"Praise ye Him,
O sun and moon: praise Him, all ye stars and light''
Summary
and a Few Odds and Ends
The story told
by the
Zodiac can be summed up thus:
The First
Set of Four Signs: The Nature of Christ
Virgo: Christ as
God Incarnate, born of a Virgin
Coma Berenices Centaurus Bootes
the Shepherd
Libra: Christ as Redeemer
Crux Lupus/Therion
Corona
Borealis
(Crown)
Scorpius: Christ as Victor over Death and
Evil
Serpens Ophiucus Hercules
Sagittarius: Christ as Justice
Lyra Ara
(Altar) Draco
The Second
Set of Four Signs: The Nature of the Church
Capricornus: The
Church as the Bride of Christ
Sagitta Aquila
Delphinus
Aquarius: The Church as the Font of Grace
Southern Fish Pegasus (and
Equuleus) Cygnus (Northern
Cross)
Pisces: The Church as the Persecuted People
of God
The Band Cepheus
Andromeda
Aries: The Eucharist as Salvific Lamb of God
Cassiopeia Cetus
Perseus
(and Triangulum)
The Third
Set
of Four Signs: Last Things
Taurus: Christ Returns as Judge
Orion Eridanus Auriga
Gemini: Judgment
Lepus Canis
Major Canis Major
Cancer: Heaven and Hell
Ursa Minor Ursa
Major Argo
Leo: Christ as Eternal King, reigning in
the Heavenly
Jerusalem
Hyrda Crater
Corvus
Or, to put it into very short story form:
As the prophets
foretold, a virgin (Virgo) gave birth to the Messias Who stems from the
Root of Jesse, and this Virgin was made Queen (Coma Berenices) of
Heaven for her obedience and humility. Her Son has two natures
(Centaurus) and is a good Shepherd (Bootes) to His sheep.
He came into the world to redeem us and pay the price of our
sins (Libra) by dying on the Cross (Crux), becoming the Sacrificial
Victim (Lupus/Therion) so we might go to Heaven and be given the crown
of life (Corona Borealis).
To avail ourselves of His Sacrifice, we must resist the Evil
One (Scorpius) and trust that Christ has already conquered him (Serpens
and Ophiucus, and Hercules, whose foot rests on the head of the dragon
Draco).
When the two-natured Christ (Sagittarius) shoots his arrow at
the heart of Evil One (Scorpius) and crushes his head (Draco) by
offering Himself on the altar (Ara), the angels rejoice (Lyra).
We become one with Christ (Capricornus) by repenting
(Sagitta); our souls are taken up to God (Aquila) and we're saved from
drowning in the sea of chaos (Delphinus).
The waters of Baptism (Aquarius) restore us (Piscis
Austrinas/Southern Fish). By Blood (Cygnus/Northern Cross) and water
(Pegasus) we are saved, and by Baptism, we become brothers in Christ
(Equuleus).
The people of the Church (Pisces) are one (the Band), and
King Christ (Cepheus) has assured us that the gates of Hell will never
prevail against them. But they will be hated by the world, and
persecuted (Andromeda).
The merciful, gentle Lamb of God (Aries) sanctifies us, and
the Queen Mother (Cassiopeia) prays for us, but the Evil One (Cetus)
makes his attacks. Christ (Perseus) the Omniscient One (Triangulum),
though, saves His people.
And then He comes to mete out Justice (Taurus). Christ
(Orion) will judge the dead (Eridanus), bringing them to Himself, or
sending them to Hell, but His judgment will be merciful (Auriga).
He looks at the hearts of those to be judged: The people to
whom He is wedded (Gemini) avoid evil (Lepus), and love God with all
their hearts, minds, soul, and strength (Canis Major), and love their
neighbor as they love themselves (Canis Minor).
The people who refuse grace and follow the dark spirit of
Antichrist (Cancer) die the second death (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor)
while those who are His are sail away to Heaven on the ark of salvation
(Argo).
For ever more, He reigns as King (Leo), with those written in
the Book of Life enjoying eternal peace, while those whose names are
not written therein are cast into darkness with the defeated Evil One
(Hydra). The choice is ours: Life (Crater) or Death (Corvus).
Seeing Each of the Zodiacal Constellations
If you live around the same latitude as Indianapolis and Naples, I will
relate a way you can see each of the Zodiacal constellations, one per
month. If you
live North or South of the aforementioned latitude, adjust these
directions relative to your location.
