271 a guide to the STARLAB GREEK . MYTHOLOGICAL .--... .. .. ..u-GONSTELLATION CYLINDER . r-Copyright 1982 by Learning Technologies, Inc. \. -Introduction Classical Greek mythology is as rich and varied as the culture that engendered it. In addition to the abbreviated versions of the stories in this Guide, you will want to explore the vast amount of literature_ available on the Greek constellations and the many myths associated with each of them. For more details on the stories found here, consult Percy M. Proctor's excellent book, .!E!!. Myths e. Stories from Exposition Press, Inc., Hicksville, N.Y. Andromeda Daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopei. She is seen stretched out at full length and chained by her ankles and wrists to a rocky island where she is being offered as a sacrifice to Cetus, the Sea Monster. Aquarius Aquarius was the constellation in which the sun was located during ~ h e rainy season of the year. Therefore it seemed appropriate to represent Aquarius as a giant holding a huge upturned urn or jar from which an unending stream of water was pouring. All the rivers owed their waters to this downpour and floods occurred when, from t ~ e to t ~ e . the water cascaded down from the urn faster than it could be emptied into the .seas. Aquila, the Eagle The eagle was Jupiter's favorite bird and was given many difficult tasks to do. The most difficult task was when he had to fly back to Mount Olympus burdened by the weight of a young man, Ganymede. whom he bad been sent to find. Ganymede would become the new cupbearer of the Gods. . Aries the Ram Aries is a small constellation. It requires a vivid 1lDagmat1oD to find the t.hree main stars that form the ram. It is, however, one of the most famous of the zodiac constellations. Long ago, before there were calanders to keep track of the progress of the year, watchers of the sky learned to rely on the stars to track the passage of time. Prom 2100 Be to 100 AD. it was the stars of Aries that announced the spring equinox. 273 -Auriga In the pictures which show what Auriga is supposed to represent, no chariot is ever found, but grasped in his right hand are the reins which a chariot driver would be holding. Auriga is also shown holding a goat over his left shoulder and two little kids in his left hand. This picture tells a mtxed-up story about a charioteer and goat-herd. The rising of Capella, the bright star in Auriga was a welcome sign for shepherds, for it foretold the coming of the rainy season upon which they relied for renewed growth of pasture land. On the other hand, the rising of Capella was a most unwelcome sign for sailors for it Signaled the beginning of the stormy season. The kids were regarded as mad stars by sailors' wives, who feared for the wellbeing of their men at sea during the stormy season. Bootes Bootes and his two hunting dogs, Canes and Venatici, were put in the heavens to keep watch over the Big Bear and make .certain that it kept ever in its proper place, circling the North Star. Cancer, the Crab Legend tells us that Juno sent Cancer to annoy Hercules as he fought his desperate battle with the many-headed Hydra, the water snake. Hercules was the son of one of the many mortal women whom Jupiter married. each time arousing the jealous anger of his goddess wife Juno. Juno took a special dislike to Hercules and tried to make his life miserable. Hercules easily crushed the crab with his foot, but Juno who realized the creature had done its best in trying to serve her, rewarded it by placing it as a constellation in the sky. Canis Major, the Big Dog Canis Major is the largest of the hunting dogs that had been Orion's faithful companions on earth and was placed at his feet in the sky so that he could continue to have his help as he chased Taurus the Bull across the heavens. 274 I .. J u V i:t I II IVIII I U I , Lilt:: L- I L II &J U The second and smaller of the two hunting dogs placed in the sky eo keep Orion company. Canis Minor is less fierce--more like a house pet. Capricornus, the Sea Goat Capricornus appears in the sky at the t:lme of the winter solstice when the sun stopped dropping and began to cltmb higher and higher in the sky day by day. The figure of a goae, the antmal most famous for his cltmbing ability, was chosen to represent the constellation in which ehe sun was found at this The goat of the heavens is half goat and half f ish, thus a creature not only able to hut also at home in the rains and floods of the w1neer season. Cassiopeia, the Queen Cassiopeia was a heautiful woman who was fond of boasting about her beauty. The maiclens who attended King Neptune in his kingdom learned ehae she made a boast that she was tar more beautiful' than any of them. Tbey demanded Neptune punish her. Neptune sent a monster sea serpent, Cetus, to terrify all who lived along the coast of the country ruled by King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. The Serpent snatched women and Children whom he found on the shore. Troubled by this problem in his kingdom, King Cepheus went to an oracle to find out how he could rid his kingdom of this horrible monster. The oracle's answer was that only if he sacrificed his daughter, Andromeda, to the serpent would the maidens feel they had been avenged f or the way Cassiopeia had insulted them and ask Neptune to recall ehe serpent. Cassiopeia vas placed in the heavens to be punished rather than honored. She swings every half night around the Star. She is upside in the chair in which she 18 seated, hang:Lng on for dear life in a posieion .ose humil1ating for a queen of old who was so proud of her beauty. Cepheus, the King Cepheus is a raeher faint and inconspicuous constellation. This is fitting as King Cepbeus always played second fiddle to his wife,.Queen Cassiopeia. who ruled tbe roost. .. -/ -' ,-. Cetus, the Sea Monster Cetus is the sea monster that Neptune sent to devour Andromeda and thus punish Queen Cassiopeia. Cetus had the forked tail of a dolphin, paws of an head of a greyhound with short tusks and long, scaly neck. Cetus was said to be 40 feet in length, with ribs six feet long. Corona Borealis, Northern Crown As a to his bride, Bacchus pre-sented Ariadne with a golden crown set with seven glittering diamonds. Not long after .their m.arriage, Ariadne died and Bacchus, in his grief' at tHe loss, resolved to throw away the crown which she had worn so happily because it reminded of his lost love. Up into the sky he tossed it, and higher and higher it rose until his friends among the gods caught it and hung it high in the sky where its seven diamonds formed the Northern Crown Corvus, the' Crow Legend tells us that the crow once bad s1lver-white feathers aud a beautiful singing voice. One morn.1D& the god Apollo sent the crow to fetch a cup of water. Having spied some half ripened f1gs, the crow lingered at the spring waiting for them to ripen. He had quite a feast, but soon realized he was due for a scolding from Apollo for his tardiness. The crow lied to Apollo about h1s whereabouts but Apollo could easily tell the crow was lying. He angrily punished him by changing the color of his feathers to black and condemning him to be known in the future for his croak instead song. n u U u Crater This represents the cup that Corvus the Crow was sent to fill at a Spring and bring back to Apollo. Cygnus, the Swan Cygnus was the best friend of Phaeton, son of Apollo. Phaeton was struck by lightening bolts after wlldly driving Apollo's chariot across the skies and fell into the river Ericlanus. In those days, it was believed that the soul of a dead person must roam the world forever as a ghost unless his body was properly buried. Cygnus dove into the river over and over again in search of Phaeton's body. Jupiter was so moved by the love and devotion that Cygnus showed for Phaeton that he turned Cygnus into a swan so he could dive more easily. Finally after Cygnus gave up in despair of ever finding the body of Phaeton, Jupiter placed him in the heavens as a swan. Delphinus, the Dolphin Apollo placed this constellation in the sky to honor a dolphin that saved the life of Arion, a famous musician. Arion was returning home by boat to Corinth with a great sum of money after a successful concert tour in Italy. The ship's crew, knowing of this money. siezed Arion and were about to throw h ~ overboard when be begged to play one last song on his harp. So beautiful was his last song that Apollo, the god of music, summoned a dolphin to rescue Ar:IDn. The, dolphin carried Arion safely to Corinth where he summoned the police to set a trap f or the incoming sailors. Arion had a small statue of the dolphin made and placed a shrine in a temple. Later t Apollo took it and placed it among the stars so 1 t would be an eternal memorial to a brave and friendly fish. Draco, the Dragon * Draco is the dragon set by Juno to guard the golden apples which she had given Jupiter as her wedding present to htm. The dragon was a monster whose fiery breath was poisonous and whose enchanted hide no arrow could pierce. Ever watchful, he coiled around the tree on which the golden apples hung and would allow no one to come close except Atlas, the giant who held the world on his shoulders. To get the apples away from the dragon was one of the twelve labors Hercules had to accomplish. He went to Atlas for help and Atlas agreed to get the apples if Hercules would take over the task of holding up the world in the Atlas enjoyed his freedom so much, he ran away with the apples and left Hercules supporting the earth. Hercules was clever, however, and he asked Atlas to relieve htm lang enough to place a pad on his shoulder. Atlas fell for the trick and Hercules ran off with the golden apples. To punish the dragon for its failure, Juno placed it as one of the circumpolar constellations where, in the northern heaven, it would never set and would always remain on guard. *5000 years ago, the fourth magnitude star Thuban close to the end of Draco's tail was the Pole Star around which the entire northern heavens would then have seemed to revolve just as now they appear to revolve around the North Star. This change in the Pole Star has occurred be-cause the earth is