THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM

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70 Falmouth Street   Portland, Maine 04103

43.6667° N                   70.2667° W 

Altitude:  10 feet below sea level

Founded January 1970
Julian Date: 2458813.16

2019-2020:  LVIV

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THE DAILY ASTRONOMER

Monday, November 25, 2019

The "Thanksgiving" Constellation

Astrological Scorpio

To give credit where it's due, the astrological zodiac is a meticulously organized marvel.  Its retinue of constellations is ornately decorated and its timetable is as neatly arranged as an OCD's after dinner sock drawer.     Moreover, the astrological zodiac allots almost equal times to each of the twelve constellations comprising it.   So, according to this zodiac, the Sun, like a benevolent father loath to play favorites, invests nearly the same time with each receiving constellation.  The astrological zodiac offers such a pleasing confluence of intricate organization and admirable fairness that it is little wonder that astrology has persisted since antiquity. 

The astronomical zodiac is, by contrast, an unmitigated messs.    The artistic aspects that lend the astrological zodiac its aesthetic appeal is replaced by such a mish-mash of numbers, letters and Greek symbols that it looks like someone dismantled a physics equation and hung its parts onto barren tree branches.      Also, the astronomical zodiac is appallingly unfair.  The Sun doesn't spend about a month in each of the twelve constellations.  Instead, it apportions different times to the THIRTEEN constellations that compose the astronomical zodiac.     Virgo the Maiden is clearly the Sun's favorite star pattern as it spends 45 days (Sept 15 - Oct 30) traveling through that constellation.  By contrast, the Sun only condescends to devote 9 - 10 days in Scorpius the Scorpion.    For those sound minded many who prefer to inhabit a well ordered cosmos, the astronomical zodiac provides all the comfort of foot massagers fashioned from old blenders.  

Astronomical Scorpius.  

Of course, the astronomical zodiac does have the advantage of accuracy.   It precisely predicts the Sun's position along the zodiac, a term that most astronomers avoid, as they prefer instead the term "ecliptic band."  (The ecliptic is the path the Sun appears to traverse throughout the year.)      Once the  International Astronomical Union designated the constellation boundaries in 1928, astronomers could precisely determine how much time the Sun appeared to occupy each "constellation region" along the ecliptic.    As constellations vary in size, they each play host to the Sun for different amounts of time each year.  

Virgo the Maiden hosts the Sun for the longest time.  Scorpius the Scorpion hosts the Sun for the least amount of time: less than two weeks.   One would appear to find the Sun within Scorpius between November 21 - 29.  For this reason, we often refer to Scorpius as the "Thanksgiving" constellation.   When we're celebrating "Thanksgiving," the Sun is passing through Scorpius.     Although we can't see Scorpius currently due to the Sun's obscuration, we thought it would be nice to devote this article to it.  After all, it is apparently the Sun's least favorite constellation.    Also, as we spend our time roaming about the depths of the night sky, we should pause on occasion to follow the Sun as it continues on its perpetual loop along the retinue of its ecliptic constellations: a reminder that the constellations never actually vanish, but instead, just hide themselves from view.  

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