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Greek Cosmology & Mythology
1. The Lost Histories of Alexander the Great, Lionel Pearson, p.145.
According to Strabo, Nearchus started on his coastal voyage at the time of the evening rising of the Pleiad in the autumn. Arrian gives the Athenian date (just before the rising) of the twentieth of Boedromion which according to Beloch's calculation would be September 20th or 21st in the year 326 B.C.
2. "Nearchus says that when they were sailing along the coast from Kyiza, just at daylight they saw a stream of water spurting out from the sea as though it were being forced up by squalls of wind; and alarmed at this they asked the guides what this thing was and what caused it; and they replied that there were whales moving along under the surface spouting water. Nearchus says that the oars fell from the hands of the sailors in fright; and he went along the line of ships to rouse their spirits and cheer them, and all the crews that he came to as he sailed along he told them to raise the battle cry in line with their stroke and to row at full speed and splashing furiously. So they plucked up courage and at the signal they moved away all together, and when they came near the monsters they shouted with all the strength of their lungs and the trumpets sounded, and the splash of theirr oars could be heard for a great distance and so it happened that the whales, just as they became visible ahead of the ships took fright and dived down into the depths and afterwards came up to the surface astern and again set up a great spout of water. Then there was a clatter of applause from the sailors at their remarkable escape and praise for the courage and cleverness of Nearchus"
The Lost Histories of Alexander the Great, Lionel Pearson, pp.136-137.
Anabasis of Alexander and Indica, Chapter XXX, p.436.
3. Orcinus
The orca "killer whale" is the largest member of the dolphin family. It has a tall, falcate (sickle-shaped dorsal fin and large paddle-like flippers. Orcas eat a diverse diet of fish, squid, sharks, marine animals, turtles, octopi and birds. Orcas commonly breach.
Orca Whale
Class:Mammalia
Order: Cetacea (whales and dolphins)
Suborder: Odontoceti (toothed whales)
Family: Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins)
Genus: Orcinus
Species: Orca
a. Orca Whale Breaching
b. Orca Whale Breaching
4. Right Whale
The Right Whale is a baleen whale that filter feeds plankton and tiny crustaceans like copepods, krill and pteropods from the water. It has no dorsal fin. It is one of the largest animals on the planet.
The Right Whale often breaches; for example, Eubalaena Australis breaches commonly. A true breach is when the whale breaks the water. twists in the air and lands on its back. Whales breach about 80% of the time in this way; otherwise, they do what I call a false breach or a belly flop.
Right Whale
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea (whales and dolphins)
Suborder: Mysticeti (baleen whales)
Family: Balaenidae
Genus: Eubalaena
a. Southern Right Whale or Baleana Australis Breaching
b. Southern Right Whale Breaching
5. Bottlenose Dolphin
Delphinus or The Dolphin is modelled on the common Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin. It is also found in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Atlantic Bottlenose is a small cetacean. It is one of 76 cetacean species. It has a long, beaklike snout, a facate (sickle-shaped) dorsal fin, and sharp teeth. It lives in small group called a pod. The dolphin grows to be at most 12 feet (3.7m) long and may weigh as much as 1,400 pounds (635 kg.) It has a streamlined body and a rounded head. It also has slightly pointed flippers. It is a hunter that eats mostly fish and squid. Orcas and sharks are its natural enemy.
Bottlenose Dolphin Breaching
Bottlenose Dolphin, Southern Right Whale and Orca Pictures
6. "Moreover, Nearchus says that when the king was completing his journey he himself began the voyage, in the autumn, at the time of the rising of the Pleid in the west".
Strabo, Geography,Loeb Classical Library, 1932, Book XV, Chapter 2
7. Constellations of the Autumn season include Aquila, Hercules, Delphinus and Orion
8. Homer refers to the star Sirius of Canis Major as the "autumnal star" in The Iliad.
"And Pallas now the ennoble Diomed
Amongst the Greeks, with force did him inspire,
Whereby his heart and hands were strengthened;
And on his shield and helmet stood a fire."
[ The first battle continued, wherein Pallas strengthened Diomedes to supply the absence of Achilles.
Bright as the autumnal star above his head.]
Homer, The Iliad, ed. Molesworth, Book Five, lines 1-5
9. THE HERCULES CONSTELLATION
Heracles, in mythology, is best known for his twelve labors, which are thought to represent the Sun's passing through the twelve constellations of the zodiac.
Named Stars of Hercules
Alpha 1 Her (RASALGETHI)
Double Star 1. orange 2. emerald
Beta Her (Kornephoros)
Delta Her (Sarin)
Double Star 1. greenish white 2. grape red
Kappa Her (Marfik)
Double Star 1. yellow 2. orange
Lambda Her (Maasym)
Omega Her (Kajam)
Her 113 (yellow color)
Her 110 (white color)
Her 111 (white color)
Hercules Constellation as presented by Starry Skies
Images of Hercules Constellation
Milky Way Hercules Constellation
Hercules the Kneeling Man
Star Diagram of Hercules
10. The Supernova of M13 Hercules Globular Cluster M1
This cluster is known as the Crab Nebula. The supernova remnant is one of the most famous in the night sky. It was discovered by Edmond Halley in 1714.
Supernova in the Crab Nebula of the constellation Hercules
11. THE AQUILA CONSTELLATION
Aquila (the Eagle) is the messenger from heaven, leading souls to immortality.