If you go out on the 1st of each month at 10pm and have perfect
visibility (something that's very hard to come by for city-dwellers!),
you'll be able to see a myriad of constellations, including more than
one Zodiacal constellation at a time. So I will focus only on what's as
close as
we can get to directly overhead. In other words, on the 1st of each
month, at 10pm, go outside, find a dark place, and face South. At
these
times, you will see:
January 1, 10pm
Taurus
directly overhead
February 1, 10pm
Gemini
directly overhead
March 1,
10pm
Cancer
directly overhead
April 1,
10pm
Leo
directly overhead
May 1,
10pm
Virgo
you will have to
lower your head some and look toward the South a bit,
a little over halfway up
between the horizon and directly overhead
June 1,
10pm
Libra
as with Virgo,
you will have to lower your head a little toward
the South, but a little lower this time and look a little less than
halfway up between the horizon and
directly overhead
July 1,
10pm
Scorpius
as with the
above two signs, you will
have to look toward the South -- this time much lower -- very low -- on
the horizon
August 1,
10pm
Sagittarius
look once again
about the same place you saw Scorpius
September 1, 10pm
Capricornus
again toward the
South, but a
few degrees higher up relative to where Scorpius was located
October 1,
10pm
Aquarius
look toward the
South, higher than last month, about halfway
between overhead and the horizon
November 1,
10pm
Pisces
look toward the
South, but raise your head even higher than last month, to about a
quarter of
the way down between overhead and the horizon
December 1,
10pm
Aries
almost directly
overhead
As you
follow the zodiacal constellations, you'll note that they dip lower and
lower,
and then higher and higher between directly overhead and the Southern
horizon, reflecting the angle of the ecliptic.
Some might be looking at the above and are puzzled, thinking
of the
concept of "Sun Signs" -- the sign in one's astrological natal chart
where the Sun is located at the time of one's birth (e.g., when
you hear someone say, for ex., "I'm Aquarius! What Sign are you?",
they're referring to their Sun signs). They might be wondering why, if
people born between January 21 and February 18 are considered to be
"Aquarians," the constellation of Aquarius is overhead in October. The
answer is that when the Sun is in
a constellation, that constellation
isn't visible for the same reasons we can't see the stars during the
daytime.
Given the problem of light pollution, it's often easier to try to
identify the very brightest stars and work from there. To serve that
end, I include this chart of the sixteen brightest stars of the
Northern hemisphere:
Star
Apparent
Magnitude
Color
Location
Sirius
-1.44
Bluish-white
Canis Major,
decan of Gemini
Arcturus
-0.05
Reddish
Bootes, decan of
Virgo
Vega
0.026
Bluish
Lyre, decan of
Sagittarius
Capella
0.08
Whitish
Auriga, decan of
Taurus
Rigel
0.13
Bluish
Orion, decan of
Taurus
Procyon
0.34
Yellowish-white
Canis Minor,
decan of Gemini
Betelgeuse
0.0 to 1.6
Reddish
Orion, decan of
Taurus
Altair
0.76
Bluish
Aquila, decan of
Capricornus
Aldebaran*
0.75 to 0.95
Reddish
Taurus
Spica
0.97
Bluish
Virgo
Antares*
0.6 to 1.6
Reddish
Scorpius
Pollux
1.14
Reddish
Gemini
Fomalhaut*
1.16
Bluish
Piscis
Austrinus, decan of Aquarius
Deneb
1.25
Bluish
Cygnus, decan of
Aquarius
Regulus*
1.40
Bluish
Leo
Castor
1.93
Whitish
Gemini
*Forming
a great Cross in the sky, these stars are sometimes called the four
"Royal Stars" as each sits in a fixed sign
in four different quadrants of the sky, marking
equinoxes and solstices, and making themselves important for
navigation.
Aldebaran is called the "Watcher of the East"; Regulus is the "Watcher
of the North";
Antares is the "Watcher of the West"; and Fomalhaut is the "Watcher of
the South."
Seeing the Naked-Eye
Planets
The planets will follow the same path as the Zodiac's constellations,
the Sun, and the Moon, so to spot them, look in that same East to West
arc in the sky,
facing toward the South while in the Northern hemisphere. The planets'
orbit times vary wildly, so where they'll be on a given date changes
from
year to year. But here are a few things to note:
Planet
Color
Orbit
Moons
Notes
Mercury
Yellowish to
pinkish
88 days
0
Mercury is
difficult to spot, being only really visible just after Sunset or just
before Sunrise. It will be seen within 17 and 28 degrees away from the
Sun.
Venus
Silvery-bluish
224 days
0
After the Moon,
Venus will be the brightest object in the night sky. It's known as both
the Morning Star and the Evening Star, depending on the time of day
it's visible. When it can be seen, it will be seen for a few hours
after Sunset in the West, and for a few hours before Sunrise in the
East. With binoculars or a telescope, you can see its Moon-like
phases.
Mars
Red
1.8 years
2
Though known as
"the Red Planet," Mars can also appear an orange-red.
Jupiter
White
12 years
79
After the Moon
and Venus,
Jupiter is the next brightest object in the night sky.
Saturn
Yellowish-white
29.5 years
82
Though not as
bright as the other planets, Saturn is brighter than almost all of the
visible stars.
