All of these photos were taken with a Canon DSLR and 18-55 and or 55-250 lens
Altair the Eagle
Altair is only 16.8 light-years away from Earth, making it one of our nearer stellar neighbors....Altair is also known as Alpha Aquilae, and it is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila the Eagle....Many depictions place Altair as the head or neck of an eagle with outstretched wings. The tips of the wings are formed by the Theta and Zeta stars of the constellation Aquila the Eagle, with the tail being Lambda. Once visualized, Aquila the Eagle can be seen flying eastward through the Milky Way, apparently about to devour the tiny constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin.....
The Story:
Altair was an eagle favored by Zeus. Aquila is the eagle that snatched up the beautiful Trojan boy Ganymede, son of King Tros, to become the cup-bearer of the gods on Olympus. Authorities such as the Roman poet Ovid say that Zeus turned himself into an eagle, whereas others say that the eagle was simply sent by Zeus. Ganymede himself is represented by the neighboring constellation of Aquarius, and star charts show Aquila swooping down towards Aquarius. Germanicus Caesar says that the eagle is guarding the arrow of Eros (neighboring Sagitta) which made Zeus love-struck.
The constellations of the eagle and the swan are linked in an account by Hyginus. Zeus fell in love with the goddess Nemesis but, when she resisted his advances, he turned himself into a swan and had Aphrodite pretend to pursue him in the form of an eagle. Nemesis gave refuge to the escaping swan, only to find herself in the embrace of Zeus. To commemorate this successful trick, Zeus placed the images of swan and eagle in the sky as the constellations Cygnus and Aquila.
The Story:
Altair was an eagle favored by Zeus. Aquila is the eagle that snatched up the beautiful Trojan boy Ganymede, son of King Tros, to become the cup-bearer of the gods on Olympus. Authorities such as the Roman poet Ovid say that Zeus turned himself into an eagle, whereas others say that the eagle was simply sent by Zeus. Ganymede himself is represented by the neighboring constellation of Aquarius, and star charts show Aquila swooping down towards Aquarius. Germanicus Caesar says that the eagle is guarding the arrow of Eros (neighboring Sagitta) which made Zeus love-struck.
The constellations of the eagle and the swan are linked in an account by Hyginus. Zeus fell in love with the goddess Nemesis but, when she resisted his advances, he turned himself into a swan and had Aphrodite pretend to pursue him in the form of an eagle. Nemesis gave refuge to the escaping swan, only to find herself in the embrace of Zeus. To commemorate this successful trick, Zeus placed the images of swan and eagle in the sky as the constellations Cygnus and Aquila.
Andromeda
Andromeda is located north of the celestial equator, The constellation's most obvious deep-sky object is the Andromeda Galaxy, also called M31, the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and one of the brightest Messier objects.
The Story:
Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus of Ethiopia and Queen Cassiopeia, who offended the Nereids (sea nymphs) by claiming that she was more beautiful than they were.
The nymphs complained to the sea god Poseidon and he sent a sea monster, Cetus, to flood and destroy Cepheus’ lands as punishment for his wife’s boastfulness.
When the king sought advice from the Oracle of Ammon on how to prevent complete destruction of his lands, he was told that the only way to appease the gods and nymphs was to sacrifice his daughter to Cetus. Andromeda was chained to a rock and would have been left to the monser if Perseus had not come along and saved her.
The two were later married and had six children, including Gorgophonte, who fathered Tyndareus, the famous Spartan king, and Perses, who was an ancestor of the Persians.
it was the goddess Athena who commemorated princess Andromeda by placing Andromeda among the stars, next to the constellations representing her husband Perseus and her mother Cassiopeia
The monster who was sent to ravage Ethiopia was also turned into a constellation, Cetus
The Story:
Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus of Ethiopia and Queen Cassiopeia, who offended the Nereids (sea nymphs) by claiming that she was more beautiful than they were.
The nymphs complained to the sea god Poseidon and he sent a sea monster, Cetus, to flood and destroy Cepheus’ lands as punishment for his wife’s boastfulness.