wobbling in the same way that a slowing-down top wobbles. So the earth's axis does not continue to point toward the same spot in the sky, but slowly traces out a circle among the stars there. Only after thousands of years does it become apparent that a new North Star has taken the place of the one toward which the earth's axis had been pointing. Equuleus, the Colt Equuleua i8 said to have been a horse which figured in a con-test waged ,by Neptune, god of the seas, and Pallas Athene, goddess of wisdom, to decide who would become patron of that ancient Greek City which was named Athens to honor Athene, the winner of the contest. Under the terms of the contest, Neptune and Athene were each to make a gift to the city, and a jury of twelve gods waa to decide who bad the more useful (continued) n J n -u u u gift. struck a rock with his trident and a horse appeared.. Athene caused an olive to out of rocky top of the hill. The jury of gods had the power to look far into the future and realize what the cultivation of would mean to the future prosperity of Greece and declared Athene the winner. Eridanus, the River Eridanus or the river of the heavens can be traced from where it starts close to Rigel at the foot of Orion and then drops down in a series of bends and loops to where it disappears below the southern horizon. It stretches more than 60 degrees in its long course and is outlined by a host of faint stars. Allover the world, this curving liDe of stars was considered a river, often named after the country's main river: the Nile in Egypt, the Euphrates in Babylonia, the Po in Italy. The Po river figures in the most familiar old story. The Po was the river in which the body of Phaeton plunged after he was struck down by Jupiter's thunderbolt, ending his foolish drive across the sky in Apollo's chariot. . Apollo was so saddened by the fate of his son that he placed the river in the sky as a constellation to be an eternal memorial to his courageous but headstrong son. .."," Gemini, the Twins Castor and Pollux were twin brothers who were so devoted to each other as to be inseparable. Pollux was like his father Jupiter, but Castor was mortal like his mother Leda. When Castor died in battle, Pollux begged Jupiter to take away his so he too could die. Jupiter was so by this demonstration of love that he arranged for Pollux to spend half of each day with Cas tor in Hades, and Castor could spend the other half with Pollux on Mount Olympus among the Gods. Eventually Jupiter honored the twins by changing them into stars and placing them in the heavens to be a memorial to brotherly love at its finest. Hercules, the Kneeler Hercules was the son of Jupiter and a mortal woman, whom Jupiter had married as he had several others. This made Juno his goddess wife so jealous that she decided to punish someone. To vent her anger she decided to make Hercules' life difficult and miserable. 1While he was" still a baby she sent two huge snakes to kill but Hercules strangled both of them. " When he had grown to manhood. Juno caused him . to become insane for a brief period durtng which he murdered his family. To atone for that dreadful deed, he was bound out as a slaye and was to earn his freedom only by successfully completing 12 heroic tasks, the labors of Hercules. They were: -killing the Nemean lion -battling Hydra the water snake -capturing the wild boar of Arcadia -capturing a deer with horns of gold and hoofs of brass -shooting a flock of man-eating birds with beaks of brass and feathers like arrows -cleaning out 3000 cattle stables with years of accumulated f 11th -capturing the Cretan bull that snorted fire -kUling the man-eating horses of King Poinedes -siezing the jeweled belt of the Queen of the Amazons -capturing of a herd of oxen guarded by a giant with 3 heads, 6 hands and 3 bodies -bringing back Cerebus; the fierce 3 headed dog that guarded Pluto's kingdom -getting the golden apples of Hesperides 1'1 u u Hydra, the Water Snake Hydra is one of the longest constellations, stretching out for 100 degrees across a full quarter of the sky. Halfway down its long, snaky coils are the two small constellations of Corvus the crow and Crater the cup. Hydra is the water snake which the Crow tried to blame for delaying him so long in bringil\g back the cup of water (Crater) to Apollo. Leo, the Lion '. The majestic head and mane of Leo, the Lion are formed by the curving line of stars known as the Sickle. Leo's main star, Regulus, is the faintest of the so-called first magnitude stars. It was always a star of great importance to ancient astronomers, howeVer, who considered it to be the ruler over all other stars. Its duty was to keep them all in order and in their proper places in the sky. Leo was the constellation in front of whose stars the sun was found in midsummer. To the ancient peoples, the explanation of why the sun b ~ c a m e so overpowering in swmmer must have been that the stars of Leo were adding greatly t'o the heat of the sun. It was nacural, therefore, to compare these stars to the most powerful animal known, the Lion, King of Beasts. Lepus, the Hare Lepus is located at the foot of Orion, the Hunter. Orion, who was so busy chasing taurus the bull, allowed the bare to remain unnoticed as long as he stayed absolutely quiet. Another thought is that the hax:e stayed below Orion in hopes that he would remain unnoticed by Sirius, the Big Dog who was swiftly pur-suing h:lm. . .-.-' Llora, tne Uf the 12 zodiac constellations Libra is the only one that does not represent something alive. An early astronomer assigned the task of reforming the calander decided to honor Julius Caesar by combining the claw stars of the Scorpion to form the figure of Caesar holding a pair of old-fashioned balance scales. The constellation was meant to be an eternal memorial in the heavens to the infinite wisdom and justice of Caesar. After Caesar's death, however, his figure was dropped out of the constellation picture and only the scales were retained. 2000 years ago at the of the calander reform, the stars used to form Libra were in the stars in front of which the sun was found at the time of the autumnal equinox, when days Bnd nights are equal or balanced. Lyra, the "the lyre \laS one of the first stringed instruments used in Greece. Mercury made the first lyre and presented it to "Apollo, who in turn gave it to his son Orpheus. Orpheus learned to play such sweet music on it that birds came to listen, wild beasts were tamed and sea monsters charmed by the music's spell. Orpheus married Eurydice, but shortly after their wedding she was bitten and killed by a poisenous snake. Orpheus was so Brieved that he was determined to go down where Pluto ruled the underworld and use the magic of his music to soften Pluto's heart, rescue Eurydice and bring her back to He was able to overcome all the dangers on route to Hades. When he reached Pluto his music brought the underworld kings under its spell. Pluto gave Orpheus per.miss1on to take back to earth provided Orpheus went ahead of her and never turned back to see 1 she was following until they were almost at the end of their walk. Orpheus suddenly realized that he could no longer hear Eurydice's footsteps. Fearing someth:l.ng bad happened to her, he turned back to look and a great stone dropped down to block the path ancl hid Eurydice forever from his sight. For years Orpheus roamed the woods, playing only sad tunes. Many a maiden f ell in love with h:1m but he remained true to Eurydice I s memory. Finally a Iroup of maidens angered by his lack of attentiveness k:Lllecl Orpheus and tossed his lyre into the river. Jupiter sent a wlture to bring back the lyre and placed it in the heavens as a constellation. The wlture is represented by the bright blue star Vega, whose name means falling bird. 282 n u u u Ophuichus, Serpent Holder Ophuichus was said to represent a famous Greek physician, Aesculapius, who discovered how bring the dead back to life. He used a herb which he had learned about while to kill a snake one day. Once slain a second snake appeared who thrust bits of the mysterious herb into the mouth of its dead mate and the mate came back to life. Aesculapius studied the herb and found it growing in his garden. So successful was Aesculapius's use of the herb, Pluto, ruler of underworld, complained to Jupiter that he had no dead souls. His business was ruined. Jupiter. fearing that Aesculapius gave like the gods, to every man, sent a deadly lightening bolt that killed the doctor. But in tribute to his skills as a physician. Jupiter placed Aesculapius among the stars together With the snake. Orion, the Hunter Greek legend tells us that Diana, goddess of both the moon and hunting, fell in love with, Orion the bravest of ancient She began to neglect her duty of driving the moon chariot across the sky at night to 'light it up, in order that she might go down to earth to hunt with Orion. When her brother Apollo heard of this neglect, he decided to do away. with Orion. He shone his golden rays so bl1ndingly on Orion one day while he was swimming that he appeared only as a faint dot in the waves. He then challenged Diana to hit the tiny target with her bow and arrow. Diana, not knowing what the target was, shot so accurately that her arrow hit Orion and k1l1ecl h:lm. When she found his body on the shore that evening she realized what had happened . After trying in vain to bring Orion back to life, she put his body in her moon chariot and drove high across the sky where it was darkest. She put the body of her beloved Orion in the sky and suddenly the sky became bright with stars that outlined. his body, jeweled belt and glittering sword. At his foot to keep him company, she placed his two favorite hunting dogs and marked each with a brilliant star. Procyon in the Little Dog and Sirius 1n the Big Dog. ...... ." Pegasus, the Winged Horse The most famous of the myths about Pegasus identifies it as the winged horse which carried Perseus through the sky as he returned the head of the Medusa. Neptune, who had loved Medusa when she was young and pretty, created Pegasus from white beach sand, rainbow-colored foam of breaking waves and drops of blood fram the severed