2 - Astronomy & Astrology: Space, Stars and Indians

CONSTELLATIONS

 WINTER SKY (December-February)

This series is divided in to four parts of which the introductory part (Part 1) is the first which, I presume,  you have already read. What follows is a brief note on solar zodiac in two parts (Part 2 and 3). The fourth (part 4) will give details of Indian nakshatras and their actual locations based on modern astronomy.

The names of the constellations are given in the following order:

• Name as per Bayer System
• Short/Genitive Form (Bayer System)
• Proper Name (Arabic and English, if available)
• Distance from the earth in Light Years (LY)

The symbols (traditional and non-traditional) for the constellations are also shown. The 27 nakshatras and the details of the relevant stars are given in a separate article. So, the details of Indian nakshatras are not listed in this part.

LY = distance from the Earth to the star.

If you have installed Stellarium, the free Astronomy software, open it and work preferably without the ‘landscape’ option under ‘sky and viewing options’. You can go ahead even without the software, but it helps you understand fully the positions of stars and constellations. The sky can be manipulated, by changing the date/month/year using the ‘Date/Time’ Window of Stellarium. You can get the desired constellation(s) on the screen this way. Images appearing here are created with Stellarium unless otherwise mentioned.

The Celestial equator (shown as Equator) in the diagrams always runs East-West. The Solar zodiac constellations are the ones that lie on the Ecliptic.

In traditional astrology, 27 nakshatras are grouped so as to fit them in to 12 solar houses. A nakshatra may therefore appear partially (1/2 or 3/4) in a solar zodiac and the remaining (1/2 or 1/4) appear in the following solar zodiac. However, the images are created on the basis of modern solar constellation boundaries. This may be confusing, but it is scientifically correct. As you move forward to the 4th article in the series the logic will become more clear. The images in part 2 and 3 of the series do not show all the stars as it is practically difficult to show many nakshatras together in a single image.

 ORION (Mriga/Makayiram Rāsi)

Genitive: Orionis (Ori)

o-o-o

Symbol

This constellation is also known in Sanskrit (from Rigveda) as Kaalapurush Mandal. The word Shabara in Sanskrit (means hunter), is used only because it is a synonym for Mrigavyadha. Kaalapurush is the Omnipotent, the basic form of the Hindu god Vishnu. It does not mean Kaal or Yamraja, the lord of death. Mandal refers to zone/area/realm. Mriga is stag/deer in Sanskrit.



Credit: www.stardate.org

The diagram tells it all. The Hunter, facing west, has a stick in his right hand, shield in left hand and a belt on his waist.  He has a sword too, hanging from the belt. The four stars form an imaginary quadrangle/trapezium.

Orion, in different names, figures in many stories around the world.

Diana, Apollo’s sister and an expert huntress, wanted to marry Orion, according to a Greek story. Apollo objected to this marriage. On being prodded by Apollo, she once shot an arrow on a moving object in water. She did not know that the ‘object’ was Orion. To atone for her fatal error, Diana placed Orion in the heavens. There is another story in which an arrogant Orion is killed by a scorpion. Orion was brought back to life Ophiucus, the serpent-bearer.

Orion is Prajapati (progenitor) in Hindu mythology. In a story obviously penned by an ancient pervert, the prajapati pursues his own daughter Rohini (Aldebaran) and was blocked and shot by Rudra (Sirius). Confusingly, the same Prajapati appears in a story as the father of the 27 wives –including Rohini - of the Moon!

In another version of Hindu mythology the whole figure of Orion was treated as a stag. Rohini was the daughter of Kaalpurush and treated cruelly by a human. The man was transformed in to a stag as punishment and was killed.

Saiph, the star on the right knee of the hunter is believed to be the peacock of the Hindu god Skanda (Kartikeya).

Mrigaseersh/Makayiram is the traditional nakshatra in Orion. But it is housed by traditionalists in Taurus and Gemini.

Orion stars that interest Indians:

1. Alpha Orionis or α Orionis (α Ori/Betelgeuse/600 LY)
2. Gamma Orionis or γ Orionis (γ Ori/Bellatrix/250 LY)
3. Lambda Orionis  or λ Orionis (λ Ori/Meissa or Al Haka or Heka/1055 LY)
4. Kappa Orion (ĸ Ori/Saiph/650 LY)

TAURUS (Vrishabh/Vrishabham)

Genitive: Tauri

Symbol

Lying north-west of Orion and conspicuous by its ’V’ shape, Taurus (Latin for bull) constellation has the famous Crab nebula, remnant of the supernova – it lit up the daytime sky – recorded by the Chinese in 1054 CE. It also contains prominent objects like Aldebaran, Alnath, Hyades and Pleiades. Pleiades cluster contains the well-known star Alcyone.



