Lore of the Constellations: Taurus

There are a couple of Greek myths associated with Taurus the bull.  The most prominent one recounts how the bull is actually Zeus in a disguise he adopted to impress Europa, daughter of King Agenor of Phoenicia.

Lore of the Constellations: Auriga

There are conflicting stories for who or what Auriga represents.  After all, “Auriga” simply means “charioteer” in Latin, so it’s not actually named after a specific person. 

Lore of the Constellations: Gemini

The constellation Gemini has two very bright stars called Castor and Pollux which, as it turns out, are the names of each twin the constellation represents.  They are known as the Sons of Zeus because of the unusual circumstances of their birth.

Lore of the Constellations: Canis Minor

Like Canis Major, Canis Minor is often regarded as one of the hunting hounds of Orion.  They appear to follow him across the sky as the Earth turns.  However, Canis Minor actually represents Maera, a dog of Icarius, the famed wine maker.

Lore of the Constellations: Canis Major

There are two prominent, winter hunting hounds you can find in your sky.  The greater of the two is known as Canis Major, the great dog.  It’s a common misconception that both Canis Major and Canis Minor are two hunting hounds of Orion the hunter.  But actually, the origins of these two dogs are a little different than what you’d think.

Lore of the Constellations: Orion

With every myth there’s a degree of variation in how the stories are told.  With Orion the Hunter, there is no exception. 

Lore of the Constellations: Scorpius the Scorpion

So far we’ve explored a nice array of constellations that can be found in your Summer night sky.   In the last video, we took a look at Sagittarius and how the centaur was set to aid Orion in case he was attacked by Scorpius the Scorpion.  After all, the arrow in Sagittarius is aimed right at the star Antares, also known as “the heart of the scorpion.”  So, that’s what we’re going to look at today, Scorpius the Scorpion.

Lore of the Constellations: Sagittarius the Archer

Welcome back to yet another edition of the Lore of the Constellations.  We are in the season of Summer and so far we have covered three constellations:  Aquila the Eagle, Lyra the Harp, and Cygnus the Swan.  Three constellations part of something called the Summer Triangle.  Now, if you’ve been following these videos you’re aware of how Aquila the Eagle was the pet of Zeus and each day was set up Prometheus to torment him for stealing fire.  Well, today we’re going to go over Sagittarius and how this constellation is connected in the ancient Greek myth with Aquila.

Lore of the Constellations: Cygnus the Swan

Hello again and welcome back to another Lore of the Constellations.  If you’ve been following these segments you’ll know that the last few videos have been on Aquila the Eagle and Lyra the Harp.  We’re rounding out the three constellations that make up the asterism known as the Summer Triangle now with Cygnus the Swan.

Lore of the Constellations: Lyra the Harp

Hello and welcome to another installment of the show that delves into the Lore of the Constellations.  If you’re up to date with this series then you are aware we’re in the season of Summer.  And with Summer we can find the appropriately named Summer Triangle asterism.  At each point of this triangle is a bright star within its own respective constellation.

For this video (click on the link above), we’re going to cover the bright star Vega which can also be found in the constellation Lyra the Harp.