Named Stars of Aquila
Alpha Aql (ALTAIR)
1. yellowish white to white, Spectral Class A
- eagle's breast
Beta Aql (ALSHAIN)
Double Star 1. yellow 2. red
Gamma Aql (TARAZED)
1. bright orange to reddish
- eagle's back
Epsilon Aql (Deneb el Okab) (Deneb Australis) 13 Aql
1. orange color
- eagle's tail
Zeta Aql (Deneb el Okab) ((Deneb Borealis) 17 Aql
1. white color
- eagle's tail
Bordering Constellations
* Sagitta
* Hercules
* Ophiuchus
* Serpens Cauda
* Scutum
* Sagittarius
* Capricornus
* Aquarius
* Delphinus
I. Description of Stars in Aquila
a)ALTAIR: also called Alpha Aquilae, is the most southerly of the three stars of the Summer Triangle. It is also the most similar to our Sun, being only 1.5 times larger, and 10 times more luminous. It's also closer to us than either Vega or Deneb only 17 light years away. Altair is part of the Aquila (Eagle) constellation.
b)TARAZED: The name of this star, Tarazed, comes from the Persian name for the constellation of Aquila, Shahin tara zed, "The Star-striking Falcon."
Aquila Constellation as presented by Starry Skies
Images of Aquila Constellation
Milky Way Aquila Constellation
Aquila the Eagle
Star Diagram of Aquila
12. Supernova observed in the Aquila constellation at the birth of Christ
A supernova explosion (lasting a couple of months) was observed by Chinese astronomers and is also mentioned in the Korean chronicles. This supernova was presaged by a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in February of 6 BC.
Interestingly, according to Matthew 2:9, the three Magi (Zoroastrian astronomer-priests) first witnessed the nova event in the eastern sky (over Iran) but then, having completed their long journeyed down to Jerusalem, they saw the Star appearing in the southern sky over Bethlehem at dawn: '… they (the Magi) departed (from Jerusalem) and, lo, the Star which they (first) saw in the east went forth (southward) before them until it came and stood over where the child was'. Kidger has determined that the heliacal rising of the Aquila supernova shifted in the sky from east to south over the seventy or so days it took the Magi to reach Palestine - in accordance with Matthew's gospel.
Zorastrianism
Supernova observed by Chinese in constellation H0-Ku (Aquila)
"However, Ho Peng Yoke in his catalogue of "Ancient and Mediaeval Observations of Comets and Novae in Chinese Sources" lists two objects in 5 and 4 B.C. in the Chinese constellations Chhien-Niu and HO-KU, respectively. These small configurations correspond to regions in Capricorn including beta and xi Caprircorni, and in AQUILA including alpha (Altair), gamma, and phi Aquilae".
Star of Bethlehem
In the book called the "Ch'ien-han-shu", we find the following reference:
"In the second year of the period of Ch'ien-p'ing, second month, a hui-hsing appeared in Ch'ien-niu for more than 70 days"
Chinese and Babylonian Observations
13. Novae and Supernovae in Aquila
Supernova 2004dc was discovered by Tom Boles in the constellation Aquila
Picture of SN2004dc Supernova
Two early Novae were recorded in Aquila. The first one appeared in 389 A.D. was as bright as Venus. The second one shone brighter than Altair (the brightest star of Aquila).
Nova Aquila was an aged white dwarf star that exploded in late 1999. It put out more than 100,000 times more energy than our sun. Eight months after the initial explosion the activity was still not over. It had taken 100,000 years to get enough energy to trigger a thermonuclear explosion.
Going Nova: New Surprises From an Ancient Star
By Robert Roy Britt
14. Named Stars of Delphinus
Alpha Del (Sualocin)
Beta Del (Rotanev)
Epsilon Del (Deneb Dulfim)
Gamma Del
Double Star 1. gold 2. bluish green
Delphinus as viewed by Starry Skies
Milky Way Constellation Delphinus
Delphinus the Dolphin, Rescuer of Poetry
15. The Pleiades
October 10th Rise of the Vergiliae (Pleiades)
"When the Pleiades Atlagenes (born of Atlas) are rising [early May], begin your harvest, and your ploughing when they are going to set [November]. Forty nights and days they are hidden and appear again as the year moves round, when first you sharpen your sickle." - Hesiod, Works & Days 383
And so up to this time Orion seems to be following them (Pleiades) as they flee towards the west. "The Pleiades, fleeing adread from glorious Orion, plunge beneath the stream of tireless Okeanos." - Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 5.367
16. The Forty-Eight Constellations Listed in Ptolemy's Almagest
***21 Northern Constellations***
Andromeda, AQUILA, Auriga, Boötes, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Corona Borealis, Cygnus, DELPHINUS, Draco, Equuleus, HERCULES, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Pegasus, Perseus, Sagitta, Serpens, Triangulum, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
***12 Zodiacal Constellations***
Aries, Aquarius, Cancer, Capricornus, Gemini, Leo,
Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Taurus, Virgo
***15 Southern Constellations***
Ara, Argo Navis, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Centaurus, Cetus,
Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Eridanus, Hydra, Lepus, Lupus, Orion, Pisces Austrinus
The Constellations of Early Autumn (Hercules, Aquila and Delphinus etc.)
Bibliography
Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander and Indica, translator Edward Chinnock, London: George Bell and Sons, 1893.
Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey in the English Works of Thomas Hobbes, editor Sir William Molesworth, (London:Bohn, 1839-45) Vol. 10
Pearson, Lionel, The Lost Histories of Alexander the Great, , The American Philological Association, New York, N.Y. 1960
Strabo, Geography,Loeb Classical Library, 1932
Greek Cosmology and Mythology 2
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