Shorter days as summer constellations linger

How can it be October already? It might be time to read Homer Hickam’s October Rocket Boys again or watch the movie based on it, October Sky. Sharing the excitement of high school science fairs, competition, curious students, the beginnings of manned space flight, and fears of the 1950s to remind us of how far we have come in a short period of time. He wrote another inspiring book titled We are Not Afraid that might be something to perk you up too.

Autumn ushers in noticeably shorter daylight hours and our return to normalcy in our time frame. The idea that we are saving daylight is another idea first promoted by Benjamin Franklin. Going to bed earlier did save oil in those lamps though.

Constellations to enjoy are those summer faithful ones that are lingering in the southwest/west after dark. In the south the Great Square of Pegasus is the window on the inside to look out into deep space. Located above the ecliptic, the invisible path traveled by the planets in our solar system as well as our sun and moon, the celestial equator is the great circle of the imaginary celestial sphere on the same plane as earth’s equator. It is an abstract projection of the terrestrial equator into space and intersects with the ecliptic just below Pegasus and between Cetus and Aquarius.

When the sun rises at that intersection at the horizon, it marks the change of season for the spring and autumn equinoxes. More math? One cannot escape math in science, especially astronomy; it is inevitable.

If your viewing site is dark with a clear horizon, you may see a bright single star due south. This will most likely be Fomalhaut, the “solitary one.” At first magnitude it is hard to miss. It is only 23 light years away. Only Sirius and Procyon and Altair of the first magnitude stars are closer.

Pegasus the Winged Horse is one of the huge constellations. Pegasus is usually shown with an incomplete body, which is fine with myths. The ancient Greeks told the story of the horse being formed by Poseidon from beach sand, sea foam, and blood from Medusa’s severed head when she was slain by Perseus. Those myths were usually gory and would be R rated if made into movies. But when we share them in our astronomy events, we make them G rated so families can plan on joining in on those events at the Brownsville libraries or the Resaca de la Palma or any of the other volunteer-sponsored occasions.

The ancient Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, and Chinese who wrote and drew the stories of their constellations have thrilled generations of children and had powerful effects on authors of many styles and genre over the centuries. The written versions were eagerly read, discussed, and shared for hundreds of years. Other cultures who used oral traditions to tell their stories were not as widely known until interested persons bothered to collect them and put them on paper.

The two Brownsville libraries will host astronomy events on Oct. 4 and 6 from 7-9 p.m. at both sites for families and their children in celebration of World Space Week and Astronomy Week. The Southmost branch event will be on Oct. 4 and at the Main branch on Central Boulevard on the Oct. 6. I hope to see you there sharing in the fun with members of the South Texas Astronomical Society.

Until next week, Do let some stars get in your eyes.