head of Medusa. So perhaps the reason why Pegasus 18 shown with half a body may be to represent the newly created horse just rising out of the sea with half its body still hidden beneath the waves. Pegasus was also the favorite steed of Jupiter, who sent all his thunderbolts v1a Pegasus. Jupiter presented Pegasus to the Muses on Mt. Helicon. One day, as he pranced about there, a casual kick of one hoof caused the famous spring of H1ppocrene to gush forth on the mountain top. Its waters had the magic power of inspiring whoever drank them to gain the gift of writing poetry. -Perseus; the Champion Perseus was known for t ~ o corageous acts. His first was bringing back the head of the Medusa, who had snakes f or her hair and was so ugly that anyone who looked at her turned to stone. Armed with a highly polished shield from Minerva, winged sandals fram Mercury, and a magic pouch and helmut from the nymphs of the North, Perseus set off to slay the Medusa. His helmut allowed h:lm bo become invisible, the polished shield acted as a mirror 80 he could back in and watch the Medusa's reflection. He struck a killing blow, scooped up the head and tucked it in the pouch, careful not to look at it. As he flew off, he met the winged horse Pegasus which Neptune h a ~ created. Perseus mounted the horse and was swiftly born across the sky. As he flew he noticed a crowd of people gathered on the beach below h ~ . As he guided Pegasus down be saw a maiden, Andromeda, chained to a rock and a terrible sea monster about to engulf her. Perseus dropped down like a shooting star, shouted for Andromeda to cover her face and raised the flap of his pouch just enough so the monster could see the Medusa's head. The sea monster was instantly turned into stone. Perseus freed Andromeda and the people on the beach cheered. n u ,-. u -u Pices, the Fishes Venus and her son Cupid are said to have changed themselves into _fishes to escape Typhon, a firebreath1ng dragon. Typhon could only live in flames and fire but not in water. Venus and Cupid tied themselves together with a long cord in order not to become separated. Piscis Australis, the Southern Fisr. This constellation contains one first magnitude star called Fomalhaut, which means "mouth of the fish.1I This bright star marks the mouth of the Southern Fish which is opened wide to catch the torrent of water pouring down from the upturned urn of Aquarius, the Water Carrier. located above Piscis Australis. Sagitta, the Arrow Legend tells us that Jupiter punished Prometheus for twice stealing the gift of fire from Mount Olympus by cha1ning . h ~ t o ~ a . rock high, in the Caucasasus Mountains. Every day he sent a wlture ~ to eat at the liver of the chained victum. Each night the liver grew-again so the dreadful torture never ceased. Finally Prometheus was rescued from his agony by Hercules, who killed the vulture with his bow and arrow and freed Prometheus from his chains. According to myth. Sag it ea is tha t arrow shot from Hercules bow. Sagittarius, the Ar.cher Long ago a stranae race of creatures, the centaurs, half man and half horae, lived on Mount Pelion :1n Greece. They had the power and speed of a horse with the braiDs of a man. They were savage creatures. known for their evil ways. One Centaur, Chiron, became known for his goodness and wisd.om. Be became a famous teacher to whom kings sent their sons to be educated. Chiroo was immortal, but due to a painful wound he received he begged Jupiter to allow htm to die rather than to live in agony. Jupiter granted his request. Before Chiroo died, he designed all the constellations to aid the navigators". He desilned Sagittarius to honor himself since be was known as a great archer. cr -.. Scorpius, the Scorpion Juno, wife of Jupiter, grew tired of hearing Orion boast that no animal coulcl ever harm him . She clec1cled she would show him how vain he was by baving him k1l1ecl in a most humiliating way by a tiny, insignificant animal. She selected a scorpion. The scorpion lay in ambush close to a trail that Orion liked to use on his daily bunting trips, stuns him in the heel and caused his death. When Diana, the loddess of the moon, learned of her lover's death, sbe begged Jupiter to place him aa a constellation in the heavens. Juno demanded that Jupiter must also honor the Scorpion in the same way. So Jupiter placed them far apart in the sky-Orion in the winter sky and the Scorpion in the summer sky. Taurus, the Bull . . Jupiter, disguised as a snow white bull, came down from Mount Olympus one day . to where Europa, a beaut1ful maiden, was playmB in the meadow. The bull va. 80 Bentle tbat Europa climbed on its back. Then off sped Jupiter to the seashore, where he plunged into the waves and swam with his captive Europa.across to the island of Crete. There Jupiter revealed hmself as the king of the gods and won Europa as his bride. Triangulum, the Triangle Th1a constellation represents the triangle-shaped island of Sicily tn Italy and was placed tn the heavens by Jupiter at the request of Ceres, goddess of agriculture. Sicily vas a land held in high esteem by Ceres because of the high quality of the crops raised there. . n '--u u u Ursu Major, the Big Bear Jupiter is said to have come down from Mount Olympus on many occasions to marry a beautiful earth maiden. This enraged his goddess wife Juno. One such maiden was Callistro. Juno decided to punish ber by taking away her beauty. She turned Call1stro into a mangy bear. Callistro had a son, Areas. WhUe Callistro roamed as a bear, Arcas grew to be a young man and a famous hunter. One day he trailed a bear through the woods and was about to shoot an arrow when Jupiter intervened. His prey was Callistro. his mother. Jupiter turned Areas into a bear. He grasped both bears by their short, stumpy tails and heaved them high up into the heavens where they landed near the North Pole. So heavy were the bears that the strain on their taUs caused them to be stretched out into the unusual lengths found in their heavenly con-stellations. As Juno saw the two bears shining brightly in the sky. she realized that callistro was again beautiful. She went to Neptune, ruler of the seas, and asked him to drive the stars of the Big Bear away from his waters every ttme they dropped down near the sea, never letting them bathe in the waves. Ursu Minor, the Little Bear The little bear is better known as the Little Dipper, one of the Little Dipper's starR is Polaris, the North Star. It has been the,guide star for those who sail their ships across the Northern Hemisphere and for those who travel across the land. Virgo, the Virgin The best-known myth about Virgo identifies her as Ceres, goddess of growing things, to whom farmers offered their prayers. Ceres had a daughter, Proserpine, who was kidnapped by Pluto, ruler of the underworld. Ceres declared that nothiDg was to grow on earth until Proserpine was returned. Jupiter ordered. Pluto to return Proserpine to earth but Pluto said it was not possible because Proserpine had eaten while below in the underworld. Faced with the problem of what to do because she had eaten the seeds, and pulled one way by Ceres and the other by Pluto, Jupiter worked out a compromise by which Proserpine would spend siX months with her mother and six months with Pluto. So it is that when Proserpine cames to spend 6 months with her mother, Ceres shines brightly over the f.ields and: they bring forth crops. But when Proserpine returns to Hades, Ceres is sad and lonely and allows the world to become cold and dreary. -) / " / J ._1 I / / AMERICAN INDIAN CONSTElLA TIONS'-'" / I / /Tv / 1Copyright 1982 by: LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 59 Walden Street CAMBRIDGE. MASSACHUSETTS'02140 (617) 5477724 For use with the American Indian Constellation Cylinder // " " n u Campfire of the North (So'tsoh) Navaho This is the North Star or home star. It never moves and acts as the traveler's guide or lodestar. Look for it if you are lost; it will help you find your All the stars will revolve around 'it. u Black God -u Black God and his Pleiades -----xa sceszina (Navaho) Black God is the Creator of fire and light. When Black God entered the Hogan of creation, Pleiades was lodged at his ankle. In the Hogan itself he stamped his foot vigorously which made the Pleiadobound to his knee. He stamped his foot again and caused the Pleiad to locate at his hip. .oOn the third tap he brought the Pleiad to his right shoulder and on the fourth to his left temple where "it would stay" declared the Black God. His feat of locating the Pleiad where he wanted it confirmed to the creator group that the Black God alone was in charge of and had the power of producing constellations for beautifying the dark upper or sky. o i J Cold Man of the North or First Man First Woman or Cassiopeia COLD MAN OF THE NORTH and CASSIOPEI (Big Dipper) These two constellations are located on either side of the North Star or home fire. They never leave this area of the sky and no other constellation approaches to inter- ~ fere with their routine. This arrangement of constellations established a law that h a ~ persisted to this day. This law stipulates that only one couple may live by one home fire. (Navaho) u Lizard Xa'asboii (Navaho) ~ o particular legends about these constellations exist" to our knowledge but literature mentions ~ h e fact that First Woman made many more constellations for the sky un"til nearly every animal, bird and insect bad star counterparts in the sky. -Butterfly K'aalogii (Navaho) First Big One Xavaho (in Scorpio) This constellation seems ~ o be part of Scorpio. Its human form suggests an application to First Man Man With Feet Ajc.