Wednesday, April 3, 2013

C is for Constellations



Throughout human history, we've looked up at the night sky in awe.  Before we had science to explain the things we saw, each culture made up it's own stories about the pictures it saw in the sky.  These stories say a lot about the groups that made them.  Though we know now that the constellations are not actual groupings of stars, but rather appear that way from our perspective, they are still a part of who we are.  We grow up looking at them.  For many, they are our first exposure to the wonders of the cosmos.



Sometimes I find myself wondering about a hypothetical alien race and what they see in the unique images they would see in their own night sky.

12 comments:

  1. I love to look at the stars, but in town it is hard to see them because of all the lights. My husband was raised out in western Oklahoma and we used to drive back to college in Tulsa late at night. In the winter time the stars were so numerous it was breathtaking. Great C word!
    tm

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  2. In the worlds I build I have often thought of the constellations my characters might see. Typically it would be the gods, but also mundane things.

    I used to sit for hours as a kid looking up into the sky!

    Keep up the great posts!

    --
    Tim Brannan
    The Other Side and The Witch
    Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword
    The Freedom of Nonbelief

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  3. My daughter is fascinated with the constellations. I've been considering buying her a telescope.

    Good luck with the challenge.

    Cheryl
    http://www.thebusymomsdaily.com/2013/04/blogging-from-to-z-april-challenge_3.html

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  4. This is an awesome C topic! I always wondered how the ancient astronomers could look at a handful of stars and imagine some elaborate figure using them. Like Pegasus up in the video.

    I also spent many evenings out on lawnchairs in the middle of the yard with my family at our property in central Michigan. It's a good 15 miles from the nearest town, so the skies were fantastic!

    Lisa @ Random Ramblings

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  5. Constellations are very cool, but I can never see them unless someone points them out. Go figure.

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  6. Hello! That's an interesting thought. I do believe there's other life out there, and I wonder what they call their constellations? It's cool to think about!

    Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

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  7. I love looking up into the night sky and think about what might be happening, even though I can't see it!

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  8. Following from the A to Z Chellenge.

    I remember looking at the stars and pointing out constellations when I was a kid, before we moved to a bigger city and didn't see stars for years.

    And that alien race ... is probably wondering what beings not from /their/ planet see in the stars of the night sky.

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  10. Agree with LuAnn above - they are probably thinking and wondering the same thing we are!

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  11. I think if aliens could see us on this planet, they would be horrified by how violent humans are! Swooping in from A-Z

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  12. Greetings from A to Z #396! I never thought about what aliens might see from their planet, but I've often wondered what we would see if we were on other planets. I also love kids explanations of what they see up there. It's amazing how creative they can be!

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