There are enough things, concepts and phenomena in the world that cause admiration. Take at least the starry sky. It is as mysterious as it is magnificent. They began to study the stars as early as the 6th millennium BC. e. Even then they began to unite in groups. A constellation is not only a cluster of stars, but also a part of the sky. But where do stars come from? There are several legends that lift the veil on this mystery.
The history of the origin of stars
Many stars, especially bright and beautiful ones, have received names. However, none of the scientists today can say where they came from. According to one legend, the stars are the eyes of the boys who escaped to the sky. They caught the bird and ordered it to tie a creeper to the strongest tree in heaven. When the bird did everything, the boys began to climb up it. However, their mothers noticed this and began to ask the children to return. But the sons were deaf to requests. Then the mothers began to climb after them in order to return the spoilers. When the last boy climbed into the sky, he cut the vine, and the women who fell down turned into animals. From that time on, the guys had to watch their deeds from the sky every night as a punishment. And the stars are their eyes.
There is another legend that tells about the appearance of stars in the sky. It says that a long time ago, not far from a small village, there was a lake in which mermaids lived. During the day they swam and frolicked with fish and other marine inhabitants, and at night they went ashore, sang and danced. By the way, mermaids never had tails. These creatures were no different from ordinary girls. The villagers believed that it was impossible to look at the singing and dancing mermaids, so they did not leave the house at night. But one guy decided to challenge this belief. He went to the lake at night and hid behind a tree. As soon as it got dark, mermaids began to emerge from the pond. They had fun all night, and with the appearance of the sun they went back to the lake. And suddenly one of them (the one that went last) noticed the boy. She did not tell the rest of her friends about this, but she wanted to live on earth, together with people. She decided in the morning to go and find the village. The mermaid walked through the forest all day, but she never found the village. As soon as it began to get dark, she saw the lights in the windows of the houses, and realized that she was very close to her dream. She also understood that it was hard for her to breathe without water, so she was not destined to live among people. From bitterness and resentment, the mermaid burst into tears and hit her hands on the water. However, the drops did not fall back into the lake, but rose into the sky and turned into stars, as a symbol of unfulfilled dreams. And each new sparkling dot in the sky is someone's dream, which is not destined to come true.
If we talk about scientific hypotheses, they associate the appearance of stars with the compression of gas-dust condensationsin molecular clouds. However, no scientist can explain where the clumps in molecular clouds come from and why they shrink. Opinions were divided. Some researchers believe that molecular clouds are kept from collapsing by the magnetic field they contain. And in those places where this field begins to weaken, clots are formed that act as prestellar nuclei. And what about their opponents? And they say that prestellar cores are the result of randomly colliding chaotic flows of matter. Neither the first nor the second version has a sufficient evidence base, and therefore it is impossible to say what is the real cause of star formation.
Constellations are one of the most amazing sights
As already mentioned, a constellation is a certain group of stars. At the moment, scientists talk about the existence of 88 such clusters. We will not consider each of them, but focus on the most famous. Let's talk about what the constellations look like, the names of which are on everyone's lips. Most of us often heard and even used these names in our speech, but not everyone managed to find these or those star clusters on the sky map. And this is not surprising, because the night sky is literally dotted with myriads of twinkling dots, and oh, how difficult it is to collect them into a specific figure. Constellations differ in shape, number of celestial bodies that they include, size and age. And everyone has their own story. The names of the stars and constellations that we will consider are usually associated with legends and folklegends. Some of them we will bring to your attention below, and now a little more theory.
Classification
There are big constellations and small ones. The first include Ursa Major, Hercules, Pegasus, Aquarius, Bootes, Andromeda. The second - the Southern Cross, Chameleon, Flying Fish, Small Dog, Bird of Paradise. Of course, we have named only a small fraction, the most famous.
Astronomers divided the sky map into 2 parts: southern and northern (by analogy with the hemispheres of the Earth). Thus, the constellations distinguish between southern and northern. Let's name the most famous of them. There are more significant constellations in the Northern sky. The southern one has always been a reference point for sailors. By the way, it is the latter that is considered the center of our galaxy, and the former - its edge. Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Dragon, Cygnus, Lyra, Bootes, etc. The southern ones include the Southern Cross, Centaurus, Fly, Altar, Southern Triangle, etc. The map of the night sky is fascinating, and each cluster of stars is beautiful in my own way.
Some "celestial compasses" are visible all 365 days a year, and some can be seen only during a certain period (say, Hydra, Leo and Ursa Major are clearly visible in April). Therefore, the question of when to observe the constellations can only be accurately answered as follows: every night. And some clusters of stars cannot be seen at all. For example, the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere are not always "shown" to the inhabitants of the northern latitudes. Although the same Leo can be found in the Northern Hemisphere in spring andSouth - in autumn.
