21-07-2007 A Universe of One (Article 95)

[Simon Kenny]

A Universe of One (Article 95)

The celestial firmament tells us many stories, not just of the lives of the stars and the origin of the Universe, but also stories of human life over the aeons. All the constellations are steeped in lore from many civilisations, with those of the ancient Mediterranean societies being the ones we are most familiar with in the western world. However the stars have also formed stories for others, from the Chinese to the American Indian, from the Dogon in east Africa to the Aborigines.

High in the southern sky during August are the stars of the prominent constellations of Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra, their brightest stars Deneb, Altair and Vega forming the Summer Triangle. The Greeks saw these as a Flying Swan, Flying Eagle and a Lyre (ancient form of a harp). In one of the greatest far eastern myths, Chinese writings of 2500 years ago (and probably somewhat older), with versions in Japan and Korea, saw Altair as a Cowherd, and Vega as a Spinning (weaving) Damsel. The basic plot was that these were lovers but this upset the Celestial Emperor who forbade their meetings and separated them on either bank of the great impassable Celestial River. Indeed Altair and Vega are on opposite sides of a bright band of that river, familiar to us today as our summer MilkyWay. But the Celestial Emperor was himself not lacking in compassion and granted the lovers a single night each year to be together. That night was to be the “seventh night of the seventh moon” (which in the Chinese calendar is more close to August than July). On that magical night, all the magpies of the world gather and form a bridge across the MilkyWay so the lovers may cross and be together. When dawn nears they must reluctantly part and wait patiently until next year. So next clear night, try to imagine the two sweethearts on that bridge, and let thousands of years of history wash over you.

While such myths and stories do not contribute to our scientific knowledge of the Cosmos, they provide us with something probably more important. They show us that the stars have held our gaze and awe since the dawn of mankind and no matter what our ancestry or our ideology, we are joined as one with the Universe and all that lies within. Clear skies!