A star is a glowing ball of plasma held together by gravity. Likewise, a constellation is a grouping of stars in specific patterns and Cancer ranks as one of the most ancient constellations in our sky. There are twelve constellations of the zodiac, Cancer is commonly presented as a Crab for its Latin name. It is nearly impossible to see the constellation with the naked eye. Its location lies 6 degrees north to 33 degrees north and an area of about 506 square degrees. Although the symbol does not appear like a crab but more like an upside-down Y, many believe it to be the back of the crab. Cancer is currently one of the dimmest constellations in the sky. Cancer is found between Canis Minor, Leo, the Gemini twins and Hydra. It is said to have …show more content…
Ptolemy was an Egyptian astronomer, mathematician and geographer. He believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and that the planets revolved in smaller circles, even though none of it was correct, it was a view of the universe that stood for many centuries to follow. Ptolemy’s Almagest is one of the most important scientific texts, it contains many sources of information about ancient Greek astronomy and its geocentric model was accepted for many years as well as being translated into many languages. Being the fourth sign of the zodiac, represents those born from June 21 to July 22 who are ruled by the moon and their constant mood swings, in astrology they are mainly associated with watery places such as ditches, seas, ponds, amongst many others (Encyclopædia Britannica). Cancer has an impact on culture through its being known as a gate for incarnation were souls descended in a human form through the constellations for many years. It is said that …show more content…
A famous artwork that demonstrated both the Hydra and the crab was a pottery of ancient Archaic accredited to Diosphos Painter during circa 500-480 B.C. It is currently a museum collection over in Paris at Musée du Louvre. Diosphos Painter was a pupil of Edinburgh Painter, as well as black-figure Athenian vase painter who specialized in Lekythos, white-ground, and Six’s technique. The painting is in a lekythos form that shows a white background with attic black figures in the foreground that can be acknowledged as Hercules, his nephew Iolaus, and another anonymous figure. Lekythos work is mainly oil jars with a narrow neck and a long body. The Archaic artwork was always shifting styles, from the backgrounds up to the figures that changed from black to red figure techniques. Most of his work can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York at three different locations. Some of the themes incorporated into his work were horses, Athena, and Amazons. A drawing by Pierre Salsiccia, which showed the battle in what it seems like a forest, and Hercules wears the lion skin that shows he has won the first labor and proudly wears it. Salsiccia decided to make it a pencil medium drawing with gradients of gray. Many of the artworks of that time period do not represent the presence of the
“…the Middle Ages belief that each sign of the zodiac governed a certain part of the human body.” (Document D) The zodiac is a band of twelve constellations that stretch across the sky. For example, A woodcut called “Zodiac Man” from a book by German astronomer Johann Regiomontanus displays that Aries the Ram governs the head. Later, in 1543, more research was conducted by Belgian physician Andreas Vesalius.
As shown in Document C, a Renaissance researcher, Ptolemy, had worked on how the universe worked and moved after the time of Jesus was shown that the earth was in the middle of the universe and the sun was rotating around it. Copernicus discovered Ptolemy’s drawing and had drawn the same thing during the middle ages, but made it more clearer to understand without all the extra things Ptolemy’s added in to it(Doc C). Both of these scientist have shown their idea of the universe, but with Ptolemy’s work being more detailed than Copernicus. The two other researchers from Document D was more interested on how the human body functions. The middle ages thought that the body was governed by the 12 zodiac signs, for example the Aries the Ram is controlling the head (Doc D). While the scientist during the Renaissance age actually dissected a human body to show what actually functions our
First, the zodiacal constellations provide the backdrop for the pathway of the sun around our sky each year, and of the moon for every month. Since the sun’s path lies within these constellations, you know you can look for them along the approximate path that the sun follows during the day from east to west across the sky. The constellations of the Zodiac should be visible during the month of October.
The constellation Sagittarius, also known as 'The Archer' in Latin, is fascinating. Research done on this cluster of stars shows that it was documented in the second century by a Greek astronomer named Ptolemy. Sagittarius is the fifteenth largest constellation overall, it occupies eight hundred sixty-seven square degrees and contains the most stars with known planets. This cluster of stars is in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The brightest stars in the constellation come together to form a pattern of stars called the Teapot. The myth behind the stars is what lead me to my ultimate decision to choose Sagittarius.
