Constellation Myths Part1: The Adult Version

How to use the Big Dipper to find the Little Dipper
and the North Star.  I made this using Photoshop.

From what I can tell, the Big and Little Dippers seem to be the most widely known and recognized constellations.  When I ask audiences at the planetarium what constellations they think they could point out at night, these two seem to be just about the only ones.  The reason for this is probably three fold.  The Big Dipper is really bright and easy to find, the Dippers (if you live far enough north) are visible all year round, and the star at the tip of the Little Dipper is currently our Earth's North Star.  When teaching people how to read the sky for constellations the Big Dipper is a great help.  I use it as a starting point, and as a guide to find other constellations.  In fact, you can easily use the Big Dipper to find Draco, Ursa Minor, Bootes, and Leo.

Ursa Major, the Big Bear

Strange as it might seem, the Big Dipper is not actually a constellation.  If you are using the proper terminology, the Big Dipper is an asterism, which is kind of like an unofficial constellation.  Asterisms can be made from stars from several constellations or from a few stars within a larger constellation.  In this way, the Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major, better known as the Big Bear.

Hollywood's "Clash of the Titans"
took many liberties in retelling
the ancient tale of Perseus.

I've been telling Greco-Roman myths relating to the Big and Little Dippers for a few years.  I have looked at many sources for these stories, and often been frustrated by the lack of consistency between them.  In fact, this is a problem when looking up all the constellation myths.  I've done my best to find versions that seemed most authentic, but part of the problem with the inconsistencies is from the original source material.  The ancient Greeks and Romans didn't put one comprehensive mythology book together for us to use. There are a number of ancient texts, often which contradict each other.  In fact, some of the same ancient poems even contradict themselves.  This wasn't a problem for the ancient poets, but it certainly bothers me.  The other reason for the different versions I was finding is because a lot of the current books and websites out there aren't trying to stay true to the ancient texts, as confusing as they are.  Just as movie adaptations of classical myths differ wildly from the ancient stories, so do modern books and websites.

I have determined that from now on I want the real thing.  So, to that end I've begun reading the ancient accounts.  I am starting with Ovid's Metamorphoses.  This was written around the beginning of the first century, during the time of Augustus Caesar, and is a great source of Greco-Roman mythology.  This poem is written in Latin and has been translated into English many times and in many different ways.  In order for me to better understand the source (since I don't read Latin), I'm reading three versions.  David Raeburn’s 2004 verse translations, A. E. Watts 1954 prose translation, and J.J. Howard’s 1807 verse translation.

Ursa Major, the Big Bear
Source: www.stellarium.org

Before you read my version of Ovid's Big Dipper myth, I want to remind you that this is Part I of this article.  Much of what is in this story is offensive to the modern reader and inappropriate to planetarium audiences.  After reading Ovid's tale, you may wonder why we even continue telling stories like this?  In part II of this article I will try to address these concerns.  In Part III I will give ideas about how to retell ancient Greco-Roman myth in a way that is appropriate for our culture and our audiences.

The Tale of Callisto from Ovid’s Metamorphoses as told in Book 2:

After the near destruction of heaven and Earth caused by Phaethon’s attempt to drive the sun chariot, Jove (Zeus) travels the world and heals the land.  He pays special attention to Arcadia, restoring fountains and springs, giving trees back their leaves, and sowing seeds among the plains.  While traveling through this land he catches sight of a beautiful nymph maiden.  Her name is Callisto, and she is the Goddess Diana’s (Artemis’s) most highly respected hunter.  Callisto doesn’t spend her time on womanly activities like fussing with her hair or dressing in fancy clothes.  Instead she dresses practically for her life as a hunter, and spends her time in the wild.  Her appearance is very attractive to Jove.

Jove watches as Callisto sets her bow and spear harmlessly to the side and lays down for a mid-day nap in an ancient forest.  As she is alone and unprotected, Jove thinks over what he want to do.  He knows his wife Juno will be angry if she finds out, but decides that laying with Callisto is worth the price. 

