const. = constellation
a.k.a. = also known as
Earth:
Point of origin for SGC. Possible
meaning might come from the idealized picture of an Egyptian
Pyramid with the sun high overhead.
Pisces:
The Fish. Autumn const. in Northern
Hemisphere. Twelfth sign of the zodiac.
Crater: A
spring const near Hydra and Corvus. Symbolizes a giant
cup.
Andromeda:
Autumn const. Rescued by Perseus
after being eaten by a sea serpent because her mother, Queen
Cassiopeia had claimed herself as being more beautiful that
the daughters of Nereus, the Sea-god. Andromeda later
married Perseus.
Virgo:
The Virgin. Spring const. Sixth sign
of the zodiac.
Triangulum:
The Triangle. Autumn const. in the
Southern circumpolar region.
Bootes:
The Herdsman or Plowman. A.k.a.
Arcturus or the Wagoner; said to drive the Dipper (Wain or
Wagon) across the sky. Spring const.
Aries:
The Ram. Autumn const. in the
Northern Hemisphere. First sign of the zodiac.
Centaurus:
A.k.a. Centaur. Southern circumpolar
const. Named after the mythic creatures who have the body of
a horse and the chest and face of a man. More specifically
after Chiron, the wisest and most noble of them all. Said to
have tutored Hercules and Jason.
Perseus:
Son of Danae and Zeus. Cast to the
sea in a chest at his birth, Danae and Perseus were
befriended by a kind fisherman, Dictys, with an evil
brother/King. Polydectes, the brother, wanted Danae but not
her son so he devised a way to kill him. Perseus had to kill
Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, unassisted. With several
gifts from the Gods he succeeded in his mission, using
Medusa's head to turn Polydectes and his Court to
stone.
Libra:
The Scales. Summer const. Seventh
sign of the zodiac. Also a unit of weight in ancient Rome
representing a pound and equivalent to twelve ounces.
Cetus:
The Whale. Autumn const. in the
Equitorial region of the Southern Hemisphere.
Serpens Caput:
The Serpent's Head. Summer const. on
the Equator.
Taurus:
The Bull. Second sign of the zodiac.
Winter const. in the Northern Hemisphere.
Norma:
The Carpenter's Square. In Latin;
length of a vector. Southern Hemisphere const.
Auriga:
The Charioteer. Also seen as carrying
goats due to Capella's (The Goat) close proximity to Auriga.
A small three-star cluster below Capella symbolizes the
kids. Last of the Autumn const.
Scorpio:
The Scorpion. Eighth sign in the
zodiac. Summer const. Scorpio bit Orion; causing his
death.
Eridanus:
From the story of Phaethon seeking
his father, the Sun. Phaethon asked to drive the Sun's
mighty chariot to prove that he really was the boy's father.
Phaethon lost control of the chariot driving it across the
sky, setting everything on fire. He finally fell ablaze from
the chariot to the earth into the river Eridanus. The naiads
buried him along the riverbanks.
Cra:
Short for Corona Austrina; the
Southern Crown. Best seen in August.
Orion:
The Great Hunter. Fell in love with
the daughter (Aero or Merope) of the King of Chios, and
cleared the island of wild beasts. King Oenopion kept
putting off the marriage. Orion insulted the daughter in a
drunken rage, and Oenopion had Dionysus put a spell on him
so he could gouge out Orion's eyes. He regained his eye
sight after some travels, but never saw the princess again.
Besides the myth of Scorpio killing him, there is also the
tales of Artemis shooting him in a jealous fit. Const. does
not appear with Sagittarius or Scorpio in the sky.
Scutum:
The Shield. Best seen in
August.
Canus Minor:
The Little Dog. Winter const. in the
Equitorial region of the Southern Hemisphere.
Sagittarius:
The Archer. Summer const. Sagittarius
revenges Orion's death by killing Scorpio. Ninth sign of the
zodiac.
Monoceros:
The Unicorn. Best seen in
February.
Aquila:
The Eagle. Summer const. in Northen
Hemisphere.
Gemini:
The Twins; two stars named after
Castor (mortal) and Pollux (immortal). Castor was killed in
a dispute over cattle and Pollux was beside himself in
grief. Zeus in pity, allowed the brothers to split half
their days between earth and Olympus. Spring const. in the
Northern Hemisphere. The third sign of the zodiac.
Mic:
Short for Microscopium; The
Microscope. Best seen in September. Microscopium was named
by Abbé Nicolas Louis De
Lacaille. It
was named after the microscope, created by Zachariles
Janssen. Jassen, a Dutch spectacle maker, is believed to
have invented the microscope in 1590.
Hydra: A
nine-headed creature killed by Hercules (with cousin Iolaus'
help) on his second labor to cleanse his soul. Const. in the
Equitorial region of the Southern Hemisphere.
Capricorn:
The Goat's Horns. Autumn const. in
Southern Hemisphere. Tenth sign of zodiac.
Lynx: The
Lynx. Best seen in March.
Piscis Austrinus:
The Southern Fish. Autumn const. in
Southern Hemisphere.
Cancer:
The Crab. Spring const. in the
Northern Hemisphere. Fourth sign of the zodiac.
Equuleus:
The Foal. Best seen in
September.
Sextans:
The Sextant. A navagational
instrument used for measuring the altitudes of celestrial
bodies. Const. in the Equitorial region of the sky.
Aquarius:
The Water Carrier. Autumn const. in
Southern Hemisphere. Eleventh sign of the zodiac.
Leo Minor:
The Lesser Lion. Spring const. in the
Northern Hemisphere.
Pegasus:
Mighty winged horse born from
Medusa's blood when Perseus killed her. Greatest triumph;
being captured by Bellerophon to help defeat the Chimaera.
Autumn const in Northern Hemisphere.
Leo: The
Lion. Fifth sign of the zodiac. Spring const. in the
Northern Hemisphere.
Sculptor:
The Carver. Southern Hemisphere
const.
Symbols taken and used
without permission from Showtime Online's website. The story
of Phaethon (Eridanus) and Orion from Edith Hamilton's
Mythology.
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