Besides Crab Nebulae there are other nebulae and planetary nebulae. There is also a newly formed protostar (T Tauri) which is expected to become a star. Vernal equinox (on March 20-21 now, when day and night are nearly equal) was in Taurus from 4,000 BCE to 1,700 BCE. Later the equinox shifted to Aries and then, around BCE 67, to Pisces . There are over half a dozen stars having planetary systems in Taurus. The brightest is Aldebaran.

In Gilgamesh, the first epic of the world, the Babylonian hero King Gilgamesh ignores the goddess Ishtar’s advances. Angered by the rejection, the goddess sends Taurus, the bull of heaven, to kill the handsome king. Gilgamesh is regarded as Orion. They stand face to face in the sky.

In Greek mythology, Zeus, the lord of lords, comes as a bull to kidnap his lover Europa, a beautiful princess to the island of Crete. Their son Minos ruled the island. Taurus also appears in the story of Hercules.

In Hindu mythology, Svaha, wife of Agni, the fire god is represented by Zeta Taurii, which lies on the bull’s right horn. Rohini, mentioned above, is believed to be a star of the Hyades cluster, although in astrology, she is among the Pleiades Cluster. She is also referred to as the red deer of the Pleiades.

The seven sisters (Pleiades) are also considered to be the wives the seven holy sages, the saptarshis. 

Krittika/Karthika (3/4), Rohini/Rohini and Mrigaseersha/Makayiram (1/2) are the traditional stars in Taurus. However, Mrigaseersha/Makayiram is not marked in the image as it lies in Orion. (See the 'nose' of Orion in the first image to locate Mrigaseersha/Makayiram).

Taurine stars in Indian Astrology:

1. Alpha Tauri or α Tauri (α Tau/Aldebaran /66 LY)
2. Beta Tauri or β Tauri (β Tau/Alnath or Elnath/134 LY)
3. Pleiades Cluster (Seven Sisters/350-410 LY)
4. Eta Tauri or η Tauri (η Tau/Alcyone, a member of Pleiades/404 LY)

ARIES (Mesha /Medam)

Genitive: Arietis

Symbol

Aries, Latin for ram or male sheep, lies east of the Bull (Taurus). During 2500BCE-300BCE the Sun used to enter Aries on or about April 13-14. This was the vernal equinox for the ancient people. The exact location of vernal equinox was called ‘The First Point of Aries’. For most Indians, it was still vasant ritu (spring season, March-May); beginning of summer (greeshma ritu, May-July) was still a month away. The ram has got nothing to do with Ares (Aries), the chaotic war of god in Greek mythology.

The Vernal Equinox (March) in Pisces

According to a drab Greek story, Aries represents the ram that was sacrificed by prince Phrixus. He gave its fleece (wool) to king Aeetus. Another Greek character Jason retrieved it for his cousin Pelias to force him to vacate the throne of Iolcus.

The first point of Aries was – and is - celebrated under various names in various parts of India. Baisakhi, Bihu, Vishu, Mahavishuba Sankranti, Boisakh, Maithili New Year, Puthaandu, Navreh etc. However, the vernal equinox shifted to Pisces by BCE 68.

Astrologically, these celebrations should have been shifted to March 20-21 because now it is in Pisces (Meena) that the vernal equinox occurs. By CE 2597, Pisces will move on, replaced by Aquarius. There is no move as yet to rectify the dates of festivities in India.

There are 4 important stars in Aries - Hamal, Sheratan and Messart(h)im. The 4^th star is 41 Arietis. Aries, referred to as the Ram by the ancient Babylonians, finds mention in Rig-Veda.  The 4^th star – 41 Arietis – along with 35 and 39 Arietis is also of importance to Indian astrologers. Ashwinis, the horse-headed twins of the divine worlds, are in Aries. They are the physicians of the heaven.

Ashwini/Ashwathi , Bharani (Apabharani)/Bharani and Krittika/Karthika (1/4) are the only traditional stars in Aries. Do not forget that 3/4th of Krittika/Karthika is in Taurus constellation.

Aries stars in Indian Astrology:

1. Alpha Arietis or α Arietis (α Ari/Hamal/ 66 LY)
2. Beta Arietis or β Arietis (β Ari/Sheratan/60 LY)
3. Gamma Arietis or γ Arietis (γ Ari/Mesarthim/165-200 LY)
4. 41 Arietis or c Arietis (160+ LY)
5. 39 Arietis (160+ LY)
6. 35 Arietis (160+ LY)

SPRING SKY (March-May)

Gemini (Mithuna/Mithunam)

Genitive: Geminorum

Symbol



There are over 80 noticeable stars in Gemini of which 8 have planets. The Latin meaning of Gemini is “twins”. Both in Greek and Latin the stars Pollux and Castor are together called Dioscuri. They are the two major stars in Gemini, located on the ‘heads’ of the twins. Castor is the son of Leda and Tyndareus. Leda gave birth to Castor when she was raped by Zeus, the chief deity of ancient Greece. Castor and Pollux are patrons of sailors and athletes.