When the king sought advice from the Oracle of Ammon on how to prevent complete destruction of his lands, he was told that the only way to appease the gods and nymphs was to sacrifice his daughter to Cetus. Andromeda was chained to a rock and would have been left to the monser if Perseus had not come along and saved her.
The two were later married and had six children, including Gorgophonte, who fathered Tyndareus, the famous Spartan king, and Perses, who was an ancestor of the Persians.
it was the goddess Athena who commemorated princess Andromeda by placing Andromeda among the stars, next to the constellations representing her husband Perseus and her mother Cassiopeia
The monster who was sent to ravage Ethiopia was also turned into a constellation, Cetus
Boötes
( /boʊˈoʊtɨs/, with each ‘o’ pronounced separately and stress on the second syllable )
Boötes is the 13th largest constellation in the night sky, occupying an area of 907 square degrees.
The brightest star in the constellation is Arcturus, which is also the third brightest star in the night sky.
The Story:
Boötes is taken to represent Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto, daughter of the Arcadian king Lycaon. Arcas was brought up by his grandfather, the king, who one day decided to test Zeus by serving him his own son for a meal. Zeus, however, saw through Lycaon’s intentions, transformed the cruel king into a wolf, killed all his sons with thunderbolts, and brought Arcas back to life.
Zeus’ wife Hera, having heard of her husband’s infidelity, transformed Callisto into a bear. Callisto roamed the woods until, years later, she met her son, who was now grown up. Arcas didn’t recognize his mother and began to chase her. Callisto hid herself in a temple, where he could not hurt her without risking being convicted to death for defiling a sacred place. To avoid a tragedy, Zeus placed both of them in the sky; Callisto as Ursa Major and Arcas as Boötes.
Boötes is the 13th largest constellation in the night sky, occupying an area of 907 square degrees.
The brightest star in the constellation is Arcturus, which is also the third brightest star in the night sky.
The Story:
Boötes is taken to represent Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto, daughter of the Arcadian king Lycaon. Arcas was brought up by his grandfather, the king, who one day decided to test Zeus by serving him his own son for a meal. Zeus, however, saw through Lycaon’s intentions, transformed the cruel king into a wolf, killed all his sons with thunderbolts, and brought Arcas back to life.
Zeus’ wife Hera, having heard of her husband’s infidelity, transformed Callisto into a bear. Callisto roamed the woods until, years later, she met her son, who was now grown up. Arcas didn’t recognize his mother and began to chase her. Callisto hid herself in a temple, where he could not hurt her without risking being convicted to death for defiling a sacred place. To avoid a tragedy, Zeus placed both of them in the sky; Callisto as Ursa Major and Arcas as Boötes.
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century Greek astronomer Ptolemy,. It is easily recognizable due to its distinctive 'M' shape when in upper culmination but in higher northern locations when near lower culminations in spring and summer it has a 'W' shape, formed by five bright stars.
It is bordered by Andromeda to the south, Perseus to the southeast, and Cepheus to the north. It is opposite the Big Dipper. In northern locations above 34ºN latitude it is visible year-round and in the (sub)tropics it can be seen at its clearest from September to early November in its characteristic 'M' shape. Even in low southern latitudes below 25ºS is can be seen low in the North.
The Story:
Cassiopeia was the vain and boastful wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia, who stands next to her in the sky. They are the only husband-and-wife couple among the constellations. While combing her long locks one day, Cassiopeia dared to claim that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs called the Nereids. Such hubris by a mortal could not go unpunished and the Nereids went in search of retribution. There were 50 Nereids, all daughters of Nereus, the so-called Old Man of the Sea, and one of them, Amphitrite, was married to Poseidon, the sea god. Amphitrite and her sisters appealed to Poseidon to punish Cassiopeia for her vanity.
Bowing to their request, the sea god sent a monster to ravage the coast of King Cepheus’s country. This monster is commemorated in the constellation Cetus. To appease the monster, Cepheus and Cassiopeia chained their daughter Andromeda to a rock as a sacrifice, but Andromeda was saved from the monster’s jaws by the hero Perseus in one of the most famous rescue stories in history.