The Moon
Our natural satellite is such a beautiful
thing! Associated with the feminine and the ever-changing, for
Catholics, the Moon also reminds us of Our Lady and the Church. Our
Blessed Mother is often depicted by a waxing crescent Moon, something
that recalls these verses from Apocalypse of St. John 12:1-5:
And a great sign
appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under
her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: And being with
child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.
And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red
dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his heads seven
diadems: And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was
ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might
devour her son. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his
throne.
The Moon has no light of its own, receiving its glory from
the Sun, and so it is with Our Lady, who receives her glory from her
Son.
The waning crescent Moon is seen as symbolizing St. John The Baptist,
who said, as recorded in John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must
decrease." In the same way, the waning Moon is seen as the synagogue,
superceded by the Church, which, like the Virgin, is represented by a
waxing Moon.
In medieval folklore, the "Man in the Moon" was seen as a sinner --
typically guilty of violating the Sabbath -- punished by exile to the
lunar landscape. He's also been seen as Cain, cursed in punishment for
killing his brother, Abel (Genesis 4), and cast out as a "a fugitive
and a vagabond." The medievals saw Cain as making his way to the Moon
with a bundle of twigs, and Dante refers to the Moon as "Cain and his
twigs" in "The Inferno" of his "The Divine Comedy." The Man in the
Moon's left eye is made up of the Mare Serenitatis (the Sea of
Serenity); the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) makes up his right eye (the
eye we see to the left).
The Moon takes twenty-nine and a half days to complete its
cycle from New Moon to New Moon, and as you get into stargazing, you'll
find that the Moon's phases have a definite effect on how visible the
stars are. The Sun's light crosses the Moon's face from right to left
The full Moons of the different months have different
traditional names. They are:
January:
Wolf Moon
July:
Buck Moon
February:
Snow Moon
August:
Sturgeon Moon
March:
Worm Moon
September:
Harvest Moon
April:
Pink Moon
October:
Hunter Moon
May:
Flower Moon
November:
Beaver Moon
June:
Strawberry
Moon
December:
Cold Moon
Seeing the Milky Way
In the strict sense, we "see the Milky Way" any time we look at the
sky; we live in it; it's our home galaxy. All of the stars we see with
the naked eye are in the Milky Way, as are all other naked-eye objects
aside from the Andromeda Galaxy. But what's meant here is the densest
part of our galaxy, the center containing a mass of undifferentiated
stars that, all together, look like a -- well, a milky path of
light in the sky. The Milky Way in this sense is most dense in the
constellation of Sagittarius, and won't be visible at all in Winter.
The best viewing is in Summer -- June, July, and, especially, August.
Just look toward the constellation of Sagittarius -- but know you'll
have to have very, very dark sky without a bright Moon to spot it, so
prepare to travel, at the right lunar phase, if you're not blessed to
live in a place without light pollution.
Meteor Showers
I so encourage anyone with an interest in the stars to keep an eye out
for the yearly meteor showers! One year, I saw the Leonids put on a spectacular
display, with meteors of different
colors -- pink, white,
and green -- and even "sound effects" when some of those meteors
entered our atmosphere and sizzled, popped, and exploded!
Some meteor showers are "duds," and, of course, visibility is always an
issue. A meteor shower that peaks on a cloudy night won't reveal
much. But what I saw with those Leonids that one year has me convinced
that it's worth it to mark your calendars and at least give them a
look. You can find the dates of the various meteor showers here, at the
American
Meteor Society's calendar page. There are many showers, as you will
see, but
the Leonids, Geminids, and Perseids ("the
Tears of St. Lawrence") tend to be extra special. Meteor showers
are named after the constellations "in which" they're located (e.g.,
Leonids are named after Leo, the Geminids are named after Gemini, the
Perseids are named after Perseus, etc.), so if you can find the
relevant constellation, you can find the shower's epicenter.
A Final Word
At the end of the movie "Grand Canyon," a group of people who'd been
bickering the entire movie arrive at the edge of the canyon for which
the
movie's named. They all finally shut up, stunned into silence before
the beauty of the world God made for us. For that brief
moment, they all shared an experience of the transcendent, even if they
might not have consciously realized it. Together, they experienced awe. They experienced God
through His handiwork.
Think of that, and now look at this picture of our beautiful galaxy:
Think of how rare such a view of our skies is. All that
beauty -- lost! God's
beautiful stars are just there, but we've been blinded to them. Their
voices are still crying out to be heard, but we can no longer hear
them. Light pollution has made it impossible in too many places. And it
doesn't have to be that way. A fix is simply to use warm outdoor
lighting that is
directed and shielded, and it's a relatively inexpensive fix that
wouldn't entail assaults on our
manufacturing, production or economy. Please watch this video, think
about it, and do something about this if you're in agreement. Visit the
International Dark Sky
Association for more
information.