For Indians, they are Ashwinis, the doctors of the divine world and sons of Surya, the Sun god. Mithuna in Sanskrit means ‘pair’ or ‘twin’. Ashwam in Sanskrit is horse. For the Greek, the twin stars are associated with horsemanship. The stars were also used in navigation. The Ashwinis are thus associated with 2 constellations – Aries and Gemini.

Draw a line from Rigel to Betelgeuse and then extend it to north-east. The line goes past Alhena to then neighbourhood of Castor. Another way to locate it is to look at Orion constellation. There are three bright stars to the east of Orion constellation - Sirius, Procyon and Pollux. North-west of Pollux and very close to it, you will find Castor.

Mrigaseersha/Makayiram (1/2), Ardra/Athira and Punarvasu/Punartham are the traditional nakshatras but only the last-mentioned has a place here according to traditionalists. But modern astronomers added Alhena too. (see Part4 )

Gemini stars for Indians are actually:

1. Alpha Geminorum or α Geminorum (α Gem/Castor/50 LY)
2. Beta Geminorum or β Geminorum (β Gem/Pollux/33 LY)
3. Gamma Geminorum or γ Geminorum (γ Gem/Alhena/105 LY)

HYDRA (Ashlesha/Ayilyam)

Genitive: Hydrae (Hya)

Symbol

Hydra is a ‘male snake’. Among the constellations there is also a ‘female snake’ by name Hydrus. This is the largest of the 88 constellations in which 16 stars have been found to have planets.

Draw a straight line from Castor through Pollux, you will reach a group of stars below (east of) Procyon. They are rather dim. In Greek mythology it is a multi-headed creature killed by Heracles (Hercules). The head contains a group of five stars which Indians consider as Ashlesha/Ayilyam. None of them is the lead star alpha. The top three stars (alpha, beta and gamma) of the constellation lie near the belly and the tail of the snake but they are totally ignored by Indians. The five Ashlesha/Ayilyam stars look like letter ‘V’ in italics. It is also considered as ‘wheel’ when all the stars on the head are joined by lines.

Jalnaag (water-snake) and Bhujang (snake) are the Sanskrit names for the constellation. Serpent is presiding deity of this mansion. In Sanskrit Hydra can also be interpreted as ‘coiled snake’ based on the shape of the serpent.  The job of snakes in Indian mythology is to guard treasures.

Was the water snake a constellation for ancient Indians? Probably not. Although it was treated as Rahu, no scripture talks of Rahu and Ketu, another 'planet' in Indian astrology. At some point of time it was ‘borrowed’ from the west. Sanskrit words like Bhujanga or Jala-naga must have been introduced later (comments are welcome). The 5 stars used to be mentioned under Leo/Simha/Chingam. The remaining stars of present-day Hydra were not considered because for Indians, Hydra did not exist. But now there are desperate efforts by astrologers to link it with Sesha, the main serpent of Indian mythology. Besides, the modern thinking is that Alpha Cancri of Cancer constellation (ibid.) is aptly positioned to be called Aslesha/Ayilyam.

Both Leo and Cancer which lie to the north of the water snake are important constellations for Indians. Epsilon Hydra is listed as Aslesha/Ayilyam by some Indians because it is the brightest star on the head of the serpent.

Aslesha/Ayilyam is the only nakshatra in Hydra. But tradition puts it in Cancer (Karkita/Karkitakam)

We will check about the following stars:

1. Delta Hydrae or δ Hydrae (δ Hya/Lisan Al Shuja/160 LY)
2. Epsilon Hydrae or ε Hydra (ε Hya/130 LY)
3. Rho Hydrae or ρ Hydra (ρ Hya/360 LY)
4. Eta Hydrae or η Hydrae (η Hya/ 600 LY)
5. Sigma Hydrae or σ Hydrae (σ Hya or Minchir or Minaruja/350 LY)

CANCER (Karkitaka/Karkitakam)

Genitive: Cancri

Symbol

Cancer is Latin for crab. This constellation, the dimmest in the zodiac, lies just north of the Hydra’s head. Karki and Karkita  are other synonyms in Sanskrit. Only four stars here are to be seen. Alpha, Gamma, Delta and Theta. In addition, there is a cluster of stars called Praesepe (‘Beehive’). Kulira is another Sanskrit name for this constellation - derived from the Greek term Koloyros. For some time, Babylonians called it ‘water beetle’. The crab attacked Hercules when he was fighting Hydra and got crushed under his feet, according to Greek mythology. But it was honoured with a place in the sky.
 

Punarvasu/Punartham (1/4), Pushyam or Tishya or Pushyami/Pooyam and Aslesha are the traditional nakshatra of Cancer.

