Slide 1 Constellation Originations and Modern Interpretations --- Andromeda Constellation and Mythology Presented By: Coral Rea Today we are going to talk about where constellations originated from, what they are used for today, and then take a deeper look at the Andromeda constellation and myth. Lastly, I m going to share a modern version of the Andromeda story that I wrote. Feel free to ask questions at any time. I suggest you take notes. It s not mandatory, but could help you at the end when we will have a little quiz/survey.
Slide 2 Beforehand Knowledge Survey Please fill out survey as complete as r1 possible Use full-sentences NEAT writing Hand-in survey to Coral when completed r2 This is for me to measure how much you know NOW as opposed to what you have learned AFTER our time together. (explain and hand out surveys)
Slide 3 What is a constellation? A region in the sky represented by a group of stars that make-up a dot-todot picture Pictures are usually of animals or people Most constellations do not really look like what they represent Motz, Lloyd, and Carol Nathanson. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. 1st. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1988. Print. Constellations are big dot-to-dot pictures in the sky that have been observed for thousands of years. Generally, these pictures are of animals or people, thought there are objects also. To view a constellation, you must use your imagination since most constellations don t actually look like what they are supposed to represent.
Slide 4 Familiar Constellations For example, Pisces does not look like a fish. Other constellations are easy to point out, though, like the Big and Little Dippers (or properly named Ursa Major and Ursa Minor).
Slide 5 Constellations? Yes. Zodiac Signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces How Many? 88 officially recognized (the celestial eighty-eight) Ridpath, Ian. Star Tales. New York: Universe Books, 1988. Print. Many of you may not know that your zodiac signs are actually associated with constellations. We ll touch more on the significance of zodiac signs in just a moment. Zodiac signs are just twelve of the 88 officially recognized constellations as was agreed upon by the International Astronomical Union in 1928.
Slide 6 Constellation Uses Long Ago Mostly used as entertainment Like pictures in clouds Also held religious value Zodiac Signs Constellation that planets, Sun, and Moon passed through during that month Used as calendar Motz, Lloyd, and Carol Nathanson. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. 1st. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1988. Print. Thousands of years ago, constellations where mostly used as a form of entertainment. The sky was a big mystery, and, as we all know, mysteries are intriguing. Basically, people looked at the stars and made patterns out of them, then created stories to go along with the pictures. This is not unlike observing clouds and seeing shapes in them. The only difference is that we can detect cloud movement within minutes, whereas the movements of stars is hard to detect because of their extreme distance from us. In actuality, stars are moving hundreds of miles per second as they orbit, we just can t detect this for tens of thousands of years. Furthermore, people watched constellations and other celestial objects to tell the changing of the seasons, thus, essentially using them as calendars. Constellations also held religious value. In fact, zodiac signs represent constellations in which the planets, Moon, and Sun pass through as they move through the sky. Ancient people thought these signs were gods that had significant power over what happened to the people.
Slide 7 Constellation Uses Today Easy way to find celestial objects Eliminate confusion between communicating astronomers Entertainment (a little) Motz, Lloyd, and Carol Nathanson. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. 1st. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1988. Print. Constellations are mostly used today to help locate celestial objects. Astronomers can easily find a constellation and use those stars to guide him/her to the object they are looking for, whether it be another star, galaxy, planet, or anything else. Also, if you are gazing at something specific, you can use constellations to help guide another viewer to your selected object. This can help eliminate confusion. Lastly, constellations are still used a little for entertainment value. For example, at some point during your life, someone probably pointed out a constellation or two and told you a little about them. Also, you ve all probably heard of, or have even seen, the Hollywood hit Clash of the Titans, whether new or old. This story is about Andromeda, Perseus, Cassiopeia, and several other well known constellations that are all wrapped up in a thrilling Greek myth.