Jove uses his power to transform his appearance into that of Diana.  He approaches Callisto and asks her about where she has been hunting today.  When Callisto wakes up and sees Diana she immediately speaks of her love for the Goddess and attempts to answer her question about hunting.  Callisto cannot answer, though, because Jove starts kissing her in a manner that gives him away.  Soon Jove’s true form is known, and Callisto struggles with all her strength against him, but cannot keep him from raping her.

When Jove is finished he leaves.  Callisto, no longer a maiden, is ashamed, and makes her way back to Mt. Menelaus where Diana and her other nymphs live.  When she first sees Diana and is called by her, she is afraid that it again may be Jove, and doesn’t come to her.  Once she recognized the nymphs by her side, she realized that it is really Diana and joins her company.  But because of her shame, she no longer stands at her side.  Callisto’s actions and demeanor give away her loss of virginity to the other nymphs, but Diana does not realize what happened.  It isn’t until almost nine months later, when Diana finds out. 

Ruben's painting of Diana and Callisto

On a hot day, tired from hunting, Diana and her huntresses stop at a brook to bathe.  Callisto refuses to take her clothes off and bathe with the others, so they strip her clothes off.  She tries to cover her belly with her hands, but her pregnancy cannot be hidden.  “Begone” Diana cries, and banishes Callisto from her side.  Soon after, Callisto gives birth to a boy and names him Arcas.

Juno had learned some time before that her husband had slept with Callisto, and believed that it was Callisto who had seduced him.  She was waiting for the right moment to get her revenge and chooses it now.   Appearing before Callisto and the young child she accuses her, “So this was the crowning insult, adulterous whore.”  Juno grabs Callisto by the hair and throws her to the ground, continuing to yell.  “You had to make your wickedness public and testify to my Jove’s disgrace by having a baby.  I’ll make you pay, by destroying those lovely looks that allow you to fancy yourself and attract my husband, you shameless hussy!” (Raeburn translation, Metamorphoses Book 2)  As Callisto pleads and struggles, her body begins to transform.  Her arms grow hair and her beautiful mouth grows into long jowls and a snout.  She tries to cry out in anger toward Jove, whom she blames, but she can no longer speak.  Her body is fully transformed into a bear, though her mind is untouched.

Arcas is raised by his grandfather, Callisto’s father, Kind Lycaon, and never learns about what happened to his mother.  Callisto spends her days in fear of being killed by a hunter.  Sometimes, forgetting she is a bear, she hides from other bears and wolves in the wild. 

One day, when Arcas is fifteen years old, he travels into the woods hunting with his spear.  While he is in the woods, he is spotted by his mother.  She recognizes him and wants to go to him.  So, unaware of how her appearance will affect Arcas she makes her way lumbering toward him.  The young man, aware of the bear’s advance, is terrified.  He readies his spear to kill the beast.  Just before Arcas plunges the spear into his mother’s heart Jove stops him.  He sweeps the two of them into the sky with a magic wind and transforms them into the companion constellations of Ursa Major (Big Bear/Big Dipper), and Ursa Minor (Little Bear/Little Dipper).

These new constellations are recognized by Juno and she is furious.  Juno travels to visit the ancient Titanic gods of the sea, Oceanus and his wife Tethys.   She tells them of the new constellations and of her outrage.  She had transformed Callisto into a bear as punishment, and yet Jove placed her in the sky, part of Juno’s own kingdom.  How will anyone take her power seriously, if by trying to do bad to someone, good comes to them instead?  She likens it to Jove casting her from his bed and taking Callisto as his wife instead.  She pleads with Oceanus and Tethys to never let the seven bright stars (Big Dipper) of the Bear pollute the ocean by touching it. The Titans agree and as Juno departs their sea kingdom the story is finished.

Christmas Planetarium Shows

School is back in session, and the Museum's holiday hours and educational programming are all wrapped up.  It was a successful holiday season this year. The weather was cooperative, and we had great attendance.  I like the holidays, because it means I get to do some extra programming with the visitors.  Normally, I work with schools or other places who have hired me for some special program, but it has been a few years since I've worked regularly with the general public.  It is important to work with students, but part of our mission at the Museum is to reach the whole community.  The opportunity to reach out to the parents, grandparents, and other visitors is a chance to get them "turned on" to science!