-This constellation is part of Corvus. No folklore was found on either of these two Navaho constellation . u u u Thunderbird (i'ni) Navaho The Navaho legends hold that the Thunderbird constellation carried all the clouds in his tail and rain under his wings. Thus when the Thunderbird constellation is shining brightly in the sky, spring or the rainy season has arrived. Bear Navaho The Bear constellation that- is tangent to the Thunderbird is also tied into the legend of changing seasons. When the bear is bright in the sky and the feather of Thunderbird is just touching the nose of the Bear, Spring has arrived. The Bear has essentially come out of Winter hibernation. . Great- Bear (Shoshoni) Loca'ted on the Milky Way Path. One Iroquois legend tells us that the Great Bear was pursued by three Indian braves. The chase began at the beginning of time when the first Indian shot and struck the Bear in the side with his bow and The wound wasn't serious, however, and the Bear on running. He has been running across the sky ever since. The bear's path changes from season to season. In the autumn it begins low in the Northwest. During this season the arrow wound of the Bear opens slightly and a little blood trickles down upon the land. It covers the leaves of the trees and dyes them red and that is why-we have autumn. Rabbit Tracks Gahatei (Navaho) This is the constellation that governs all hunting. During the spring and early summer when the open end of the tracks point upward, no one may hunt game animals. In the late fall, when the open end tips toward earth, the hunting season begins. Laws governing hunting were very strict as the Navaho depended on game for their food. No hunting was allowed during an animal's mating season. o 0 o u Horned Rattler Hydra Horned Rattler (Navaho) Hydra who resembles a sea serpent was said to be given charge of the underground water channels. u Spider God 1 _____ \ Blackfoot ~ Spider God sits in his star web during the summer time, watching over the earth. To visit the land he climbs down the Milky Way. Porcupine (Dahsani) Navaho The Porcupine was given charge of the growth of all trees on the mountains. Dog 'Star Cherokee Legend tells us that all d e p a r t ~ d souls on their sky journey to the "land of souls" must pa.ss two barking dogs. These dogs' stars are Sirius located in the dog constellation and Autares located in the First Big One on your American Indian Constellation Cylinder. If the departed soul fed the first dog but had nothing for the second dog, it would be left trapped in the sky forever between the dogs. u u u Long Sash or .Slim One Long Sash (Tewa) Slim One (Navaho) Ace ecozi (Orion) Long sash lead h i ~ people westward to a new land away from their enemies who were attacking vilages, stealing animals and killing families. Once settled in this new land, however, the people began to quarrel and exchange blows among themselves. Long Sash declared "you are hurting yourselves worse than your enemies hurt you. If you are to come to a place of your own there can be no violence among you. You must decide whether you follow me or take another trail." -......... _--Place of Decision or the Twins (Tewa) North and east of Longsash are 2 bright stars. This is where Langsash's people sat to decide which path of life to follow and thus it is called the place of decision. People looked to these stars for guidance whenever they came to a turning pOint in their lives. Coyote (Canopus) Matii Bizo' Navaho: The coyote constellation is located in the southern skies. Navaho legend tells us that the coyote was a trickster, a bumbler constantly disturbing the orderly arrange-ment that was intended for the sky. In assisting First Man , , and First Woman in placing 'J constellations in the sky, coyote was said to have mixed up Castor and Pollux, the twins. This angered First Woman so much that she forbade the coyote to place any other stars in the sky other than his own. The coyote placed his own star (Canopus) Coyote Mountain. It is sai4 to shine brightly in the southern sky during mating season. Hopi: Hopi legends tell us that the Creator called on all his creatures to gather tiny sparkling stones to place in the sky for light. He told each creature to take as many of the sparkling rocks as they could carry and draw a picture of themselves in the sky. Most of the animals, however, were too small to carry enough stones to complete their picture, so the Creator gave Coyote a large bag of stones so that he could help the smaller creatures. But Coyote grew impatient. He took the stones and flung them into the sky, which is why some of the star figures are unfinished and why the stars don't all form clear patterns. It was only then that Coyote realized that he had forgotten his own picture and there were no rocks left. So Coyote howled, and still forever a coyote howls at the sky because his picture is not there. v Milky Way Trail Navaho: Yikaisdahi Navaho legend holds that the Milky Way provides a pathway for the spirits traveling between heaven and earth, each little star being one footprint. The Milky Way path was placed in the sky by the Coyote. After all the stars had been chiseled many small pieces of quartz and quartz dust remained on the blanket where First Man and Woman had been working. Coyote is said to have grasped the blanket by ,two corners and swung it in the air spraying the stone fragments and star dust in an arc in the sky that reached from horizon to horizon forming the Milky Way. Algonquin: Pathway of Souls \ \ I l-/ The Algonquin legend tells us that the Milky Way is the path that our souls take when we die. Sometimes referred to as the Pathway of Souls, it is an imperish-able mark upon the sky which arches across the heavens. We do not know where the path ~ l e a d s nordo we know what sights they may behold. Each bright star, however, is a campfire blazing in the sky where they have paused in their journey to look down on us, their people, as we huddle for warmth around our home fire'. Other Names 'for the Milky Way: Fox tribe: "A river of stars" Yokut: ' . ' "dust from a race be-tween antelope and deer' Cherokee: .. "corn meal 'dripping from a dog's mouth" Ciowa .... "backbone of the sky" Hidohsa & Patwin: . "scattered ashes" Eskimo: .... "track made by Raven's snow shoes" Skidee Pawnee: .. "glue holding the sky together" \ References Learning Technologies, Inc. would like to express special thanks to the astronomers of the Astronomy Education Program at the Lawrence Hall of Science. University of California at Berkeley for their suggestions on the STARLAB American Indian Constellation Cylinder. Other American Indian sky stories can be found on pages 52-56 of this manual and in the following references: Budd, Lillian, Full Moons, Indian Legends of the Seasons, Rand McNally and Co., 1'9'7r." - -Clark, Ella E., Indian Legends of !h! Pacific Northwest, University of California Press. 1953. Clark, Ella E., Indian Legends the Northern Rockies, University of Oklahoma Press, 1966. Haile, Berard, Starlore Among the Navaho, of Navaho Ceremonial Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1947. _ Judson, Katharine Berry, selector and editor, Myths and Legends of British North .America, A. C. McClurg and Co., 1917. Judson, Katherine Berry. Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes, A.C. McClurg and Co 1914. Littman, Mark. The People - Skylore of the American Indian, Hansen Planetarium, Salt Lake City. Utah, 1976. Longfellow. Henry Wadsworth. The Song of Hiawatha. Marriott, Alice and Carol K. Rachlin, American Indian Mythology. Thomas Y. Crowell Company. 1968. Newcomb, Franc Johnson. Navaho Folk Tales. Museum of Navaho Ceremonial Art, Santa Fe. N.M 1947.----Parsons, Elsie Clews, Tewa Tales. published by the American Folk-Lore Society, G. E. Stechert and Co., 1920. Challenger, Astronomy Education Program, University of California, Berkeley, Ca. 94720. 1978. Thompson, Stith, selector and annotator, Tales of the North American Indians, Indiana University Press, 1929. u u u AND l.ONSTEllATIONS F-5, Star-Finding wIth a Star-FInder STAR FINDING WITH A STAR FINDER A star map of the night sky helps locate different constellations in the same way a road map helps locate different cities on the earth. In this activity students construct a rotat-ing star finder to find the constellations vislole in the night sky throughout the year. CONCEPTS. Constellations remain :fixed in their relative position to each other. ConstelliJ,tions appear in the sky at different times, due to the earth's daily rotation and seasonal Qrbit around sun. OBJECTIVES Students will: construct a star finder. identify constellations using a star finder. observe the effect of seasonal changes when viewing constellations. MATERIALS Star F'mder patterns: holder, and nyo constellation wheels scissors file folders (one and one-half'per star finder) glue stapler PROCEDURE Advanced Preparation: . Make enough copies of the Star Finder patterns so each student can make their own. Creating a sample ahead of time will help them understand what the final product should . look like. CONSTRUCTING THE STAR FINDER 1. Distribute one manila folder and the Star Finder Holder pattern to each student 2. Have students glue the holder pattern to the front of a manila file folder, with the east-south edge of the holder along the fold of the file folder. 3. Have them cut out the star :finder as indicated on the pattern, including the central oval. They should staple the front and back together by placing staples exactly on the staple lines shown on the front of the Star F'mder Holder. 1994 Pacific Science Center 29 . PROJECT ASTRO' RESOURCE NOTEBOOKI AsTRONOMICAL SOCIElY OF THE PACIFIC I STAR-FINDING AND CONSTELLATIONS F-5, Star-Findtng with a Star-Finder ! 4. Distribute copies of the constellation wheels and one-half of a manila folder to each student Glue one of the constellation wheels to one side of the manila folder. Have them cut it out, then glue the other constellation wheel to the back. This technique makes it easier to line up the circle of the two wheels. It is not possible to align the dates on the two wheels, nor is it important for them to be aligned. 5. Have them insert the star wheel between the pages of the holder so the simple star field appears through the oval opening. Once the star wheel is completely inserted, test tum the star wheel to be sure it moves freely. Check to see that the black line under the dates on the star wheel approximately lines up with the edge of the star finder cover showing the time of day. USING THE STAR FINDER 1. Before going outside to use the Star Finder, practice using it in the classroom. Have the students align the current date on the wheel with the time indicator on the holder. The following set of questions and directions will help them become famil-iar with the star finder. a. Assume you are going to observe at 9:00 p.m. tonight What constellations are visible? b. Tum the dial until it is set for 11:00 p.m. tonight. 