Written in the Stars Read online

  Publishing Director Sarah Lavelle

  Editor Harriet Butt

  Copy editor Jennifer Latham

  Designer Maeve Bargman

  Illustrator Jesús Sotés Vicente

  Production Director Vincent Smith

  Production Controller Tom Moore

  Published in 2018 by Quadrille, an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing

  Quadrille

  52–54 Southwark Street

  London SE1 1UN

  quadrille.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders. The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  Cataloguing in publication data: a catalogue record for this book is available from The British Library.

  Text © Alison Davies 2018

  Artworks © Jesús Sotés Vicente 2018

  Design © Quadrille 2018

  eISBN 978 1 78713 316 7

  CONTENTS

  Cover Page

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Introduction

  Ursa Major

  Zodiac

  Perseus

  Hercules

  Orion

  Heavenly Waters

  Johann Bayer

  Lacaille

  Monthly Guide to Best Time to See Constellations

  Gods, Goddesses, Nymphs, Nobles and Divine Heroes and Heroines

  Bibliography

  INTRODUCTION

  Magic sits in the stars. It seeps from the spaces in-between these mysterious orbs, in patches of darkness that serve only to accentuate the glorious sparkle of far-distant planets. In the moment when you catch a glimpse of a special group or pattern of stars in the veil of the sky, for a second you see what the ancients saw. Then you appreciate the magnificence of the universe, and you’re taken back, far back, into the annals of time.

  Let’s not forget, the stars have seen all of life on Earth unfold beneath them. Like eyes, blinking and watching, these tiny, enduring beads of light witness and hold our stories and memories long after we’re gone. Since ancient times, astronomers have charted these sparkling pinpricks in the night sky into constellations, giving each one life and meaning, and often a tale to tell. Sky observers have set the constellations neatly in their space and bonded them within their family grouping to give a sense of order to the cosmos. Each pattern of stars slots together like pieces of a giant galactic jigsaw puzzle. And there’s no great secret to their success or beauty – they simply are, appearing every night for those who wish to look and experience their wonder.

  So let this book be your guide, the springboard from which you dive into this glittering realm. With 88 constellations to traverse, you’ll find much to explore and some tips on when and where to find them in the heavens, what you might see, along with any underlying myths or interesting facts relating to their origins.

  Learn to read and appreciate the night sky like the ancients before you, and you’ll discover an enchanting world full of surprising insights. Most important of all, you’ll understand that, since the beginning of time, the fate of mankind has, and always will be, written in the stars.

  URSA MAJOR

  Imagine the scene: a great menagerie of beasts parade before your eyes. Some of them are predatory, others are the prey, and some are animals that once had another form, their fates changed by the gods and then honoured in the stars. Yet others are symbols of beauty and love, cast into the heavens for eternal admiration. The vast family of constellations that make up Ursa Major offers a rich seam of mythology, sprinkled with moral gems that beg closer attention. And like all the best adventures, there’s a sprinkling of magic that only the most skilled of storytellers could weave.

  1. Ursa Major 2. Ursa Minor 3. Draco 4. Canes Venatici 5. Boötes 6. Coma Berenices 7. Corona Borealis 8. Camelopardalis 9. Lynx 10. Leo Minor

  URSA MAJOR

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Second quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN April

  NAME MEANING The Great Bear

  STARS Alioth (Epsilon Ursae Majoris), Dubhe (Apha Ursae Majoris), Alkaid (Eta Ursae Majoris), Mizar and Alcor (Zeta Ursae Majoris and 80 Ursae Majoris), Merak (Beta Ursae Majoris), Phecda (Gamma Ursae Majoris), Megrez (Delta Ursae Majoris)

  The vast and ever-present Ursa Major is home to the asterism (a distinct group of stars that are not a constellation) the Plough. The third-largest constellation in the night sky, Ursa Major’s existence abounds with legends. According to Greek mythology, it represents a tragic tale of love and envy. Zeus, the king of the gods, seduced the beautiful nymph Callisto, who bore him a son, Arcas. His wife and queen, Hera, was enraged and turned the nymph into a bear. Many years later, Arcas encountered the bear, Callisto, in the forest and raised his spear in fear. Zeus intervened with an almighty whirlwind, which sent the she-bear Callisto and Arcas swirling through the heavens. There Callisto remains, forever bright as Ursa Major, but an embittered Hera wasn’t done. Her final command was that the bear may not dip its paws in northern waters, hence Ursa Major never sets below the horizon in the north.

  URSA MINOR

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN June

  NAME MEANING The Little Bear

  STARS Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), Kochab (Beta Ursae Minoris), Pherkad (Gamma Ursae Minoris)

  The smaller sibling of Ursa Major, this little bear contains the seven-starred asterism the Little Dipper. According to one Greek legend, this constellation commemorates the nymph Ida, who cared for the infant Zeus on the island of Crete. The story goes that his father, Cronus, the king of the Titans, was so consumed by a prophecy that one of his children would kill him that he set about swallowing his newborn offspring whole (where they stayed until Zeus made Cronus disgorge them). Zeus’s mother, Rhea, the Titan queen, saved him from this fate by substituting a stone for the baby Zeus and spiriting him away for his protection. Ursa Minor is home to Polaris, the North or Pole Star, which is situated close to the north celestial pole. It has been used by travellers on land and sea for millennia to find due north, so while it is not the brightest star in the heavens, it is every adventurer’s friend.