During this year's holiday season I worked on three educational projects.  Two were planetarium shows and one was a comical science skit about dinosaurs.  In this post I will write about the planetarium shows, and discuss the skit in a later post.

"Santa's Sky" planetarium title slide

Santa's Sky Planetarium Show:  This is a children's planetarium show that lasts for approximately 20 minutes.  The idea is to use the planetarium's star projector to show the night sky from both Syracuse, NY and the North Pole.  I teach people how to find a few of the major constellations in Syracuse, and then we use the planetarium's latitude feature, to follow the north star until it stops directly above our heads at 90 degrees.

So what is different between viewing the stars at the North Pole and Syracuse?  Well for one thing, the sun doesn't rise for half the year.  This means you can watch the stars day and night for several months at a time.  I mentioned that the north star, Polaris, is right above your head.  Since this is just about the center point above the North Pole, and the Earth is constantly rotating, it appears that Polaris stays right above your head while all the other stars parade in a circle around the sky.  It reminds me of a carousel.  Sure, the north star appears to stay in one spot when viewed from Syracuse, but because it looks lower in the sky from Syracuse many of the other constellations rise and set with the seasons.  Pretty cool huh?  I like to mention to the families at the show that if you learn the constellations you can use them to navigate.  And if a certain someone needed to make his way around the world, he could do it at night by following the stars.  Before I bring the lights back up and send everyone on their way, I play some relaxing music on my Native American style flute while they watch the carousel of stars above their heads.

St. Matthew from the Ebbo Gospels

The Christmas Star - This is one of the planetarium shows I'm most proud of, and most cautious about.  It is a 40 minute show, which is mostly a slide show lecture on different theories about what the Star of Bethlehem might have been.  Was it a comet, a planetary conjunction, or a supernova?  During the show I take a look through the Gospel of Matthew to review the story about the "star" and find clues about when it occurred and what it may have been.  This is my third year performing this show.  When I first researched it, I read through sources on the internet, traveled out of state to see a lecture on the topic, and read a great book that became my best source.  The book is Michael Molnar's "The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi."  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic.  What makes the book so great is that Mr. Molnar did a lot of work searching through ancient sources in an attempt to understand the astrology practiced by the "wise men."  The rules to ancient astrology are more complicated than you might expect, but he is able to find a day in 6 BC when the stars align in a way that may have signaled a birth of the King of the Jews.  Before next year's shows come around again, I plan to read Courtney Robert's "The Star of the Magi: The Mystery that Heralded the Coming of Christ."  She doesn't offer an exact date like Molnar does, but apparently she makes a good case that he and other's need to be looking to ancient Zoroastrian astrology instead of Greco-Roman astrology.

Possible date of Jesus' birthday. 
I made this image using Stellarium and Photoshop.

All the research I've done has been interesting to me personally, but what I like most about the planetarium show is that it reaches out to a community that sometimes has a complicated relationship with science.  Many Christians feel threatened by science.  Some worry that science leads to a world view that doesn't include God.  Another problem is that scientific discoveries and theories disagree with a literal interpretation of parts of the Bible (Creation in 6 days, Adam & Eve, Noah's Flood).  Some people will never find a way to reconcile their beliefs with science, but I think a lot of this bad blood is unnecessary, and may come from a poor understanding of what science really is.  In performing this show, my intention is to show respect for the Bible and the story of Jesus' birth while also introducing a historical and scientifically minded approach when interpreting it.  I hope this approach makes sense to the audience, and helps them to feel a little more comfortable with science.

Michael Molnar's
"The Star of Bethlehem"

Overall this has been a very positive experience.  If you work at a planetarium, you might be considering writing this type of show for yourself.  Maybe you are wondering about the appropriateness of the topic in a science museum?  Maybe you aren't sure what the response will be.  My opinion is that as free-choice science educators it is up to us to reach into the cultures of the communities in our area and find ways to connect.  Be very clear and upfront about your intentions with your audience.  Let them know what your goal for the show is and how you intend to accomplish it.  Don't discuss your personal belief or disbelief during the show.  Let the audience make their own conclusions about the content.