Slide 8 Andromeda Greek Mythology Queen Cassiopeia angers the Nereids by boasting of her beauty Nereids ask Poseidon to teach Cassiopeia a lesson Poseidon sets Cetus, the sea monster, to attack King Cepheus s land Cepheus asks the Oracle what must be done to discontinue the violence of Cetus Ridpath, Ian. Star Tales. New York: Universe Books, 1988. Print Oracle: Cepheus must sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to Cetus Andromeda is chained to rocks when Perseus sees her Perseus asks king and queen to marry Andromeda (they say yes) Perseus saves Andromeda and the king s people by killing the monster With the Clash of the Titan s movie in mind, let s go ahead and transition over and look more closely at the Andromeda constellation and story. Let me give you a brief overview of the Greek myth associated with Andromeda. I m sure you ve heard this story, or at least part of it at some point in your life. Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. The queen was very boastful of her beauty and one day claimed she was more beautiful than the Nereids (Neer-ee-id), who were an attractive group of sea nymphs. The Nerieds did not take to kindly to this and asked the sea god, Poseidon, to teach the queen a lesson. Poseidon sent a sea monster, Cetus, to destroy the coast of King Cepheus s land. Cepheus went to the Oracle of Ammon to find out what he could do to stop the monster from more damage. The solution was to sacrifice his daughter to the monster. Andromeda was chained to the rocks to await her fate to Cetus. Her mother was forced to watch from the shore and see what her boastfulness had caused. It so happens, that as Andromeda stand chained, Perseus returns from his trip of defeating Medusa, and falls in love with the beautiful Andromeda. Perseus asks the girl why she is chained and eventually she tells him right before Cetus, the monster, comes into sight. Perseus quickly asks the king and queen for their daughter s hand in marriage and then kills Cetus and rescues Andromeda. The story of Perseus is the main focus of Clash of the Titan s, and is a thrilling story, so, if you haven t heard it, you definitely should look it up. The story of Andromeda is very dramatic and thrilling, which is typical of Greek mythology.
Slide 9 Andromeda Ancient History Thought to have originated from the Babylonian Epic of Creation Greek poets, like Euripides and Sophocles, often wrote of Andromeda Also known as the Woman Chained and The Widow Motz, Lloyd, and Carol Nathanson. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. 1st. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1988. Print. The story of Andromeda and her rescue by Perseus was thought to have originated from the Babylonian Epic of Creation, which is a set of seven tablets that the Babylonians wrote (and is a whole other story). Greek tragic poets, like Euripides and Sophocles, wrote about Andromeda, as well as the Romans, Arabs, and other ancient people. She is often referred to as the chained woman or the widow. Much of the art you find of Andromeda will be over her chained to rocks because, in the original story, that s where she is when she encounters Perseus.
Slide 10 Andromeda Location Surrounded by Perseus, Pegasus, Cassiopeia (and Cepheus above) Separated from Cetus by Aries, Pisces, and Triangulum Seen in Northern Hemisphere during fall (best in November around 9 pm) Joined with Great Square of Pegasus by the star Alpheratz Motz, Lloyd, and Carol Nathanson. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. 1st. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1988. Print. Now, for the less dramatic, I want to discuss the Andromeda constellation. The Andromeda constellation can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere during fall (some say the best time is in November around 9pm). Close to the Andromeda constellation is Perseus, Pegasus, Cassiopeia, and, above Andromeda, is Cepheus. Andromeda is only separated from the dreaded monster, Cetus, by Aries, Pisces, and Triangulum. Andromeda is joined with Great Square of Pegasus by the common star Alpheratz.
Slide 11 (Show the different constellations)
Slide 12 Andromeda Content Motz, Lloyd, and Carol Nathanson. The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky. 1st. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc, 1988. Print. Joined with the Great Square of Pegasus by the star Alpheratz Alpheratz marks head/hair Delta and Mirach Beta marks left leg Almach Gamma marks left foot Adhil XI marks right leg Lambda marks right arm Zeta marks left arm
Slide 13 Andromeda Content Andromeda Galaxy M31 Located on right hip Can be seen with unaided eye Giant, spiral galaxy closest to Earth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =HWxBTHVhc3I "Andromeda Galaxy." McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. Web. 27 September 2011. The most famous characteristic of the Andromeda is the Andromeda Galaxy, which is also known as M31 or NGC 224. M31 is a giant, spiral galaxy, much like the Milky Way, that is the closest spiral galaxy to Earth. To help you better understand M31, I want to show you a short, three-minute YouTube video. Hopefully, that explained a little more than I could.
Slide 14 Andromeda Modern Interpretation Modern stories are less dramatic and action-oriented than ancient tales Written to draw in youth interest Setting and style meant to enhance relation and understanding for youth Please follow along and save any questions for the end. Now, I am going to hand out my modern version of the Andromeda story so you can follow along as I read it aloud. Please keep in mind that modern stories are much less dramatic and less action oriented than ancient tales. I took a more subtle approach to this story to help you guys relate more to the story of Andromeda and maybe draw a little more interest.
Slide 15 Final Knowledge Survey Please fill out survey as compete as possible Use full-sentences NEAT writing Hand-in survey to Coral when completed This is for me to compare what you knew before the presentation to after, and, thus, gage how effective the presentation was. (Explain and hand out final survey) While everyone is taking their survey, I m going to pass out a fun, little word search and some candy to thank you all for your time and working with me through this. (When complete, thank everyone )