Taking the time to learn your way around the night sky requires an abundance of patience – a virtue noticeably lacking in some segments of today’s fast-paced world. By following the celestial dome through the seasons you can watch a slowly shifting tableau of constellations and deep sky objects pass overhead. Now, with the mid-point of another lap around the Sun behind us, let’s explore some star name origins.
This week we go on a quest to find the celestial dragon, Draco. Winding through a patch of the northern sky between Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Draco is neighbor to the strongman, Hercules. Star lore from ancient Greece connects Draco to Hercules and his twelve labors. The dragon is also mentioned as taking part in the battle waged between the Gods and the Titans for supremacy and control of Mount Olympus.
Here is a link to my weekly column in the Santa Fe New Mexican. This week’s topic is about Earth Day, of course.
Voyager 1 image of Earth
On the morning of April 12th, 1961, the chimes atop the Kremlin’s Spassky tower greeted the new day. A day that would see the name Yuri Gagarin rise from virtual anonymity to worldwide acclaim. Monday is the 49th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering single orbit trip around the Earth. With a total flight time of 108 minutes, his journey opened the first chapter in the history of manned spaceflight.
Born in the western Russian village of Klushino on March 9th 1934, Yuri Gagarin lived with his 3 siblings and parents. His mother was an avid reader and his father was a carpenter. Later, as German forces invaded their country, Yuri’s father joined the Russian Army. Soon afterward, his mother relocated the family away from the war zone.