  DRACO

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN July

  NAME MEANING The Dragon

  STARS Eltanin (Gamma Draconis), Athebyne (Eta Draconis), Rastaban (Beta Draconis)

  Majestic and awe-inspiring, this sprawling constellation is named after Ladon, the dragon of Greek mythology. Ladon was said to be the offspring of the terrible monster Typhon, and he guarded a golden apple tree in the gardens of the Hesperides, who were nymphs known as the daughters of evening. Legend has it that the fruit conferred immortality on anyone who ate it. Hera gave Ladon the honour of sentry, but didn’t count on the great hero Hercules (his popular Roman name, he was called Heracles by the Greeks), who had been charged with stealing one of these precious apples as part of twelve labours set by King Eurystheus. According to one version of the story, Hercules killed Ladon with his poisoned arrows. Hera, being mostly kind of heart, couldn’t bear to see the poor dragon in this way, so she cast his image into the stars, where it remains, a glistening sentinel, coiled around the North Pole.

  CANES VENATICI

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN May

  NAME MEANING The Hunting Dogs

  S
TARS Cor Caroli (Alpha Canum Venaticorum), Chara (Beta Canum Venaticorum), La Superba (Y Canum Venaticorum), AM Canum Venaticorum

  Charted in 1687 by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, this pale dusting of stars falls beneath the tail of Ursa Major. It represents a pair of hunting dogs, Asterion (derived from the ancient Greek word astéri meaning ‘star’) and Chara (the Greek word for ‘delight’ or ‘joy’). They are held tightly on a leash by their master, the herdsman Boötes, in a neighbouring constellation. It’s easy to imagine the two hounds in eternal chase, snapping and snarling at the heels of the Great Bear, Ursa Major. While Hevelius was the first to chart the hounds officially in this position, the idea had been around for some time. The 16th-century German astronomer Peter Apian pictured Boötes with two dogs at his heels, although in this case they were following the Herdsman and not worrying the Great Bear.

  BOÖTES

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN June

  NAME MEANING The Herdsman

  STARS Arcturus (Alpha Boötis), Izar (Epsilon Boötis), Muphrid (Eta Boötis), Nekkar (Beta Boötis), Seginus (Gamma Boötis)

  This strapping young herdsman chases Ursa Major through the skies in a dance around the North Pole. With a club in his hand and his hunting dogs, Asterion and Chara, on a leash, he is a fearsome sight. Some ancient Greeks believed he embodied the archetypal ploughman Philomelus driving his oxen forward, but others preferred to think of him as Arcas, the son of Zeus and his mortal lover Callisto. She was turned into a she-bear by a vengeful Hera and became the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, with Arcas tracing his mother’s footsteps (his constellation was known to the Greeks at one time as the Bear Keeper). A man with many faces, Boötes in the guise of Philomelus is also credited with having created the first plough (perhaps not surprisingly, as he was said to be the son of Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture), and this earned him his place in the skies.

  COMA BERENICES

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN May

  NAME MEANING Berenice’s Hair

  STARS Beta Comae Berenices, Diadem (Alpha Comae Berenices), Gamma Comae Berenices

  Named after the Egyptian Queen Berenice II, this scattering of stars hangs softly like the flowing locks of the great beauty. According to legend, the newlywed Queen Berenice was so afraid when her husband, King Ptolemy III Euergetes, went to war, she made a pledge to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. If the goddess used her powers to bring him back safely, Berenice would cut off her golden tresses in a show of gratitude. When her husband returned in one piece, Berenice honoured her word. She cut off her hair, and left it in Aphrodite’s temple. The next day, her locks had disappeared, much to the annoyance of her husband. To soothe his temper, the court astronomer told him that Aphrodite had been so enamoured with the hair, she’d spread it in the sky for all to see its natural splendour.

  CORONA BOREALIS

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN July

  NAME MEANING The Northern Crown

  STARS Alphecca (Alpha Coronae Borealis), Nusakan (Beta Coronae Borealis), Gamma Coronae Borealis

  Rich in mythology, this dazzling array of stars is thought to be the jewelled wedding crown worn by Ariadne, princess of Crete, famous for her role in the Greek legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. After her marriage to Dionysus, the god of wine, the deity tossed her crown into the sky, where it remains, a glistening symbol of love. Various Native American tribes named it the Camp Circle, a starry reflection of their camps below. The Celts believed this grouping of stars was a mystical place known as Caer Arianrhod, or the Castle of the Silver Circle, a place of great power and home of the mythical Lady Arianrhod, sometimes referred to as the goddess of the moon and the stars.