Constellation Ursa
The constellation that even children recognize in the sky is Ursa Major. It is the third largest and has the shape of a ladle. In any case, we think so, but this is only an apparent appearance. Few people know that the Big Dipper consists of 125 stars. This constellation got its name because of its shape. And the appearance in the sky is due, according to legend, to Zeus.
Once the Thunderer was in love with the beautiful Callisto. However, this upset the wife of Zeus. In revenge, she turned her rival into a bear, which was almost killed by her son, the hunter Arkas, who returned home and saw a wild beast. Zeus himself prevented this. And he placed Callisto in the sky along with Arkas and his dog. Now the son must guard the mother in heaven. Arkas turned into the constellation Bootes, and his dog is Ursa Minor. Here is such an interesting legend.
The constellation Ursa is 70 light years from Earth. With the naked eye, you can distinguish 7 stars, which are considered the main ones. These are Dubhe, Merak, Fekda, Megrets, Aliot, Mizar, Benetnash. They form a bucket, which is clearly visible in the night sky. All of these stars except Dubhe are hot white giants. Dubhe is an orange giant star.
Near the Big Dipper is also Ursa Minor. The highlight of this constellation is that it contains the North Star - the most famous in the entire sky. She is a supergiant. In addition to the Polar, the constellation includes Kokhab, Ferkhad, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Eta Ursa Minor.
Every night you can see these constellations in the sky. The photo of the Big Dipper really resembles the outline of the beast. In order to find the North Star, you need to mentally connect the extreme points of the large bucket and extend this line up. Its length should be approximately equal to 5 lines connecting the extreme stars of Ursa Major.
Orion
Another treasure of the starry sky is the constellation Orion. It is one of the largest and most interesting. According to legend, this constellation is the personification of the hunter Orion. He once went to the forests of Cithaeron. However, the day was so hot that all the guy's thoughts were occupied only by the search for a stream with cool water, where he could quench his thirst. Orion found such a stream, and nearby he saw a wonderful cave, covered with greenery. When the hunter came closer, he saw Artemis resting there with her nymphs. The goddess of hunting at that time wanted to swim in the lake, and the nymphs, who saw Orion, screamed, having managed to close their mistress from the eyes of a mortal. However, Artemis became angry and turned Orion into a deer, leaving him with a human mind. The hunter rushed to run away, and his dogs chased after him. Orion wanted to shout to them that he was their master, but how can deer speak? The dogs caught up with him and tore him to shreds. The gods took pity on the unfortunate and left in the sky in the form of a constellation. The hounds were not forgotten either.
This southern constellation has 2 main stars - Rigel and Betelgeuse. They are among the brightest in the sky. It is also interesting that in addition to the bright light of theirnothing else unites. Rigel is a hot bluish-white star, while Betelgeuse is a cool red supergiant. If we consider the size of these celestial bodies, then Betelgeuse is much larger. But her temperature is much lower than that of Rigel. Therefore, the light emitted by it is not so bright. There are also gas nebulae, which are the decoration of this constellation. The photo of Orion looks very nice. Agree, in order to trace some kind of relationship between individual stars and combine them into a specific figure, you need to have a powerful imagination. And people have mapped the sky as many as 88 such schemes!
Constellation Canis
The appearance of this constellation in the sky is associated with the legend of Orion. Since this hunter had 2 favorite dogs, there are also 2 constellations in the sky - Canis Major and Canis Minor. Let's briefly consider each of them.
The constellation Canis Minor is quite small. It is decorated with the star Procyon. It is very close to the Sun, and therefore stands out in the sky. By nature, Procyon is a yellowish subgiant.
The constellation Canis Major is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Its decoration is a blue and white Sirius. This star can change color from blue to red and is one of the brightest and largest in this constellation. It can even be called the brightest in the sky. The blue hot star Mirzam is also very beautiful. Its brightness changes every few hours. This cluster of celestial bodies is rich in a large number of galaxies and nebulae. The constellation Canis is especially clearly visible inMontenegro.
Swan
The Swan owes its appearance in the sky to the almighty Zeus. According to legend, once the ancient Greek supreme god saw the beautiful Leda. She was the wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta. But what did this mean in the eyes of Zeus? He liked Leda so much that he decided to make her his lover. He was only afraid of the jealousy of his wife - Hera. Therefore, a thunderer in the guise of a white swan flew to meet with the beauty. And after a while, a son and a daughter were born to a woman. The gods immortalized the image of a swan in the sky as a symbol of the love of Zeus and Leda.
This northern constellation has another name - the Northern Cross. You can find it near Cepheus. Its brightest stars are Deneb, Sadr and Albireo.
