions to the goddess Artemis. When their father was forced to carry the weight of the world for all eternity the great hunter Orion began to pursue them. Orion […] Continue reading →

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Solar Eclipse Myths

Posted on January 28, 2014 by forestcsharp

via National Geographic As astounding and rare as they are, it’s no surprise that many cultures possess their own mythology regarding solar eclipses. Imagine an ancient civilization watching in awe as the warmth and light of the sun are blocked … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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