Why is Everyone in this Neighborhood Packing Heat?

In the movie, Alexander, there's a scene in which Philip of Macedonia is leading the young Alexander through some catacombs with a torch. On the walls of the catacombs are crude paintings which are apparently quite ancient and which prompt Philip to tell his son the foundational cultic myths of Greek civilization.

Most of us modern folk were taught these stories in school as if they were ancient fairy tales, as if the likes of Zeus and Prometheus and Hercules were the rough equivalents of Rumplestiltskin, Rapunzel, or Puss in Boots. Many of us, however, were not taught that these stories were not anything like our modern-day novels, which everyone understands to be fiction. These characters and their deeds were real to the ancients, they were the elements of their religion, and the ancients took these persons as seriously as modern-day Jews and Christians take the biblical stories of God, Moses, and Samson.

In an age before books and movies – or even catacombs – it is thought that the ancients painted the night sky with the records of their cultural wisdom, and likely passed these on to their children through the initiation of storytelling, much as Philip did for Alexander in the catacombs.

Thus, we can speak of ancient constellations and modern constellations. The ancient ones are very old indeed. Some are known to have been familiar to the peoples of Mesopotamia. A few are mentioned in the oldest books of the Bible. These constellations have stories about them. The newer ones, however, do not. They tend to be named for animals and objects they resemble, such as Air Pump, Engraving Tool, Furnace, Giraffe, Dove, Fox, etc. But none of these entities have mythic or historical significance. Often they lack brilliant stars or dramatic shapes, which is probably why the ancients didn't bother over them much.

Most of the myths which explain the ancient constellations don't really speak to us modern people; they seem trite and silly or even ghastly and horrifying. Life was different then; people had other things to think about. I personally don't care for most of them. Maybe someday, someone in the spirit of H.A. Rey – who re-imaged a way to connect the stars so the shapes make more sense to the naked eye – maybe someone will re-imagine the constellations so they tell stories more relevant to modern stargazers, stories we wouldn't mind telling to our own children.

But for now, let's play the mythological hand we've been dealt.

The part of the sky we've been sailing around in is thick with ancient constellations. The Big Dipper, The Herdsman, and now, Hercules!

To the Greeks he was known as Herakles ("HEH-ra-kleez". The more common pronounciation, "HER-kyoo-leez", is modelled after the Roman.) and he was compelled to fulfill a dozen tasks so difficult that the gods were sure he would never be able to do them. But he got by with a little help from his friends (some of them divine) and, like Samson in the Bible, his name suggests strength and will-power. His name inspired the modern word "herculean," which refers to an effort that defies normal human limits to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Maybe it's his crown lying on the ground behind Bootes, because the crown points right up to him, as can be seen below.

The square which forms his torso is really easy to spot, even in the city. Some of his arms and legs are a little more difficult to make out; you'll just have to study the star chart and go out into the dark and work it out. Here's one way for your mind's eye to "flesh out" Hercules.

He's wrestling a hydra, because it's one of his tasks. It's really got him turned upside-down! Read all about it here

OK. So you've got the idea. This is how the pointer star system works, which is the basis of naked astronomy. The handle of the Big Dipper points to Arcturus, which is next to the Coronet, which points to Hercules, which points to Vega in the constellation Lyra, which is one of the corners of the Summer Triangle, which helps you find Cygnus the Swan and Aquila the Eagle, the other two corners of the Summer Triangle, which then help you find Delphinius the Dolphin which leaps between them and in turn points towards Capricornus the Sea-Goat, and on and on all the way back to the Big Dipper.

And that's just the cast of characters on stage from late spring through early fall. Their friends will hold you over until Orion starts keeping shop at decent hours in the evening from Thanksgiving to Easter. During those months, use Orion as Square 1 to start to find your way around. By May, the Summer Triangle can be seen rising in the east at dusk, and we're off and running again.

With no more than what you already know and a decent field guide, you're all set for a lifetime of exploring the night skies. With the help of an almanac, you can start watching for the planets, the meteor showers, and lunar eclipses. With a good pair of binoculars you can start looking between the stars for star clusters, nebulae, and other galaxies. With a telescope, deep space is yours for the taking. This starts getting beyond naked astronomy, but if the music of the spheres is calling you farther out into the dark, dance with it!

However, remember, naked astronomy alone will fill many a clear night for you for many, many years.

But just a song, before you go.....especially if it's winter when you're reading this!

NEXT – Who moved the sky?

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