Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The Constellations

Winter Constellations

Today on Far Future Horizons we present another exciting episode of the acclaimed documentary series The Universe ~ The Constellations.



A constellation is a group of stars that are connected together to form a figure or picture. These star pictures help organize the night sky and provide a useful tool for astronomers to organized and map the night sky.

No vista can be more inspiring than viewing the night sky, on a clear moonless night, and  being able to see the starry firmament in all its glory and splendor.

There are 88 officially known constellations in the sky. This number was established by the International Astronomical Union in 1928.



Many of us, who took up the leisurely pursuit of Astronomy, can recall how we learned the names and positions of the brightest stars with almost religious fervor. Thus,  learning  about the star groupings called the Constellations.



Summer Constellations

Celestial Sphere
As we studied the constellations, we all felt a certain kinship with our ancestors. And, marveled at the skills of ancient farmers to foretell the seasons and ancient mariners to navigate the oceans.

It was through learning the constellations that many of us were first introduced to the sky lore of our ancestors. From time immemorial  we associated the constellations with the deities that made their home in the celestial realm.

From this vantage, these divine beings controlled the destiny of humanity. Abundance and famine, wealth and poverty, war and peace, pestilence and health were under the control and sway of the Gods.


So without any further ado join us today as we reacquaint ourselves with the majesty and beauty of the constellations.


The Universe is available on DVD from Amazon.com and the History Channel’s online store.

The Universe – Constellations


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