In the sky, Cassiopeia is depicted sitting on her throne. Each night she circles the celestial pole, sometimes upright, sometimes hanging upside down in apparent danger of falling out.
It is bordered by Andromeda to the south, Perseus to the southeast, and Cepheus to the north. It is opposite the Big Dipper. In northern locations above 34ºN latitude it is visible year-round and in the (sub)tropics it can be seen at its clearest from September to early November in its characteristic 'M' shape. Even in low southern latitudes below 25ºS is can be seen low in the North.
The Story:
Cassiopeia was the vain and boastful wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia, who stands next to her in the sky. They are the only husband-and-wife couple among the constellations. While combing her long locks one day, Cassiopeia dared to claim that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs called the Nereids. Such hubris by a mortal could not go unpunished and the Nereids went in search of retribution. There were 50 Nereids, all daughters of Nereus, the so-called Old Man of the Sea, and one of them, Amphitrite, was married to Poseidon, the sea god. Amphitrite and her sisters appealed to Poseidon to punish Cassiopeia for her vanity.
Bowing to their request, the sea god sent a monster to ravage the coast of King Cepheus’s country. This monster is commemorated in the constellation Cetus. To appease the monster, Cepheus and Cassiopeia chained their daughter Andromeda to a rock as a sacrifice, but Andromeda was saved from the monster’s jaws by the hero Perseus in one of the most famous rescue stories in history.
In the sky, Cassiopeia is depicted sitting on her throne. Each night she circles the celestial pole, sometimes upright, sometimes hanging upside down in apparent danger of falling out.
Corvus
Corvus is a small constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its name comes from the Latin word "raven" or "crow". It includes only 11 stars with brighter than 4.02 magnitudes. One of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. The four brightest stars, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Beta Corvi from a distinctive quadrilateral in the night sky. The young star Eta Corvi has been found to have two debris disks.
The Story:
The constellation Corvus represents the raven (or crow), Apollo’s sacred white feathered bird.
Apollo told the bird to watch over Coronis, one of his lovers, who was pregnant at the time. Coronis gradually lost interest in Apollo and fell in love with a mortal man, Ischys. When the raven reported the affair to Apollo, the god was so enraged that the bird did nothing to stop it that he flung a curse on it, scorching the raven’s feathers.
That, the legend goes, is why all ravens are black.
The Story:
The constellation Corvus represents the raven (or crow), Apollo’s sacred white feathered bird.
Apollo told the bird to watch over Coronis, one of his lovers, who was pregnant at the time. Coronis gradually lost interest in Apollo and fell in love with a mortal man, Ischys. When the raven reported the affair to Apollo, the god was so enraged that the bird did nothing to stop it that he flung a curse on it, scorching the raven’s feathers.
That, the legend goes, is why all ravens are black.
Part of the constellation Cygnus
The Story:
Cygnus (the swan) had many identities; however Cygnus was most likely Zeus in disguise. Leda (the wife of the Spartan king, Tyndareus, and the mother of the Gemini and Helen of Troy) had unrivaled beauty. Leda was so beautiful that Zeus could not resist her. Zeus knew that as himself he would not be able to win the love of Leda. Instead he took the form of a beautiful swan and eventually won her love.
Another story about Cygnus involves two gods who were racing chariots.
the two friends were so intent and focused on the race that they were not paying attention to where they were going. Suddenly, they found themselves too close to the sun, and their chariots started to melt. The two friends fell toward the Earth. One fell through some trees, which broke his fall. The other landed in a river and was knocked unconscious. The first friend wanted to rescue the other from the river but did not know how to swim. He asked Zeus to turn him into a swan, so that he could dive to the bottom of the river and save his friend. Moved by the young man’s friendship, Zeus turned him into a swan. He dove to the bottom of the river and saved his friend’s life. Zeus was again moved by his bravery, so when the swan died, Zeus placed him in the sky to serve as a reminder of courage and friendship.
Gemini
Gemini constellation is located in the northern hemisphere of the sky. Its name means “the twins” in Latin. The constellation represents the twins Castor and Pollux. Gemini is known mainly for its two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, for the neutron star Geminga, and for several notable deep sky objects, among them the open cluster Messier 35, the Eskimo Nebula, the Jellyfish Nebula, and the Medusa Nebula.