The constellation Cancer is a crab that not many people bother to look for. The nickname is Cancer the Crab. The mythology states that once there was a goddess named Hera who married Zeus. Their son’s name as Hercules. One day Hercules was battling a Hydra, but Hera was jealous so she sent the crab to nip Hercules fatally. But when the crab tried, Hercules merely found the crab as a nuisance and crushed the crab with his heel. Hera was infuriated and banished the creature to the sky as a constellation.
As illustrated by the Bearded Hercules, the sculpture reaches a height of nearly eight feet and possesses a wide, thick and robust torso elucidating solidity, strength and ascendancy. Even though the arms were not restored, the unknown artist amplified Hercules’ heroic stance by carving out negative space in between the legs and around the original arms allowing light to strike solely upon the body, highlighting his chiseled physique, meanwhile projecting an immense shadow simultaneously. Thus, successfully transmitting a sensation of superiority and dominance as it demands recognition from the marveled spectators gazing upon its powerful, heroic and influential
Every culture known to history and anthropology has seen in the heavens distinctive patterns, called constellations, and formed by the stars.Constellations are usually comprised of bright stars that appear close to each other. There are 88 'official' constellations have known and my favorite one is Phoenix because it was named after the mythical bird that rises from its own ashes so this story makes this constellation interesting . Phoenix constellation lies in the southern sky and It is a relatively small constellation, but it is the largest among the 12 constellations created. The constellations Phoenix, Grus, Pavo and Tucana, are known as the Southern Birds.
Not much information is known about Ptolemy. The information that is known has been inferred from his writings, and based on that he was probably not a Christian. We do know he was an advocate of astrology. He wrote a book about the topic and its benefits. He said that astrology was not to be completely relied upon but was useful to know and should be considered a legitimate science. One source said that he was “by far the most influential source of medieval Islamic astrology.” In his book, the Almagest, after the table of contents he had written a poem that says, “Well do I know that I am mortal, a creature of one day. But if my mind follows the wandering path of stars, then my feet no longer rest on earth, but standing by Zeus himself,
Originally, in ancient texts, this constellation was defined as a specific pattern of stars, and has remained that way since then. Now it includes the ancient pattern as well as the surrounding stars. Aries, the constellation now known, was the final stati on along the ecliptic. The earliest identifiable reference to Aries as a distinct
A constellation is simply a recognisable patterned formed by stars in the sky. There are different names dedicated to the different stars in a constellation. The brightest of them all is the Alpha star, the next brightest is the Beta star. The magnitude or brightness of the stars is determined by its mass and depends of the amount of energy it radiates. Stars also appear brighter the closer they are to Earth. The apparent magnitude of a star is its measure of brightness viewed from Earth. The scale goes from -10 (very bright) to +10 (very dim). The absolute Magnitude of a star is its actual brightness (measured from a set distance). The absolute magnitude of a massive star such as Rigel is -6.8 (bright), but it has an apparent magnitude of
The constellation I have chosen is Cancer. I chose this constellation because it is my zodiac sign. Naturally, I found it interesting to learn about and write an essay on my discovery and creation theory. Cancer is Latin for "Crab", The name was chosen because the representation of the the constellation is in fact a crab. The constellation is 506 sq. degrees and made up of faint stars.
The signs of the zodiac identified with twelve groups of stars {constellation} which we can see in the night sky at different times during the year. They were also associated with one of the four elements Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The word itself “Zodiac,” comes from a geek word meaning the circles of animals.”Each one of myths is associated with living being either animals or humans. The stories of the Greek zodiac’s twelve signs explain how each group of stars found its into the heavens.
My Favourite constellation is Scorpius. I have chosen this constellation because my own star is scorpio. this is having the animal scorpion.It is having its own Greek myth. It is the constellation of Zodiac It lies between the Libra to the west and sagittarius to the east. it is located in the milky way in the southern hemisphere. It is the one of the largest constellation.
Astrology is the study of how celestial bodies affect how humans behave in the natural world. This would include full moon theories, such as the idea that people go insane at the time of a full moon. Another theory which fits into this category would be Zodiac signs. These are symbols which represent the twelve sections of the ecliptic and are said to determine one’s personality traits, and even their future. These ideas can be disproved, though, Phil Plait, an astronomer, says that “There is no force,
One day while Heracles was fighting a Hydra (which is a water-serpent), Hera sent Cancer the crab to aid the Hydra. Heracles defeated the Hydra by smashing its shell with his foot. In reward for his service, Hera laid Cancer the crab among the stars, thus creating the constellation Cancer.