1. Which constellations are visible? 2. Which constellations were visible at 9:00 p.m., but are no longer visible at 11:00 p.m.? . 3. Which horizon are disappearing constellations closest to? 4. Which constellations are visible at 11:"00 p.m., but were not visible at 9:00 p.m.? c. Turn the dial until it is set for 5:00 a.m., just around sunrise. 1. Which constellations are still visible that were up at 9:00 p.m.? 2. Describe the motion the constellations follow from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. 3. Rotate the dial one complete tum, which represents a 24-hour day. Which constellations never go below the horizon? d. Hold the star finder over your head so that the "North" designation on the star finder is pointing north. The stars showing in the oval opening are those that can be seen overhead at the time and date set on the star finder. The edge of the oval represents the horizon. Stars near the edge of the oval are low on the horizon. The center of the oval is the point directly overhead when you look up in the night sky. This point is called the zenith. stars near the center of the oval will be high overhead when you are observing. e 1994 Pacific Science Center 'PROJECT ASTRO RESOURCE NOTEBOOK/AsTRoNOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC 30 n u u u STAR-FINDING AND CONSTELLATIONS! I F-5, Star-Finding wtth a Star-Finder e. Now you are ready to go star finding in the night sky. A small flashlight or penlight will help you read the star :finder at night Red plastic, red construction paper, or a red balloon, over the front of the flashlight will allow you. to read your star chart by the red light, but will not reduce your ability to see faint stars in the sky. Teachers Note: Have students practice using their star finders, pointing to where they would expect to find specific constellations. 2. The simple star field shows the bright stars visible in the major constellations. These stars are easily found, especially when viewing from a city where the many lights make it difficult to see faint stars. Once students are experienced at finding the bright stars on this side of the star wheel, they can flip the star wheel over and attempt to :find the fainter stars and constellations. Some of these will not be visible until observed from a location away from city lights. 3. Once students become famjljar with some of the brighter constellations, they can use them as guides to find your way around the sky. For example,. they can use the two outer stars of the Big Dipperls cup to help :find .the North Star. Have them devise their own technique to use the stars to :find other constellations. ~ 1994 Pacific Science Center 31 PROJEcr ASTRO RESOURCE NOTEBOOK! AsrRONOMICAl SOOETY OF THE PACIFIC I r: III a ..I o &1.&1.o III ., a III U z ii ..I o &1.., Z o ..I .: III a iii VI i t-Id U .: ..I DoSTAR-F,ND,NG AND CONSTEllATIONS F-5, Star-Finding with a Star-Finder STAR FINDER HOLDER ~ PASTE ONTO FOLDER, ALIGNING THIS EDGE WITH FOLDED SPINE OF FOLDER. LJ THEN CUT ALONG EDGE OF STAR FINDER, BUT DO NOT CUT FOLDED EDGE! ~ 1994 Pacific Science Cel1.ler . PROJECT ASTRO ReSOURCE NOTEBOOK/ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC -32 I STAR-FINDING AND CONSTELLATIONS F-5, Star-Finding wtth a Slar-Finder ! u STAR WHEEL SIMPLE STAR FIELD g' if 0 Horvw YSHn IG U tttf> tIC.6? rj f, CI) 0 :u :-/ .,,0 : ,. :II c CD g4 00 I! 0-'\ "J"t .,. ., u @ 1994 Pacific Science Center PROJECT ASTRO ResOURCE NOTEBOOK/AsTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC 34 STAR-FINDING AND CONSTELLATIONS F-5, Star-Finding with'a Star-Finder STAR WHEEL COMPLEX STAR FIELD @ 1994 Pacific Science Center 33 PROJECT ASTRO ResOURCE NOTEBOOK! AsrRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC .. u { ; Mt. Nose A Model of Day and Night ;Before you do the moon balls activity in this session, but with the lamp already set up, there is a great opportunity to model day and night. This relates to the explanations the students explored in Session f and helps students gain understanding through their own direct perceptions. l. Gather the class in a circle around the lamp. Explain to the that each of their heads represents the Earth. The light in the center represt!l1ts the Sun. 2. Ask the students to imagine that their nose is a mountain and that a person lives on the tip of "Mount Nose." With the students facing the lightbulb, ask, "For the person on your Mount Nose, where in the sky is the sun?" Ihigh in the sky, overhead) Ask, "What time of day do you think it is for the person on Mt. Nose?" (around noon) .' 3. Ask. the students to tum 1p their left, and stop when their right ears are facing the sun. Ask, "For the person on'Mount Nose, where in the sky does the sun seem to be? the horizon, low in the sky1 Ask, "What time of day is for the person 7" Isunset1 4- Have the students continue to stopping when their backs are to the Iightbulb. Ask, . . "What time is It forthe on Mount Nose?" (around midnjghti On what part of your head is it daytlme71the back of your head, because it is now facing the sunl' . 5. Have the stl:1dents make another quarter tum, so that their left ears face the sun. Where is the sun? now in the sky, just "coming up") What time Is it? [sunrise] Have the class tum back to face the light. ... 6. You may want to have students hold their hands to the sides of their heads to form "horizons" The left hand is the "eastern horizon" and the right hand is the "western horizon." Tell the students to tum slowly and watch for "sunrises" from their "left hand/eastern horizon" and sunsets on their "right. hand/western horizon." 7. Remind the class of the term model, as someone's explanation for something that has been observed. Scientists today use a model like the one they have just made to explain the way the Sun seems to move in the sky. 24 Activity 4 " u u AISD Planetarium Outline Classroom Part: 35 min. 1. Introduction: 2. 3. If this is what you do first: Introduce yourself and a brief outline of what the program will be like. If this is your second half: Revue some of the things they learned in the first half. The most important star (to us): What star is most important to us? Why is the Sun the most important star to us? (show picture of sun) 1. Heat, light, gravity, seasons 2. All food and the energy your body needs comes from the Sun. 3. All other energy comes from the Sun too. Solar, wind, water power Gasoline, coal, oil, gas, firewood Electricity, radio and tv, microwaves -Earth and Sun (two ways to model: "Texas Nose" or have a kid to be the Sun and one to be the Earth) 1. Demonstrate day & night 2. Demonstrate a year 3. Show how the stars visible at night change over the year How many stars are in the Solar System? 1. Ask them this trick question. Narrow down the guesses to "many" and "one". Re-state the question with emphasis on the "solar system" and see if they can figure it out. 2. Ask them if they can name the things in the Solar System Use Sherry'S Solar System Game to help them figure out the planets and the order they go including asteroids, the Moon, dwarf planets and moons of other planets (every planet has one or more moons except for Mercury and Venus) So, where ARE those other stars? Outside our solar system. How far away is the Sun? 1. 93 million miles, or 8 minutes at light speed (8 light minutes) Miles are too small a measure for space. Astronomers use light speed, the distance light can travel in a certain amount of time, to measure distances in space. 2. Is this close or far? Do we want to be closer or farther? How far away are the other stars? 1. Alpha Centauri is more than 4 light years away (its light has been traveling towards us for more than 4 years when we see it). This is 25 trillion miles. 2. Rigel is about 930 light years away, Vega is about 261y away, Sirius is U about 8 ly away. 4. How do stars form, and what happens when they die? Play the Nebula Game with the kids. (show the Orion Nebula poster) Use the Star Cycle bulletin board to show the cycle from dust and gas, to protostars, to stars, etc. 1. A Protostar is the beginnings of a star forming from the nebula. Jupiter and the other gas giant planets are protostars that never became stars. 2. Our Sun is a medium sized yellow star that will last for several billion years. This is the best kind of star for planets to have because they last a long time and help to support life. 3. White stars like Sirius are hotter than the Sun and live shorter lives. 4. Blue stars like Rigel are even hotter than white stars and live very short lives, maybe only a few million years. 5. Red giant stars are yellow or white stars that are dying. They cool off, have less gravity, expand and tum red. When they die they collapse down, heat up for a short time and become white dwarf stars, then die and become black dwarf stars. 6. Red supergiant stars, like Betelgeuse and Antares, are blue stars that are dying. They cool off and become enormous. When they collapse down they may explode in a huge explosion called a supernova. 7. Red dwarf stars, like Proxima Centauri, are the most common stars, but we have a hard time seeing them. They last for many billions of years. Astronomers think they would die by just becoming a black dwarf, but no red dwarf star that we know about has ever died in the history of the universe, so no one knows for sure. 8. A Supernova gives energy and gas and dust to start a nebula, to form new stars. 