Seema's blog

  Cygnus is a prominent constellation in the northern sky. Its name means “the swan” in Latin and it is also known as the Swan constellation.  The constellation is easy to find in the sky as it features a well-known asterism known as the  Northern Cross  . Also  the star Deneb  is one of the vertices of summer  triangle . The Mythology of Cygnus 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 in space. The two friends were so intent and focused on the race that they were not paying attention to where they were going. Suddenly, they f...

  Lyra constellation lies in the northern sky. It represents the lyre, a musical instrument with strings used in antiquity and later times. The constellation is associated with the myth of the Greek musician and poet Orpheus.  Lyra, the Harp It's easy to find Lyra, the harp, by first finding Vega — one of the brightest stars in Earth's night sky. Look for Vega high overhead in mid-summer. Lyra looks like a small parallelogram with Vega just beside one of the corners of the parallelogram. The legend of Lyra tells the story of Orpheus, who was given a harp by the god Apollo. Orpheus' music was sweeter than that of any other mortal man. It could soothe any savage, bring joy to the heart of the weary. It was even said that rivers changed course to stay near its beauty. Orpheus married the lovely maiden Eurydice. But after their wedding, as she walked with her bridesmaids, she was bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus was so stricken with grief that he journeyed to the underworld ...

The Summer Triangle is visible for most of the year, but in July and August it shines directly overhead at around midnight. The bright three points of the  Summer Triangle  are among the first stars you can see after sunset: Deneb, Vega, and Altair.   The Summer Triangle is called an  asterism , as it’s not an official constellation, but still a striking group of stars. However, the Triangle is the key to spotting multiple constellations!  Its three stars are themselves the brightest in their respective constellations: Deneb, in Cygnus the Swan; Vega, in Lyra the Harp; and Altair, in Aquila the Eagle.  That alone would be impressive, but the Summer Triangle also contains two small constellations inside its lines, Vulpecula the Fox and Sagitta the Arrow.   There is even another small constellation just outside its borders: diminutive Delphinus the Dolphin. The Summer Triangle is huge! We will see one by one. Altair designated α Aquilae is  the...

  The 5th month of Marathi calender Shravan started on 9th August 2021. The name is because of Shravan Nakshatra. It rises at 8 pm towards East in this month. It is situated at the bottom of Scorpio .See the pic. Three stars in line,the middle one is Shravan ,the Altair ,brightest of all  & the 2 stars which are at both sides are the parents of him.   Hindu mythology Shravan bal was the most obdient child of his parents. Shravan Kumar's parents, Shantanu and Gyanvanti (Malaya), were hermits.  They were both blind.  When they became aged, Shravan wanted them to take to the four most sacred places of Hindu pilgrimage to purify the soul.  Since Shravan Kumar could not afford the transport, he decided to put each parent in a basket and tie each to an end of a bamboo pole, which he would carry on his shoulder while on their pilgrimage. According to Ramayana , while hunting in the forest of Ayodhya, then-Prince Dashratha heard a sound near a lake and unleashe...