If you have done any research into the Star of Bethlehem or the Magi, I would love to read about it.  Or if you've given or attended similar presentations, I would be most appreciative to hear about your experience.  You can leave your thoughts with the blog's comment option.

Science Museum Memberships- A Great Deal

In my last post I mentioned that museum memberships have great value and can save you money.  I would like to expand on that by using as an example the Family Membership at The MOST in Syracuse, NY (where I work).  This article doesn't address the importance of visiting science museums, or why supporting museums is important; it's purpose is to explain why science museum memberships are such a good deal.

A Family Membership at the MOST costs $79.00.  It includes 2 adults and all dependent children living at home.  This membership lasts a year and has several major selling points:

-  Free Admissions to the MOST
-  Free planetarium shows at the MOST
-  Free Admissions to over 300 science centers worldwide
- 10% discount at the gift shop
- Discounts on IMAX tickets and birthday parties
- Free subscription to the MOST newsletter
- Special invitations to members only preview events

Let's talk about "Free admissions to the MOST."  Sure $79 might seem like a lot to spend on one visit to the MOST, but let's imagine that we are a family of four (2 adults/2 children).  One trip to the museum, if we buy only general admission, will cost us $30.  That means that within the year if our family visits only three times, we will already have paid for the membership and started saving money.  And if our family visits every other month, than we save $101.  In addition, if we had seen a planetarium show during all 6 visits, we would have saved another $48.

Museum Prices as of 12/21/2011
(click to enlarge)

I think the greatest value of the membership is the free admissions you get to all the other science centers in the ASTC Membership Passport Program.  ASTC is the Association of Science & Technology Centers.  It is an international group of more than 300 science centers that offer reciprocal memberships.  You can check out their website to learn which centers participate.

Please click on the table to the right to enlarge the image and read the prices for some participating science centers.  I chose all these centers because they are within a day's drive from Syracuse.  With my membership I can visit any of these places and not have to worry about paying to get in.  If you do have a membership to the MOST or any of these places, I recommend checking some of the others out.  Every science center offers a different experience.  If you check the prices, you may  be surprised to see that two of the places, the Boston Museum of Science and NYC's Intrepid both cost more for a family of four than the MOST's family membership itself.  Let me repeat that:  A Family Membership for a family of four costs less than the price of one visit to some of the other science museums that are within a days drive, and can be visited for free with the membership.

If you value visiting science centers enough to visit yours a few times a year or check one out while on vacation, than a membership may be a great deal for you. Or maybe a great present for someone you know.

If you work at a science center, please remember to talk to your visitors about memberships.  You are helping your visitors to save money, while they also support the museum.

Burning Money for the Holidays on Live TV!

I couldn't let the Holiday season pass by without going on Channel 9's Bridge Street morning show and doing something fun. Last year I brought liquid nitrogen and used it to make ice cream for the hosts (check earlier blog post). That was a great demonstration for the season, but what could I bring this time? Well, my fellow science educators at the MOST and I thought about it and came up with a few ideas. Our favorite was the burning money demonstration we found at Steve Spangler's website. This is a potentially dangerous demonstration, so I recommend that children do not try this. If you are an adult, and you want to try this activity, make sure you read through the instructions carefully on Steve Spangler's website.

Burning money? On live TV? What? Isn't that illegal?

Defacing a dollar bill certainly is a crime (see link), but the fun thing about this demonstration is that the dollar bill doesn't get damaged at all by the flame it's engulfed in.

So why doesn't the dollar bill burn? The dollar bill never gets hot enough to light on fire. Sure, the rubbing alcohol is burning up all around it, but because the bill is soaked with water, the water absorbs the heat and not the bill itself. The trick to keeping the bill from lighting is to make sure you have the right amount of water in the solution.