Leo
Leo lies between Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east. Its name is Latin for lion, and to the ancient Greeks represented the Nemean Lion killed by the Greek hero Hercules. Leo is one of the most easily recognizable due to its many bright stars and a distinctive shape that is reminiscent of the crouching lion. The lion's mane and shoulders also form an pattern known as "the Sickle," which to modern observers may resemble a backwards "question mark
Orion
Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous and recognizable constellations in the night sky. It is named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. Its brightest stars are Rigel (Beta Orionis) and Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), a blue-white and a red supergiant., Orion's seven brightest stars form a distinctive hourglass-shaped pattern in the night sky. Four stars—Rigel, Betelgeuse, Bellatrix and Saiph—form a large roughly rectangular shape, in the center of which lie the three stars of Orion's Belt—Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. Coincidentally, these seven stars are among the most distant that can easily be seen with the naked eye. Descending from the 'belt' is a smaller line of three stars (the middle of which is in fact not a star but the Orion Nebula), known as the hunter's 'sword'.
Many of the stars are luminous hot blue super giants.
Many of the stars are luminous hot blue super giants.
URSA Major
Ursa Major is a constellation in the northern celestial hemisphere. Its name, Latin for "the greater she-bear", stands as a reference to and in direct contrast with Ursa Minor, "the smaller she-bear". The constellation's most recognizable asterism, a group of seven relatively bright stars commonly known as the "Big Dipper" and is commonly used as a navigational pointer towards the current northern pole star, Polaris in Ursa Minor.
The third largest constellation in the sky, Ursa Major is home to many deep-sky objects including seven Messier objects, four NGC objects and I Zwicky 18, the youngest known galaxy in the visible universe.
The third largest constellation in the sky, Ursa Major is home to many deep-sky objects including seven Messier objects, four NGC objects and I Zwicky 18, the youngest known galaxy in the visible universe.
Ursa Minor
The Little Dipper is not an official constellation.
The Little Dipper is difficult to spot, being mush smaller and dimmer than the Big Dipper. However it is the Big Dipper that points to it, by the two stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper to point to the North Star Polaris, the star that doesn’t appear to move. That is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. The handle is seen in a curve of the stars upwards and a bit to the left to a small box of stars that is its bowl. The two stars at the front of the bowl are called the Guard Stars because they guard the pole.
The story:
The constellation represents Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto. Callisto had sworn herself to Artemis, but was later unable to resist Zeus’ advances and the two had a child, Arcas. When Zeus’ wife Hera found out about the betrayal and the child, she turned Callisto into a bear. Callisto spent the next 15 years wandering in the woods and avoiding hunters. One day, she came face to face with her son. Scared, Arcas drew a spear, ready to kill the bear. Luckily, Zeus saw the scene and intervened before it was too late. He threw the mother and son up to the heavens, where Callisto became Ursa Major ( Big Dipper ) and Arcas, Ursa Minor ( Little Dipper ).
The Little Dipper is difficult to spot, being mush smaller and dimmer than the Big Dipper. However it is the Big Dipper that points to it, by the two stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper to point to the North Star Polaris, the star that doesn’t appear to move. That is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. The handle is seen in a curve of the stars upwards and a bit to the left to a small box of stars that is its bowl. The two stars at the front of the bowl are called the Guard Stars because they guard the pole.
The story:
The constellation represents Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto. Callisto had sworn herself to Artemis, but was later unable to resist Zeus’ advances and the two had a child, Arcas. When Zeus’ wife Hera found out about the betrayal and the child, she turned Callisto into a bear. Callisto spent the next 15 years wandering in the woods and avoiding hunters. One day, she came face to face with her son. Scared, Arcas drew a spear, ready to kill the bear. Luckily, Zeus saw the scene and intervened before it was too late. He threw the mother and son up to the heavens, where Callisto became Ursa Major ( Big Dipper ) and Arcas, Ursa Minor ( Little Dipper ).