There are some delightful but small and dim star groups that hang out near the Great Summer Triangle. After our Moon passes its full phase later this week, it will be a good time to look for them.
You will find Vega almost directly overhead, Deneb to the northeast, and Altair to the southeast. The graphic shows where the Eagle, the Dolphin, the Arrow, and the Coathanger are relative to the Summer Triangle.
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A Chinese legend tells about the herdsman, Altair, of the royal flock falling in love with a princess or maiden, the bright star Vega. As new lovers are known to do – they failed to carry out their standard duties. The sun king or emperor disciplined them by placing them on opposites sides of the great river in the sky, the Milky Way. Only once a year can the two lovers meet – on the seventh night of the seventh month. On that night all the magpies in the world come together to form a bridge over the river of the Milky Way for them. When it is sufficiently dark, we can see that in fact, Vega and Altair are on the opposite sides of the Milky Way band (river of light) in our night sky.
We find Delphinus (del-FINE-us), the Dolphin, just north and east of the Eagle, swimming northward on the eastern edge of the Milky Way. Delphinus is a very small constellation and not very bright but in my mind the shape does look like a dolphin leaping out of the water. Some think it is shaped like a very small dipper.
There are several legends that tell of rescues by dolphins. The one that seems to appear most frequently tells of the adventures of the Greek poet and celebrated harp player, Arion. He traveled from Corinth to Italy to recite his poetry and to perform his music on his harp. His audiences loved his compositions and rewarded him greatly. Arion hired a ship and crew to take him and his newfound wealth to his homeland to celebrate his success. Once underway the crew conspired to throw Arion overboard and divide up his riches. Arion begged to be allowed to play one last tune before being tossed over the side. His request was granted and the music was so captivating that it attracted a group of dolphins. At just the right moment Arion leaped onto the back of one of the dolphins and was carried safely to Corinth. The crew assumed that Arion had drowned at sea and so sailed on to Corinth but Arion and the authorities were waiting for them. Arion recovered his bountiful property and the Dolphin was placed in the sky as a reward for the rescue.
Sagitta (sah-JIT-ah or sa-GIT-ta), the Arrow, is another small, dim, ancient constellation that is not far from the Dolphin and the Eagle.
From a Greek myth we learn that the Titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to the mortals. Zeus, king of the gods, was very angry with Prometheus for doing this. As punishment, Zeus had Prometheus chained to a rock where the Eagle ate his liver each day. Prometheus was immortal so his liver grew back each night; thus the Eagle returned every day to eat his liver again. Hercules, another character of Greek myth, was given Twelve Labors to accomplish. In performing one of these labors Hercules shot an arrow that killed the Eagle, and then Hercules freed Prometheus from his chains. Hercules’ Arrow was placed in the sky and is known as Sagitta.
Just above and to the right of the Arrow (width of a closed fist at arm’s length) is a stunning group of stars at the very edge of naked eye visibility, the Coathanger. It got its name from its shape. With about 6 stars forming the straight part and 4 stars forming the hook, it really does look like an upside down coat hanger. You will need to use binoculars to see it clearly.
Next week we will locate and discuss the science and lore of Cepheus, the King. Clear skies.
Dan Pope writes a syndicated column on astronomy http://www.yourhandleonthenightsky.com
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