When I came home tonight, the sky was crystal clear. Not far from the familiar shape of the constellation Orion, I could see the Pleiades star cluster, sometimes known as the Seven Sisters. It sits in the constellation Taurus. It’s one of the closest star clusters to Earth, only 440 light years away. That’s just about next door on a cosmic scale.
I always thought that the Pleiades looked like a miniature version of the Big Dipper. That sort of helps in identifying it in the night sky. When I was much younger, I would spend hours in our backyard staring up at the sky, studying the Pleiades. Occasionally, when I had the patience for it, I’d find it in my telescope. It was fascinating to think about how far away those stars were and the fact that how they look to us now is technically how they looked 440 years ago, in the year the great mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler was born. Kind of blows your mind, doesn’t it?
Here’s one last little bit of trivia before I wrap up this short post. Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades. Ever look at the Subaru logo? Makes sense now, doesn’t it?
I’ve been on a bit of an astronomy kick lately, perusing astronomy and NASA sites for beautiful pictures of our universe. Well, today, I learned that there are 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. The 12 constellations known as the zodiac have been singled out over the years as special because they all pass through the ecliptic, the narrow path in the sky that the sun, moon, and planets all seem to follow.
In the interest of learning (and due to my own curiosity), here are all the currently recognized constellations and information about each. (This list is a work in progress.)
Aquila, the Eagle
Auriga, the Charioteer
Boötes, the Herdsman
Canis Major, the Great Dog
Capricornus, the Sea-Goat
Cassiopeia, the Queen
Cygnus, the Swan
Gemini, the Twins
Leo, the Lion
Lyra, the Harp
Orion, the Hunter
Pegasus, the Flying Horse
Perseus, the Hero
Sagittarius, the Archer
Scorpius, the Scorpion
Taurus, the Bull
Ursa Major, the Great Bear
I, unfortunately, had to leave for work before the sun rose earlier this week. The only thing that made it worth while was looking up and seeing the tiniest sliver of moon lighting the dark sky and a myriad of bright stars hanging like diamonds on the black velvet of space. It made me stop and marvel, the astronomical equivalent of stopping to smell the roses.
I clearly saw the constellation Orion and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flash in Orion’s sword. I stood for a few minutes more to see if I could see another flash, but that was it. Were my eyes playing tricks? Was it a satellite passing overhead or something much more interesting? I may never know, but it certainly was special.
Looking up into the vastness of space that surrounds us certainly makes us feel small. There may be billions of other worlds out there just like ours. Then again, there may not. We don’t know yet. I like to think that even if there are billions of other worlds out there, this little place we call Earth is unique, as is every individual on it. That hardly makes us small.