9. A Black Hole is a place in space with tremendous gravity that used to be a supergiant star. Black holes are believed to be the central point of galaxies that hold the stars in rotation around them. 5. What are constellations? (show the constellation poster) Connect-the-dot imaginary pictures we make from the stars A way to map the sky and remember which star is which and where to find them. Illustrations of various ancient myths and stories from many different cultures on Earth. Navigation tools to help sailors, pilots and adventurers find their way across the world. How to use a star map: (pass out the star maps) 1. Hold it up overhead and turn the map as you face different directions 2. Compare the stars on the map with what you see in the sky. 3. Have the right map for the season of the year. u u u Telescope: 5 min. (outside between the classroom part and the planetarium part. Do this before the classroom if you start in the planetarium and after the classroom part if you are heading into the planetarium) Invented about 500 years ago, it changed our concept of the universe. Telescopes let us see things that we could not see with our eyes alone. Galileo made its use popular and wrote books about what he saw. He went to prison for what he said, but today we know it is true. Allowed astronomers to prove that the Sun is the center of our solar system and that planets, including Earth orbit around it. Today the Hubble telescope in outer space is changing what we know again because it is a huge telescope outside the Earth's atmosphere and can see more clearly. Binoculars are small telescopes and are very good for seeing many things in the night sky. Planetarium part: 35 min. 1. Sit everyone on the big step in MPR. Explain the rules of the planetarium and have everyone take off their shoes. 2. Enter the dome, get everyone seated and quiet. Turn off the sun and put on the constellation cylinder (the top one wth the pictures). Turn down the lights slowly. 3. Identify as many of the constellations as you want as you rotate through the year. 4. Tell a story about one or more constellations. 5. Change the cylinder to the night sky. 6. Sing a star song: (optional) could be Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Deep In The Heart of Texas (this is a helpful thing if you have some kids who are a little nervous about the darkness) 7. Show some of the constellations for each season and the circumpolar constellations: (these are some suggestions but you definitely don't have to do every one) Spring: Leo the Lion, Corvus the Crow, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor Summer: Scorpio the Scorpion, Sagittarius the Centaur, Cygnus the Swan, Lyra the Harp, Aquila the Eagle, Draco the Dragon Autumn: Pegasus the Flying Horse, Andromeda the Princess, Cassiopeia the Queen, Perseus the Hero, the Pleides Winter: Taurus the Bull, Orion the Hunter, Canus Major Orion's big dog, Gemini the Twins, Lepus the Rabbit 8. Show the Moon. 9. Turn on the Sun and turn up the lights. Make sure every kid gets out of the planetarium safely and gets their shoes back on. Texas Nose (a variation on Mt. Nose) Stand in the center with a group of kids in a circle (no one behind or in front of another) around you. Tell the group that you are the Sun and that each of them is the Earth ~ o t s of Earths!). The top of each kid's head is the North Pole and their chin is the South Pole. Their nose is Texas and the back of their head is China or India. You are sending out tons of energy, heat and light to the Earths. Have them stand where Texas is facing the Sun (you) and ask them what time it is (daytime, noon, 12PM). Have them hold up their right fist with thumbs up. To rotate on their axis, they will turn in the direction that their fingers curl (to the left). If you look down onto the North Pole from above it would be a counterclockwise turn. Have them tum around to show the position of midnight in Texas, or noon in China or India. Have each kid notice what they see out in the night sky at midnight. Each side of the circle, each kid, will see something different because they are facing different directions. If you have enough parents/teachers/ etc. assign one to be Leo in the spring sky, one to be Scorpio in the summer sky, one to be Pegasus in the autumn sky and one to be Orion in the winter sky. The different directions are the seasons of the year. Have them rotate back to noon. Ask them how long that rotation on their axis took (24 hours or one day). Now, ask what other movement the Earth has (orbiting the Sun). That is also in a counterclockwise direction, so have the kids walk slowly around you to their left. It is probably not a good idea for them to rotate and orbit at the same time. When the circle has moved about one quarter or one half of the way around, ask them to stop and turn to midnight in Texas. Do they see the same things they saw before? No, because they have moved to a different season of the year. Now, have them continue to orbit around you until they get back to where they started. How long did this orbit take? (365 1/4 days or 1 year) So, if they were eight when they started, they are nine now, if ten, then they are eleven, etc. Point out that what they see over their North Pole or under their South Pole are the 'same things, just from different angles, all year long. u u u The Nebula Game This works best with a group of 10 or more, more is better. Have everyone stand up. Explain that they are all atoms and molecules of space dust and gas. They are drifting aimlessly in outer space. Have them just wander slowly and randomly around the room. Choose one person, preferably their teacher or a parent or another counselor, to be a supernova and explode with appropriate melodrama. When they have given a big kablooey, it sends stardust and energy into the cloud of aimless dust and gas (the kids) and causes them to begin walking in a counterclockwise direction around the room (not in a circle, still all scattered, but going the same way). As they walk around, cause two of them to bump gently into each other and join elbows. They have formed a protostar. Have them choose one other person to join with them to form a star. These three stand in the center and begin to be very bright and hot, sending energy out to the others. Now, clump two more kids together into a planet orbiting around the star. Pull one other kid into the star to make it even hotter, create another planet, choose one kid to become a moon orbiting a planet, have one or more kids become asteroids, choose one kid to have a long elliptical orbit into the star and back out to the edges of the group as a comet. Do this until every kid has become something: star, planet, moon, asteroid, comet. Tell them they have become a solar system. u Planetarium Program Outline General Info: One instructor, one hour presentation in MPR using Sky Lab Planetarium. Refer to your notebooks for info on setting up planetarium and stories to tell. I. Grades K-l: Demonstrate night and day using globe, show picture of the sun, identify the sun as our nearest star. Grades 2-5: Discuss the formation of stars (varying complexity to suit age level) using planetarium posters. II. Inside Planetarium: A. Point out Big Dipper, North Star, Little Dipper, Draco, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Orion. You may also point out Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion to illustrate the relationship between the age of stars and their colors. B. Relate appropriate myths. AISD Planetarium- Classroom Part Greeting and Introduction: V If this is the part you do first: I ntroduce yourself Give a very brief overview of what the program will be If this is the part you do second then skip to the program material The most important star: Why is the sun the most important star? Heat, light, gravity Show picture of sun Star energy (keep this brief most of the time) All food comes from sun Plants capture energy All food comes from plants Energy of our bodies to work and play is star energy All other energy comes from the sun too Gasoline, coal, oil, gas Solar, wind, water power Earth & Sun (use the earth ball and get a kid to tp be the sun) '. ' Demonstrate day & night CtK-ch. tLli.IC{N:j. JA J Demonstrate a year Tilt of the earth and how seasons are caused by this tilt Visible stars change with the seasons as earth moves around sun, northern and southern stars are visible all year V Too small a measure (still using the earth ball and sun-kid): How far away is the sun? 93 million miles or 8 minutes at light speed. Is this far or close? Do we want to be closer or farther? Miles too small for space. Light speedllight year=6 trillion miles Distance to stars other than the sun: IAae.. Iv cOH h. d Alpha Centari is 4 light years -Iv tA ;. '\.J A j Rigel is 930 light years v d (Jm Vega is 26 light years /I., Life Cycle of Stars Star colol'S Yellow sun -n ,a . L' ; / Hot blue & white stars rP--,L "Lie S-Old red stars - -..12k' j (J -Star Color, Size and Terrlp. Game fI' () Life cycle of stars: Nebula (show Orion Nebula poster) fLL,-hv& Star Cycle (Nebula) Game 0, .-Life cycle (show life cycle posters) t-.- Constellations I. . What are constellations? 