  CAMELOPARDALIS

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Second quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN February

  NAME MEANING The Giraffe

  STARS Beta Camelopardalis, CS Camelopardalis, Alpha Camelopardalis, Struve 1694 (Sigma 1694 Camelopardalis)

  This constellation may be faint, but its name has a charming origin. The ancient Greeks thought the giraffe was a fantastical creature, the result of a pairing between a camel (kamelos in ancient Greek) and a leopard (pardalis), hence ‘camel-leopard’, an animal with a slender neck, long legs and a body littered with spots. The first giraffe to be seen in Europe was brought much later by the Roman general Julius Ceasar in 46 BC. Scholars agree there’s little mythological reference for this constellation, and it was created by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in the 17th century. However, the German astronomer Jakob Bartsch described it in his star atlas of 1624, probably in a misunderstanding, as the camel Rebecca rode into Canaan on her journey to wed Isaac in the Book of Genesis. Rebecca was chosen to be Isaac’s bride after an act of kindness in which she brought water from a well to his father’s thirsty camels.

  LYNX

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Second quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN March

  NAME MEANING The Lynx

  STARS Alpha Lyncis, 38 Lyncis, 10 Ursae Majoris, Alsciaukat (31 Lyncis)

  Although it’s not the brightest constellation in the night sky, the Lynx gets its name from one of this creature’s keenest attributes. Astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who first introduced this constellation in 1687, claimed the eyesight of a lynx was essential for those who wanted to gaze upon its wonder. Some scholars have linked the Lynx to Lynceus, a character from the ancient Greek tales of the hero and adventurer Jason and his heroic shipmates, the Argonauts, in their quest for the fabled Golden Fleece. Thought to have the most impressive eyesight in all the world, Lynceus could see long distances, in the dark and beneath the ground, making him an essential companion during the Argonauts’ long expedition.

  LEO MINOR

  FAMILY URSA MAJOR

  LOCATION Second quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN April

  NAME MEANING The Lesser Lion

  STARS Praecipua (46 Leonis Minoris), Beta Leonis Minoris, 21 Leonis Minoris, RY Leonis Minoris

  Though it may be tiny, this lion cub still has a glorious sparkly mane and something of a playful nature. It was created in 1687 by astronomer Johannes Hevelius from the 18 stars that twinkle between Ursa Major and Leo. He depicts it in his star atlas as though about to catch the tip of Lynx’s tail, a neighbouring constellation. Leo Minor constellation was renamed Leaena, or the Lioness, in 1870 by English astronomer Richard A. Proctor in a bid to shorten its name. The new moniker didn’t catch on, and it remains to this day the small but proud Leo Minor.

  ZODIAC

  You don’t need to be an avid fan of horoscopes to enjoy this family of constellations. While the names may be familiar, the narratives off er a surprising insight into the hearts and minds of the ancients. Servants of the gods in most cases, each zodiac arrangement tells a deeper story. There’s love, honour, courage and bitter betrayal, and every mythical character has a part to play. With the canopy of the night sky as a movie screen, and the shape of the stars bringing each myth to life, it’s easy to see how astrologers have forged a much stronger connection to the signs of the zodiac – simply by looking up.

  1. Leo 2. Virgo 3. Libra 4. Scorpius 5. Sagittarius 6. Capricornus 7. Aquarius 8. Pisces 9. Aries 10. Taurus 11. Gemini 12. Cancer

  LEO

  FAMILY ZODIAC

  LOCATION Second quadrant of the northern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN April

  NAME MEANING The Lion

  STARS Regulus (Alpha Leonis), Algieba (Gamma Leonis), Denebola (Beta Leonis)

  The majestic lion stalks the heavens, and as befits such a noble creature he is accompanied by some of the brightest stars in the n
ight sky. An enormous beast known as the Nemean lion, according to Greek legend the animal could not be killed because of its magical pelt, which prevented any weapon from piercing it. The lion was the scourge of the countryside, preying on the people and leaving a trail of bloodshed. The first of his famous twelve labours set by King Eurystheus, Hercules was instructed to destroy the creature. He tried at first to kill the lion with his bow and arrows, but when this failed he used his mighty strength to choke it to death. Hercules is often depicted wearing its skin, complete with its claws, as a cloak to mark his victory. One of the oldest constellations in the night sky, it was also known as the Lion by the Syrians and the Turks.

  VIRGO

  FAMILY ZODIAC

  LOCATION Third quadrant of the southern hemisphere

  BEST SEEN IN May

  NAME MEANING The Maiden

  STARS Spica (Alpha Virginis), Porrima (Gamma Virginis), Vindemiatrix (Epsilon Virginis)

  With angel-like wings, this beautiful woman captivates from her place in the heavens. She holds an ear of corn in one hand, marked by the luminous star Spica (the Latin word for an ear of wheat). There are two key Greek mythological figures associated with this constellation. The first is Dike, the virgin goddess of justice and righteousness, and one of three sisters (the Horae) known as the goddesses of the seasons. She once lived on earth, an immortal queen among mortals, during the Golden Age of mankind. This was a time of peace, harmony and bountifulness when spring ruled eternal. Then the Bronze Age dawned and men forged swords and waged war. When Dike’s pleas to turn their backs on such violent and lawless ways fell upon deaf ears, she flew to the heavens to be with the other deities. The second figure is Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, who is often depicted holding sheaves of wheat.