In the Bridge Street segment I mentioned how memberships can be a great way to save money. I am going to write a separate post about the value of museum memberships, but I want to briefly explain what I mean by this. A museum membership may cost you double or more than a single museum visit, but even without the discounts that come with them, a membership can soon pay for itself. For example, with a Family+ membership at the MOST, a family that travels to the MOST and other ASTC science museums could expect to reasonable save $100 or more a year.

I hope you enjoy the clip!
-Dustin Angell, 2011

X-Men Succeed in Making First Space Elevator Using Nanotechnology

Cyclops tells the press about the importance of
the pace elevator in Marvel's X-Club #1

Imagine the possibilities of an elevator that could bring people and supplies all the way up to an orbiting space station. A space elevator has long since been a dream of science fiction, and more recently with the discovery of carbon nanotubes, is making its way into real science. As scientists use nanotechnology to create stronger and thinner materials, we become closer to achieving this dream. This week, in the pages of Marvel Comics, the X-Men's science team figured it out.

NASA depiction of a space elevator.
Artist: Pat Rawling

The science geek in me loves all the science talk in comic books. It doesn't always make a lot of sense, but it often lines up with some of the big science ideas that make their way into pop culture. For example, the Fantastic Four got their super powers in 1961 from cosmic radiation while traveling into outer space. This was the same year that Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.  Throughout the 1960's the word "atomic" was associated with just about everything in comics, and now in the new millennium its "nano" that keeps popping up.

I'm a member of the NISE Network, a community of scientists and educators that teach about nano-technology.  Nanotechnology is already changing our lives, and may end up having a bigger impact than the invention of personal computers or the internet.  Nano refers to a nanometer, which is one billion times smaller than a meter.  It is the same ratio as the size of the Earth compared to the size of a marble.  By studying and working with materials at the nano scale scientists can make things we never could before.  They are producing better sports equipment, clear sunblock, anti-stick substances, medicine, artificial flavors for our food, and spray-on coatings for our produce.  Nano-technology may even hold the key to fighting cancer, defeating AIDS, and to creating better photo-voltaic cells in solar panels.  If you've never hear of nanotechnology, check out the site and prepare to be amazed.

The cover of Marvel's X-Club #1
shows the four members of the
X-Men's Science team.

Okay, so back to that space elevator in the comic book. For those who keep up with the fictional world of Marvel comic books, you may know that the super-hero group, the X-Men, have founded a sanctuary and sovereign nation for mutants off the cost of San Francisco.   Utopia houses around 200 mutants.  On the island, the X-Men have a group of scientists called the "X-Club," which consists of two male mutant scientists, a female human scientist (Go Dr. Kavita Rao!), and a self-aware female robot (don't ask). The X-Club characters are normally supporting roles, but their new mini-series puts them in the spotlight.  And since the mutant nation is trying to convince the world not to fear and hate them, building a space elevator for humankind seemed like a good idea for public relations.

In the comic book, the leader of the X-Men tells the press that this project is part of a new era of privatized space exploration, and that it may benefit humankind by helping to monitor the ecological health of the earth, and harvest electricity for those communities that need it.  Is Cyclops just trying to gain credibility for his nation, or would a space elevator really do all of that?  I mean, in real life.

X-Club's Dr. Nemesis explains his process.

Of course we won't know until it finally happens, but a space elevator would be a big deal.  NASA and the US Military think so, and are researching the details.  Google thinks so, too.  They are trying to learn to build one in their secret research lab.

A space elevator would cut down dramatically on the costs of sending people and supplies into space.  Using rockets is very expensive, and a space elevator or elevators would cut down the need for them.  The space station on the other end of the elevator could conduct all kinds of science experiments.  A big part of what NASA does now is monitor the Earth.  I think we can assume that a space elevator would do some of this as well.  The station could also possibly be used to assemble and launch other space vehicles or satellites.  In this way the station could help launch, assemble, and repair solar energy-collecting satellites.  These could harness solar energy in space and beam it back down for us to use as electricity.  We are really just at the beginning of privatized space exploration.  With advances in nanotechnology it is a real possibility that space elevators may become a part of our lives in the coming decades.