5;:::: Connect the dot pictures V Imaginary ways to remember real stars Illustrations of ancient myths, different ones from every different culture on earth. Maps that astronomers can use to chart the sky and find things set-u"1s ,'-"- I . -astronomers say that our sun is middle sized, middle temperature and middle- aged! -BLUE=hottest (approx.l0,OOO degrees F) . most massive are blue giants, 35 times more massive than our sun -use up their energy faster than any other type of star and often bum for only a few million years -magnitude! brightness: - Hipparcus, Greek astronmomer from 2nd century B.C., cataloged 1,000 stars and developed 6 categories of brightness we still use this system 1st magnitude= brightest stars 6th magnitued = faintest stars Sirius = -1.5 Sun = -27 \ ... .. \ BUT ... What is a star? -all stars are ''born'' in vast clouds of gas and dust called nebulae, as a nebula rr- - the gas and dust it contains are pulled into many spinning balls, or protostars -most stars are made of hydrogen and helium and some have carbon in them too (explain that gases arEfelements that are found in nature and are invisible, helium is what is put inside of balloons to make them float) -as gravity protostar becomes denser and denser and hotter and hotter (reaching l8,iIB aegrees F) as all these gases come together all the teeny tiny atoms within the gases also come together; when this happens, nuclear fusion occurs AND A STAR IS BORN (explain that nuclear reactors are places where power is generated and can create the power for a whole city, this energy . is created by splitting atoms) -this nuclear fusion is what causes the brightness of a star Life Cycle of a STAR . , o i " " til \1 n u u u Color, Size and Temperature In most cases, the bigger and hotter a star is, the brighter it appears. A star's brightness is called its apparent magnitude. Astonomers assign numbers to stars based on their apparent magnitude. " The lower the number, the brighter the star appears. The sun has an apparent magnitude of -26.7. Sirius, the brightest star we can see without a telescope, has an apparent magnitude of -1.5. The stars which appear faintest have an apparent magnitude of +6. . A star's color shows how hot it is. The order of temperature of stars is from hottest to coolest: , Blue Supergiant Blue Giant White Dwarf Yellow Sun Red Supergiant Red Giant Red Dwarf Blue Supergiant Red Supergiant Blue Giant Red Giant Yellow Star Red Dwarf White Dwarf Some interesting star facts: 10,000 F 5,500 F 3,500 F Star Order of Brightness . Red dwarfs have a very small mass-just enough to start a nuclear reaction. They bum fuel slowly and may bum for billions of years. .. Medium sized stars tIike our Sun) are lOx as massive and much hotter than red dwarfs. They bum fuel faster and usually last only about 10 billion years. Red dwarfs and medium stars become red giants and then white dwarfs. They then cool for millions of years and become black dwarfs. Blue giants are "the most massive stars. They are 35x bigger than our sun and millions of degrees hotter. Blue giants use up energy fastest and often last for only a few million years. Blue giants become red supergiants and often explode in a supernova. As a supernova, a star becomes brighter than ever before, then the core collapses and shrinks. Very massive blue giants can become so dense that their gravity pulls everything into them-these become "black holes". Less massive blue giants can explode and collapse into dense spinning spheres called "neutron stars"., . d .. . ,;/'/1 // I / I // I // /// . .... - ., I , -,I) I " I " .......... ; , . , : IS\'\> . .. .... ... !2 C " ' "i/o --- !:lid ., :. /' ". .,. .,.f) TO.' lii , 0 ,,g'_. 4'.[ .:;f' .... M 0;' e+.e .. 13 .;: o < . . Pleiades .. ...... Castor ..... Pollux....... ..... _. GEMINI The Kids Hyades --... #. Capella ... . . . . ,j/f.i/ Aldebaran :'AURIGA : Sa.lJlr, .. ' . '. '" ., . ,' TAURUS .... e" Rigel ... . ". "Nb . \ ( . ' .. ". continued A-om OIIcemtJer f. A partW IOIer ecIJpIo II visible for mud! of N America, as far northeast al Long Island and lOUIhwestem New England. From the West Coast Of the U.S., the panlal eclipse begins around noon PST and II over within an hour or two. But as seen from east of long W, the event starts late In the aftomoon and the view of the eclipse II terminated by &Unset. Do not obaerve tho SuA directly, either with unaided cyo or through binoculars or a telescope. Instead, tab a small mirror and cover up most of its surface with paper or masking tape. Use the uncovered portion of the mirror to reflect an Image of the eclipsed Sun onto a wall or ceiling of a room. UsIng thll Ilmple method, seversl oeoDIe Ilmultaneouaty can follOw the variousl1ag of tho IOlar eclJpae In complete ttfety. For more Infunnlltlon on the eclipse Including tlmel for various c:ltlcs, check the web site: =re1IU&l?Aa;:e:fu, nina planets: Smm Is low In ENE: to E at dusk. climb-I' 1"0 higher as month progresses. / Satum Is tho bright -star In Taurul, 4 from Aldebaran and over a magnltudo brighter. Moon COVIfS Satum night 01 1bun-Fd Dec 27-28: Saturn disappears behind Moon's leading dark edge before 9 pm. In Hawall,lust after midnight PST from West Coast, and around 4 a.m. EST from East Coast. For times for various cities, see the web site bnp;l/wyiw lynaT. or;cuttatfool comBO', of visibility of this event acrosa Canada and U.S. Man Is In S to SSW at dusk, about a fainter than Saturn . .kqIIter Is very bright (mag -2.1), rising In ENE within 2" hours after lunset on Dec 1, shifting earlier to around &unset at month'a end. Jupiter Is In Gemlnl3r to 31 E of Satum and follows it acroaa the Gky during the night. Is very low In SW to WSW last few days of month. :x MornIng Planetl: Jupiter II la'!n:. ':,:.':t. W progresses. Saturn fa low In WNW at dawn at stan of December, 3r lowor right of Jupiter and settlnr around aunrlso. By Dec 3 Saturn sell 2" hours tiefor8 BUnrise. Venus. In flrlt few days of month, has barely risen In ESE In mid-twilight, about 45 mlnutOl before sunrise. By mldmonth, Venus rlsel only half an hour before aunup, but mlgh1 still bo seen with binoculars. SUNDAY MONDAY Mondey Dec 3 Capella Kids e Use this scale to measure angular distances between objects on diagrams below. TUESDAY I WEDNESDAY I bocombGr SUndoy, December 2 three hours after sunset THURSDAY I FRIDAY Mondo--y-Dec 3: Si1Um at opposition, up all night. Hyades 30 minutes before .unrbo: r 10- 20-IIILLLLIII SATURDAY Sat Dec " morning and evening: Moon shown In first two boxes of this row. Moon rises within / Jupiter GEMINI AURIGA Can you spot Venua lullt At mag -4.4, Saturn outshines nearby Aldebaran by nearty one mag. RIngs 2e- from edgc-on. one hour sher sunset this evening, 13"' lower leh of Saturn. o 8cJndey Dec 2 \, Saturn.. risen In ESE? It gets closcr Aldebaran to Sun and harder to see with each passing day. TAURUS Tucaday Dec 4, ono hour before .unriM Dec 1-3, one hour befof'o sunrise 6U-MoonSaturday10 Evening: Northommoat Moon rises about ,,, hours ehers aunscrt. About half an hour leter, watch for Jupiter rising to Moon's lower leh. Moon will paat! closely N Moon 0 . . Calnor DecH, 11'hours before .unriM Betelgeu80 Saturday, Moon o Dec 1 GEMINI Saturn Castor '0 SundayZ . Pollux ORION SICICLI Jupiter I Denebola Dura 'Q& LEO ORION bolt ... Aldebaran. Jupiter. W Hyades WNW Pollux Betelgeuse E bolt of Jupiter In Monday's predawn hours. Soo flrI1 box In this row. e Procyon IUon'ltlllll lalit Otr Fri7 Regulus ... I.' ENE Mon30 Look WSW to W. Look high In S. Dec9& 10, one hour, altar .unMt zeta Dec 10 SUndaYIWednesdaYDeC 12. b. Dec 9 25 minutes \ before .unrbo: Gemma Use binoculars for Venus. L. Moon ThuridaY-DeC 13, 25 minutes before IUnriao Don'1mlso Frlday'a solar eclipse: see leh margin. Old L. Moon Night of Thursday, December 13: Gemlnld metoora near peale. Best tlmo to loolc 10 p.m.-6 a.m. local time. when radlan1, noar Castor, Is high in the sky. Meteors from this shower appear New Moon 3:47 p.m. EST Friday Dec 14. Solar SatUrday Dec 15. eclipse: Center of the Moon's shadow, where an 25 minutes altar .unset annular or -ring- eclipse can be seen, first touches Earth at sunrise in Pacific Occan near lat 30- N lust W Binoc:ufaJs help of Inri Date Line. Tracking loutheastward, tho path of spot thin Moon annublmy paaseslult S of HawaII. resulting In a deep In bright twilight. partial eclipse there around 9:25 a.m. local time. 'tWo hours later, the center of the luner shadow dipa just S Spica InSE ESE Venus d f ESI: Vi. onus.... s..e J&lower than those in I .... I ... __ ._.-.mostothershowers. of the Equator near long 12r W. Then it tums nonh- I Young eastward to cross Costa Rica and Nicaragua and enter Moon the Caribbean Sea, where It leaves Earth at sunset SW /' WSN near long 16.1- W. lat 14.r N. continued In Id mll'(Jln. I ...... -(, .. 1.""0-. a.........L....JTuelday 18 Alpha '8eUI Dec 19-21, 11' hours after IUnaot FrI Doc 21: SOlitlee2:2' p.m. EST. D Sat Dec 22: Look for Firl1 Quaner Moon about so- (I' circle) leh of setting Sun. Note Moon fa balf lIIumlnatt:td. Excellent In binoculars! , Alpha Winter begina in Earth's N hemisphere, LlFri21 lambda Aqr Aqr summer in tho southern. e Mars In SSVV , Mars, moving east ". per Capell: Kids Pollux before day against tho stars, passes Saturn.' 0 Mon 31 .unriso I O.S-SEof4ttHnagLambda AURIGA JMonday17 Delte Aqr Delte\COP in Aquarius. See next box left. Aldebaran Wed 19 Uranus .-CAPRICORNUS One hour ..J aftor sunset sw Sunday 164 ! OFriDec28 I ... ' See Dec 24. sundiY bee Monday Dec 31. .jMon Dec 31, O Full Moon 40 mlnutea after 2" hours 5:40 a.m. EST .unset: Four naIIed-eye after.unaot planeb apan 165-Deepest penumbral along a line Inretchlng Castor eclipse Sunday nearly hom horizon to morning, opposite horizon: 5:29 a.m. EST, Morcwy vary low 2:29 a.m. PST, SW WSW .. _- II12:29 &m. In ., we. HawalL up In SSW, Saturn 10 Southern part E, and Jupiter low In of Moon's disk ENE, at opposition appears overnight. noticeably dusky. Robert C. Victor, Patti Toivonen ISSN 07336314 Pollux Moon o ENE I (usc binoculars) -:10"9 Full Moon JupiterO Sunday 30 Jupiter Wed a Thu ... Dec 26 & 'D. one hour aftel' sunset Pleiades; o Wed 26 Sat Doc 29 0 Full overnight GEMINI Sat 29 Orion'a Castor Jupiter Betelgeuse. Jupiter I 0 Thurs 'D .. 