Lion
Legends of the constellations say that the Nemean Lion is the prototype of the Lion in the sky. Once this animal instilled fear and horror in people. To get rid of him, King Eurystheus turned to Hercules for help. He immediately went in search of the Nemean Lion. He spent the whole day looking for the monster, but all efforts were in vain. And as soon as night fell on the ground, the lion himself betrayed himself with a terrifying roar. It didn't take long for the hero to get to the monster's lair. Looking closer, he saw 2 exits from the cave in which the Nemean Lion lived. Hercules blocked one of the exits with stones, and hid himself near the other. When the animal appeared, Hercules began to shower it with arrows from a bow. However, they all bounced off the monster's skin without hurting him.the slightest harm. Then the fearless hero rushed to the beast and strangled him. And the Nemean Lion got to heaven thanks to the same Zeus, who wanted to leave people a reminder of the feat of his son.
This northern constellation really looks like a figure of a lion with a lush mane. Want to find it on a night sky map? Then lower your gaze a little below the hind legs of the Big Dipper. This constellation contains several bright stars. However, the most striking is Regulus. A little dimmer - Denebola and Zosma.
Virgo
If we turn to Greek mythology, the prototype of the constellation Virgo is the goddess of fertility Demeter. She had a daughter, Persephone, whose father was the almighty Zeus. Persephone was very sweet and loved life. However, Zeus promised to give her to Hades as his wife. As soon as the time came, the god of the underworld kidnapped Persephone and took her to the kingdom of shadows. Day and night she shed tears of Demeter. In her sadness, she could think of nothing but her daughter. All plants began to wither, and hunger seized the Earth. The only salvation for all the living was the return of Persephone to her mother. Then Zeus asked Hades to let the girl go. The ruler of darkness could not help but obey. However, before parting, he forced the beauty to swallow a pomegranate seed, which is a symbol of the indissolubility of marriage. Thus, Persephone could not forget her husband. Zeus ordered the life of Persephone as follows: 2/3 of the year she was on Olympus with her mother, and 1/3 with Hades. Seeing her daughter, Demeter blossomed with happiness, and the fields turned green again and the birds sang. But howonly the daughter went to her husband, Demeter was sad, and the time of snow blizzards came on the earth.
This constellation is not one of the brightest. However, its size is quite impressive. It is located to the left of Leo and below Bootes and has the shape of a curved quadrangle. The brightest star in Virgo is Spica. The rest are inferior to her in this parameter. The most significant of them are Porrima and Vindemeatrix.
Ophiuchus
As already mentioned, many names of stars and constellations are associated with ancient myths. Ophiuchus is no exception. This constellation immortalized the memory of the healer Asclepius, the son of Apollo. One day he saw a snake bring medicinal herbs to his girlfriend. In this way he learned the secrets of healing and could even raise the dead. Zeus was afraid that all of humanity would become immortal, and killed the healer with a lightning strike. However, he left him a place in the starry sky.
This constellation is quite large. Its appearance resembles a polygon that does not have a clear shape. It is located near Hercules. Ophiuchus contains 3 bright stars: Rasalhag, Cebalrai and Sabic.
Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda and Perseus
There is a legend that links as many as five constellations. These are Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Pegasus and Perseus. A long time ago, King Cepheus ruled Ethiopia. He had a beautiful wife, Queen Cassiopeia. In this marriage, the daughter Andromeda was born, who surpassed even her mother in beauty. One day the king boastedbeauty of his daughter, being surrounded by Nereids. The mythical inhabitants of the sea envied her and complained to the mighty Poseidon. The lord of the seas sent a monster to Ethiopia, from which flames erupted from his mouth. The only thing that could save the country from destruction was the sacrifice of Andromeda. Then Cepheus tied his own daughter to the rock. However, at this time, Perseus flew by on Pegasus. Seeing the girl, he entered into a fight with the monster and defeated him. All the main participants in this legend were transferred to heaven. Since then, the star constellations Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda and Perseus have graced the sky.
Pegasus is shaped like a square and contains the star Alferatz, which is the extreme star in Andromeda. In addition to it, there are 4 more bright heavenly bodies. These are Markab, Sheat, Algenib and Enif. The constellation Andromeda has 3 bright stars: Alpheratz, Mirach, Almah.
Centaurus
This is the southern constellation. Its prototype is the centaur Chiron, who was the son of the god of time Kronos. He was a wise teacher. Achilles, Jason and others were his students. One day, his friend Hercules fired a random arrow and mortally wounded Chiron. The gods, as a reward for his achievements, decided to give the centaur a place in the sky in the form of a constellation.
There is not a single person who would not admire the starry sky. A constellation is something as mysterious as it is beautiful. It has its own history and its own life. Unfortunately, we are not very interested in this, so not everyone knows the beautiful legends about the constellations. Some constellationsbig and bright, some are small, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful.