Cancerian stars in Indian Astrology:

1. Alpha Cancri or α Cancri (α Cnc/Acubens/180 LY)
2. Beta Cancri or β Cancri (β Cnc or Al Taraf/300 LY)
3. Delta Cancri or δ Cancri (δ Cnc/Asellus Australis /140 LY)
4. Gamma Cancri or γ Cancri (γ Cnc/Asellus Borealis or Northern Donkey /181 LY)
5. Praesepe Cluster (Beehive or M44/600 LY)
6. Theta Cancri or θ Cancri (θ Cnc/500 LY)

LEO (Simha/Chingam)

Genitive: Leonis

Symbol

Leo is Latin for Lion. A section of western medieval Christians called it ‘doubting Thomas’. There is another constellation called Leo Minor or Small Lion which has no relation with the 12 western zodiacs or Indian birth stars. Leo, lying east of Cancer, contains many galaxies. There are hundreds of stars 13 of which have planets. About 150 have entered the astronomer’s chart. One of the first labours of Greek hero Hercules was to kill the lion Nimea. The lion took women as hostages. (In Hindu mythology, a similar character appears in Bhagavata purana. A monkey by name Vivida gets killed by Krishna’s brother Balram. But the story has no astrological significance). Indians called it Aslesha too.

The lion’s head looks like a sickle formed by six stars.

Leo is identified with Sun probably because in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, in the peak of summer, the Sun was in this constellation. Lion’s head appears in the decorations of their buildings, temples and walls.

In January 2013, a Lancashire University (UCLan) found the largest object ever observed in the universe. The elongated Large Qasar Group (LQG) in Leo is so large that it will take light 4 billion years to cross it.

Magha/Makam, Poorva Phalguni/Pooram and Uttara Phalguni/Uthram (1/4) are the nakshatras in Leo.

Leo stars in Indian Astrology:

1. Alpha Leonis or α Leonis (α Leo/Regulus /80 LY)
2. Beta Leonis or β Leonis (β Leo/Denebola/36 LY)
3. Gamma Leonis or γ Leonis (γ Leo or Algieba/130 LY)
4. Delta Leonis or δ Leonis (δ Leo or Zosma or Duhr/58 LY)
5. Theta Leonis or θ Leonis (θ Leo or Chort or Chertanor Coxa/165 LY)

CORVUS (Hasta/Atha Kaakka)

Genitive: Corvi (Cor)

Symbol

Corvus or the crow is an independent constellation lying between Hydra and Virgo, as you see in the images. It is not on the ecliptic and hence not a solar zodiac constellation. Indians call it Hasta (Palm of hand) because the five stars Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Epsilon together look like human

fingers of Kaalpurusha. Astrologers link Hasta with Savita/Savitra, one of the Sun gods of Hinduism. The ranking of luminosity in Corvus is a mystery because the dim Alchiba is the Alpha star!



The crow was the sacred bird of Apollo. It had white feathers. Apollos’ wife Coronis had a fling with a mortal which the crow duly reported to his lord. But instead of appreciating the work of the crow, Apollo angrily made him a dumb dark bird. This story is probably responsible for the Greek to equate the constellation with mistrust, insincerity and ulterior motives. But in India, Hasta is one of the ideal asterisms.

There are two galaxies currently on collision and a nebula in Corvus. 

According to Burgess, ‘the Hindu constellation Virgo…composed of Hasta, Chitra and a portion of Svati…consists of Corvus, Virgo, and Bootes of the Western astronomers. In 2350 BCE, the equator passed through Corvus¹’. Stellarium supports this view. After finding the Corvus constellation (use the boundary line option to define its territory), change the year from 4500 BCE down to current year at random. You will find that between 4000 BCE and 100 BCE, celestial equator passed through Corvus – the reason why ancient Indians took it as a lunar mansion; the Moon’s trajectory was reasonably close to Corvus. Incidentally, findings like this also give clues to the period of development of Indian astronomy and astrology. But even then it was not part of solar zodiac.

The celestial equator now passes through Virgo.

The only nakshatra in this constellation is Hasta/Atham. But the constellation is a doubtful member of the lunar zodiac! Read about the reasons in part-4 of this series.

The Corvus stars in Indian Astrology:

1. Alpha Corvi or α Corvi (α Crv/Alchiba or Al Xiba or Alchita/40 LY)
2. Beta Corvi or  β Corvi (β Crv or Kraz/145 LY)
3. Gamma Corvi or γ Corvi (γ Crv/Gienah/154 LY)
4. Delta Corvi or δ Corvi (γ Crv/Algorab/87 LY)
5. Epsilon Corvi or ε Corvi (ε Crv/Minkar/318 LY)

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1.        Translation of Surya Siddhanta by Ebenezer Burges (1860)

Cont'd..Part 3