I could keep writing about the comic book and about space elevators, but I think this post is just long enough.  Please, send me your comments, and if you're interested in this topic I've posted some links and a video below.

NASA's space elevator article: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast07sep_1/

NOVA's space elevator site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/space-elevator.html

The International Space Elevator Consortium: http://isec.org/

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream - Christmas Demo

It is always fun making an appearance on Bridge Street, Channel 9's morning show. I've been going on the show for a year or so now, usually bringing on a science demonstration to do with the hosts. Since it is the Christmas season, I thought it would be fun to post the segment from last December when I made ice cream using liquid nitrogen. The producer, Holly, has recently sent me the links to my old appearances, so I will probably be adding some others on future posts.

Performing for Adolescent Psychiatric Patients: Part 2

In part one of the "Performing for Adolescent Psychiatric Patients," I described my experience last week performing a science show for adolescent patients at a psychiatric center.  I was initially unsure of how it would go, and even uncertain that it was an entirely appropriate venue for a science demonstration show; but somehow it worked.  In this post I want to talk about why I now think psychiatric centers are a great venue.

I don't presume to say that one enjoyable 45 minute show is going to "fix" the patients' problems.  I'm not a mental health worker, or even someone who can be around long enough to see if there are any quantifiable results.  But I do believe that not only did the show not cause any harm (number one rule), but that it was helpful to the patients in a few ways.

1.  Confidence Building - The patients that made up the audience got to ask and answer questions, volunteer to help me, were trusted to pet a turtle, and a couple even got to drum with me in front of the others.  They weren't really working on skill building, like in wilderness therapy programs, or expressing their innermost thoughts, like in journal writing, but they were getting a chance to be heard and included through voluntary participation.

2.  Content - Learning about how an optical illusion works or why a male slider turtle has long claws may not be information that specifically related to the patients' problems, but they don't have to be.  Our universe is a fascinating place, and sometimes we need some exposure to its wonders to remind us of that.  Science stems from our natural curiosity, and demonstrates that there are things worth learning and participating in that are bigger than ourselves and the personal problems we can become trapped in.  Books like Last Child in the Woods describe some of the benefits children gain from exposure to nature and problems that come from losing it.  I don't think it is just the "nature" that kids need, but exposure to ideas about "nature" and the wider world around them.

3.  Role Modeling - This is probably the most important of the three I've listed so far.  In fact, without it I'm not sure much of the confidence building or content gets through.  So, what do I mean by role modeling?  I mean practicing what you preach, embodying a lifestyle or attitude that connects with the content.  Here is a great quote from Kipling that explains what I mean.


No printed word, nor spoken plea can teach young minds what they should be. Not all the books on all the shelves – but what the teachers are themselves.

Rudyard Kipling

When my audiences see me giving a presentation I know they are picking up more than I'm saying.  Even if they don't realize it themselves, they are bringing all their experiences, prejudices, and current mood with them to color their perception.  And everything from what I'm wearing and how I'm standing, to my pronunciation and delivery are a part of what they take from the presentation.  Certainly, this could be a roadblock.  Imagine how many people would listen to my message if they thought I was unsure of the content, untrustworthy, or unpleasant.  But, on the other hand, what if I can convince them of the opposite.  Along with the content, the presenter is also the message.  The phrase, "The medium is the message" applies to people as well as newspapers, cellphones, and TV.  

By demonstrating that a life filled with learning, curiosity, and respect can be a path worth traveling, a good role model can open their audiences eyes.  And for an adolescent who isn't sure about their future, this seems like an opportunity any adult working with them cannot afford to miss.

4.  Music - During the show I spent about 15 minutes demonstrating the science behind sound and playing music with various instruments.  I love music and it turns out that just about everyone else does to.  I started by asking them if they thought of music as being an important part of their lives.  Then I mentioned how powerful music can be on our emotions, and explained that even though it seems like magic, we can use science to help us understand how music works.  This seemed to draw them in, but honestly, music doesn't need much help to do that.  Why is music so powerful?  I don't really know and I didn't try to answer that question with the audience, but I do know that music works for any age and for just about everyone.