The Warsaw High School Times

Graphic by Rita Pasiewicz

Welcome, my dear readers! November is often associated with the freezing cold, sickness, overall mood declines and rainy weather. Can you recall all the days when you had to go to and come back from school in depressing darkness because the days were so short? You do know, though, that the metaphorical glass can be also half full, don’t you? There is the possibility to look above your head, for much longer than a second, just to see the star systems that are visible only during this time of the year! Today I would love to present constellations that can be seen in the November sky.

First, let’s focus on constellations which are seen by us (in Poland) in the northern part of the sky:

–           Andromeda – described in the II century AD by Ptolemy who was a well-known astronomer from Ancient Greece. The name of the constellation is based on Greek mythology and the story about Perseus and Andromeda. Perseus rescued Andromeda after she was chained to the rock as a sacrifice for a terrible sea monster – Cetus.

–           Cassiopeia – it has already been known in ancient times. The name originates from Greek mythology as well as Andromeda. Cassiopeia was a vein queen of Ethiopia and the mother of Andromeda. She declared that she and her daughter are more pretty than the Nereids – sea nymphs. That is why the sea monster appeared. God of the waters Poseidon wanted to punish the self-centred queen.

–           Cepheus – catalogued by Ptolemy in the II century AD. The name of the constellation is also the name of Cassiopeia’s husband – the king of Ethiopia Cepheus. In the mythology, he didn’t play any important role.

–           Pisces – this constellation has been observed since the V century BC when Babylonian astronomers noticed this shape in the sky. This constellation is also connected with the Greek mythology. The story is about Aphrodite and her son Eros who transformed themselves into fish to hide from the monster Typhon.

Now let’s take a closer look at the southern part of the sky (below the equator):

–           Hydrus – described by Ptolemy in the same work as Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus. The name originates from Greek mythology, referring to one of the monsters which Heracles had to face to complete the 12 works.

–           Phoenix – this constellation was first introduced in 1595 by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius. The name originates from the Phoenix – a mythical bird which was revered in Greek, Persian, Egyptian, Arabic and Chinese mythology.

–           Tucana – it was described by German astronomer Johann Bayer in 1603. It refers to the South American polychromic bird and it was named like that because of is visible in the southern part of the globe.

–           Sculptor – it was discovered in 1752 by a French astronomer, cartographer, and priest Nicolas Louis de Lacaille during his stay in the observatory on the Cape of Good Hope (Africa). Why is it named the “Sculptor’”? De Lacaille associated the shape of this constellation with a sculptor dressing marble on a tripod.

As you can see, in the November sky not only can you observe interesting constellations, but also learn new stories. So, the next time you happen to be outside of the city, try to look above, into the sky instead of your phone :).