29 (mag -2.1) Satum.. SundayO Watch Moon approach Jupiter all at opposition In E 'H ados 30. ENE E night. Compare Moon's polltlons, tonight. V Dec 29 in evening and Dec 30 In Aldebaran morning, in previoua two boxes. NIght of Thuraday Doc 'D: Moon occults (covel'll' Satum tonight from Hawaii and N Penumbral edJpao Sundav Procyon America, everywhero S of a line from central British Columbia serosa W Canada to N morning: see next box. e E shore of Lake Superior, then acrosa Ontario and N Vermont to S Maine. See leh margin for times and web site for additional Information. Subscriptions: $10 per year. from Sky Calendar, Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University. East Lansing, MI 48824. Skywatcher's Dial}' is available at www.po.msu.edujabromsjdial}..html. .. Ul '-J 'a.. " . .. . ... O{/) c ........... - (/) '. Q < " z ". r"'l < '. . ... {/) .,/ Siy QII"".,ln fbd hal 01ZOO2 wIIJ follow a 01 evening planet Unoupa and gatllerfngL As year begins. bright Jupiter la at ooll.r opposition, In Gemini, low In ENE at duak. Satum Is In E, In Teurus near Aldebaran, while Mara la well up In SSW, below Greet Square of Pegasus. Mercury Is very low In SW; just emerged from Sun's far side, It brings total to four pbneta visible, on a long line . stretching nearty from horizon to opposite horizon. On January 11, Mercury la tit its hIgbeat for this appearance. But Mercury fades lilto oolar glare on near aide of Sun ten dayalater, leaving only ... Satum-Jupher. After Venus emerges from far side of Sun Into evening twilight In late February, at least four planota will be vlalble at dusk continu-ously until late M8V. And In late April end .rty MIIy 2OG2.during Mercury's next evening appearance and best of the year, .a five nakecHye pIeneta wit be Men together In 1M weatam allyl After a aericla of planet gatherings In earty May and lubaequem departure of Mercury and Saturn, tho brlabtaat. Venus and JupitIr. wIJJ pW up In eMy.IuM. MlYwittlual lit cIuU: JupIter appears as brightest evening etar of mag -2.7 to -2.8 In Gemlnllaee Jan " 23-27, 31), . gaining altitude In ENE to E 81 month progresses. Saturn Is In E to SE, lOme 30- upper right of Jupiter and one-tenth 81 bright. Saturn remains about 4- from Aldebaran, the Bull's eye. M .. II well up In SSW to SW, or to Sir W of Saturn. Although a magnitude falmer and Placet; 100 Jan 17-19, 24. Mercury II low In WSW first throe weeb. quite favorable and bright umll mldmomh, then fading rapidly In following weeIt. Mercury Is to lower right of Mars, by 60" Oil Jan " decreasing to 44- Jan 11-18, then Increasing to 49- by Jan 21. Uneup of four planets (Meto-Mar-Sat.Jup) spens on Jan 1, 144- during Jan 16-21. WatdI Moon paIS them Jan 14-28. LIneup of throe bright ou11Ir planets, Mars-Satum-Jupiter, spana 163- on Jan 1, on Jan 31. this threesome remalnl visible at dU11c until Saturn departl In late Mev. January dawn.: Jvphor Is low In WNW earty In momh. It leta at sunrise on Jan " one hour bofore sunup tit mldmonth, and before start of twilight In lato January. I SUNDAY 'Capell .. .' Kids Jupiter at opposition. visible all night. Saturn 31-to its upper right. GEMINI - -0...,. Ell Mu Epailon * Jupiter Use this scole to measure angular distances between objects on diagrams below. MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY ntURSDAY FRIDAY Tuesday January 1 at dulk141S hours after sunaet TAURUS Saturn * Hyades Aldebaran. SICIClEOTues Jan 1 Denebola (lIon's talll January 2-4'1 Friday Jan 4 11S hours before sunrise: Jupiter, High SW to WSW retrograding 8 arcmlnutet (just over 0.1-) Catch Mercury before It seta _ per dav, in WSW so- lower right Thurs 30 SICIC1E. passes 2.0- N OFrl4 LEO January 5-7, ", hours before sultriae Zeta Just past Last Otr MoonSetS Gamma In Virgo of Mars in SSW, and Regulus of 3rd-m8gnitude you'll see four planeta, ENe 0 Wed Jan 2 E 0 Epsilon In Gemini. Spica InS Me-Ma-Sa-Ju, spanning Regulus. Compare Jan 1,31. 167 across Wed 2 the s/cy. Jen 9-11, rs en 10 at Frf Jon 11, one hour Sat Jan 12 one hour Four planetl, Mercury-Mars- after sunset 25 minutes Antares. . before lunriae Setum-Jupiter, Ipan 150- before sunriao, - Castor Betelgeuse - Rigel acroes the s/cy. Compare S states Jan 17. Tonight Mercury- Delu. CoP ..... + Uranus Pollux ENE E belt Thurs10L SUndayJonS Momlng: Moon near Spica; see pt8VIous box. easv Evenfngs thll week are best for seeing Mercury. Jd Moon Look about 45 mlnutea to one hour after sunset. When you spot It. look Min for lineup of four pIaneta. Mercury-Mers-Satum-Juplter, across tho s/cy.en 11 8)ANewMoon 8:29 a.m. EST. Saturn, retrograding very slowly, paf18C18 O.S-N of 3.5-mag Epsilon In Taurus. This week la laot good chance to lee MercUry Monct.y .. an '4 Yonul It superior oonJunGtlon. on far aide of Sun; will emerge Into view at dUM by late February. DuaIc at dusk until ita noxt evening I Young Moon appearance, mid-April to SW " earfvMav . Fomelhaul Capella _ .. Klda Antarel Mercury* Mars=4S-, MarsSaturn=7S-, 0/' (Use blnocul.rs Saturn-Jupiter Juat over 30-. Gamm as slcy darken . ) Also, Mercury In WSW, 31- lower left of Altair In W 11r '-and 31-lower right of from Sun Fomalhaut In SSW. 11 .t .... ..) Moon four planets end Moon within 144- (minimum &pan' al Mercury fades from mag +0.4 to +1.3. Jupiter and Saturn are 30- apart. Moon paslcs Mara aa shown In next box. Delta Cop. + Uranus Fomalhaut Mercury* Thurs Jon 24 at dusIc frl18.J Watch Mars Thu 17..) movc; seo Jan 24. Moon noarly 5C of at dulk: the way from Satum Moon toward Jupiter, see hal large box for Jan 23-27. overtaken Delta Cqp '-. +Uranus Monday 21 D First Quarter inS AURIGA Saturn* Hyadea Moon forms compact triangle with Saturn and Aldebaran; see previous box. Mars aligns with E side of Great Square of Pegasus this evening and Friday. Watch Mara move Frf Jan 25 at dualc: Moon approaches Jupiter; Jupiter until 2 hours see /) CETUS SU,.y 20 Mercury at Inferior conjunction, nearly IPollUX end Castor between Earth and above Sun. In evening, Moon Full near Pollux and Moon 0 Procyon-Three brIght luperior planets span 90-. Moon-Me-Sa-Ju span 12:J-. Castor; see large box for Jan 23-27. ENE Robert C. Victor, Patti Toivonen ISSN 0733-6314 E -Cestor Pollux lburs240 Aldebaran Jupiter '\" frl250 -In\E Ell 'Mu .* o Set 28 GEMINI TAURUS ORION . Betelgeuse R19:11 batt out of alignment with those two etars next week. &los"an 29, two hours after sun ... Merato Satum Sau a 00-. .0 Moon ENE -Regulus E _ before sunrise Jan 28. Jan 23-27. one hOUl before IUnriao Moon SICICu 0 .. Regulul Jupiter In E \ .EII EPII!0n* MuWatch for changes In thlll OSunday'D InW pattern in Feb. Subscriptions: $10 per year, from Sky Calendor, Abrams Planetarium, Michigan State University, East lansing, MI 48824. Skywatcher's Diary is available at www.po.msu.edu/obroms/diof}'.litm/. u u Cosmic Dust www.historyoftheuniverse.com r Web Page 1 of 1 Ouestions? Comments! , HotuWiki Basic Information Hotl] Pages Hotuwiki EnvirQD.m_ent > Cosmic Dust 11.Bl11iQn Years.ag.Q This site tells the story of the history of the universe. Click Earlier and Later to follow the story. Note: M have been simplified to make them easier to understand. We have seen that Dova and are major ways in which the new, heavy nuclei made in red_gian1 stars are sent out into the galaxy, ready to be incorporated into new stars and If this re-cycling did not happen, planets and could never have begun. As they are shot out of the star some f},toms gain too many (giving them a negative electric charge) while others have too few (giving them a positive charge). This type of atom is called an ion. These opposite charges attract strongly and glue the atoms together. This type of gluing is called an iQuicbond. The atoms pack in close together to form tiny crystals we call grains of cosmic dust. Some of them will eventually form the rocks of the Earth. These dust grains are blown out of dying stars and mix with the original of the Galaxy to form dust clouds. The disc of the galaxy became thick with dust. . AdsJw. GoogIe' CQ$rnic.B.ab.y Co.smic Bugs CosmiG Carbone .. .tnej;)Q.Qk! Ea_rlier 11 Billloll.Y_e3f.S ago. L.ate.r Physlc.aLE.nylrQnm.eot> Cosmic Dust Basic Information Further Information .Other Hotu BJ2tuwiki Search Now: L-----.. -.... J I Search and .. : d a.ma2;On.COm . ...,. .. ....,,-Copyright 2006 Penny Press Ltd 1 ?I?O/?OOf\ Cosmic dust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cosmic dust From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cosmic dust is composed of particles in space which are a few molecules to 0.1 mm in size. Cosmic dust can be further distinguished by its astronomical location; for example: intergalactic dust, interstellar dust, circumplanetary dust, dust clouds around other stars, and the major interplanetary dust components to our own zodiacal dust complex (seen in visible light as the zodiacal light): Comet dust, asteroidal dust plus some of the less significant contributors: Kuiper belt dust, interstellar dust passing through our solar system, and beta-meteoroids. Cosmic dust was once solely an annoyance to astronomers, as it obscures objects they wish to observe. When infrared astronomy began, those so-called annoying dust particles were observed to be significant and vital components of astrophysical processes. For example, the dust can drive the mass loss when a star is nearing the end of its life, playa part in the early stages of star Page 1 of6 ; .... --.-----... - ..... -...................... - .... -.-... --..... --...... --.. i Porous chondrite interplanetary dust particle. Courtesy ofE.K. Jessberger, Institut fUr Planetologie, MUnster, Germany, and Don Brownlee, University of Washington, Seattle, under a cc-a-2.S license. formation, and form planets. In our own solar system, dust plays a major role in the zodiacal light, Saturn's B Ring spokes, the outer diffuse planetary rings at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, the resonant dust ring at the Earth, and comets. The study of dust is a many-faceted research topic that brings together different scientific fields: physics (solid-state, electromagnetic theory, surface physics, statistical physics, thermal physics), (fractal mathematics),. chemistry (chemical reactions on grain surfaces), meteoritics, as well as every branch of astronomy and astrophysics. These disparate research areas can be linked by the following theme: the cosmic dust particles evolve cyclically; chemically, physically and dynamically. The evolution of dust traces out paths in which the universe recycles material, in processes analogous to the daily recycling steps with which many people are familiar: production, storage, processing, collection, consumption, and discarding. Observations and measurements of cosmic dust in different regions provide an important insight into the universe's recycling processes; in the clouds of the diffuse interstellar medium, in molecular clouds, in the circumstellar dust of young stellar objects, and in planetary systems such as our own solar system, where astronomers consider dust as in its most recycled state. The astronomers accumulate observational 'snapshots' of dust at different stages of its life and, over time, form a more complete movie of the universe's complicated recycling steps. The detection of cosmic dust points to another facet of cosmic dust research: dust acting as photons. Once cosmic dust is detected, the scientific problem to be solved is an inverse problem to determine what processes brought that encoded photon-like object (dust) to the detector. Parameters such the particle's initial motion, material properties, intervening pl