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Where do you get all these mythology stories?  I recognize some and want to read more for myself!  (really, I want a reading list, winter is coming) 

-J.P.


I would be happy to give you a reading list.   I have been using these books as my resources.

Mythology
Edith Hamilton
One of the best known mythology books written within the 20th century, Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" consists of wonderful mythology stories.  I would highly recommend this book if you want a comprehensive, albeit sometimes cursory, overview of classical mythology.   She devotes a small section at the end to "Norse Mythology."

The Greek Myths  I and II
Robert Graves
If Edith Hamilton's book is a bachelor's degree text, these books are PhD level.    Best known for having written "I, Claudius," Graves was the quintessential classical scholar.   These two books are fruitcake-dense with detail and include extensive footnotes explaining the possible origins of the mythological tales.     

Bulfinch's Mythology
Thomas Bulfinch
A 19th century compilation of three Bulfinch books, "The Age of Fable,"  "The Age of Chivalry," and "Legends of Charlemagne."    This beautifully written text encompasses many mythological traditions apart from classical mythology.     

Women of Classical Mythology
Robert E. Bell
A reference guide listing prominent and obscure female mythological characters in alphabetical order.    

Who's Who Classical Mythology
Michael Grant and John Hazel
Another reference book which lists male, female and non gender specific characters.

These last two books are not intended to read cover to cover.  Instead, it is handy to have them available to look up names mentioned in the other narrative texts.

Classical Mythology
Images and Insights
Stephen L. Harris and Gloria Platzner
A thoroughly researched textbook which includes primary sources such as excerpts from the Iliad, Agamemnon, the Bacchae and others.   Exquisitely written and very dense.     Includes an intriguing section about the way to interpret mythology.   Some readers might consider this section a bit off putting because it presumes to think for us.    However, a very enriching and engaging book, nonetheless.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology
Kevin Osborn and Dana L. Burgess, PhD
Yes, I'm serious.  A nicely written (and not condescending) book  rich with detail.    One aspect of this book I like is its glossary and index, which includes pronunciations, some of which can be a bit tricky.   Includes sections about mythology in literature and popular culture.       Unlike some of the "Complete Idiot" series -and the DA- it doesn't try too hard to be funny.   

Also, you might like these primary sources:

Homer's Odyssey
I found the prose version to be more reader-friendly than the verse version, which is admittedly quite beautiful.

Homer's Illiad
Again:  I found the prose version to be more reader-friendly than the verse version, which is admittedly quite beautiful 
Not all translations are equal. However, Alexander Pope's  verse translations of these epic poems are considered the "Platonic Ideal of Homeric Translations."

-Pseudo-Apollodorus
The Library of Greek Mythology
Edith Hamilton disparages Apollodorus as a "dull writer."   I am reluctant to speak in a derogatory way of any writer, particularly one who was such a gifted compiler.  I will admit that this work is not as engaging as some others.   The "Pseudo" is reference to the mistaken belief that the Library of Greek Mythology, or "Billioteca" was the work of Apollodorus of Athens.  The author remains unknown.     

Sophocles
Theban Plays
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus at Colonus
Antigone
Ajax
Electra
Only seven of his plays are still extant.  The Theban play cycle ("Oedipus Rex," "Oedipus at Colonus" and "Antigone") is his most famous, with good reason.


These are just a few of the resources available.
You will find that mythological tales are often convoluted and contradictory.  Some of these authors are centuries apart and being prodigiously creative humans tended to embroider the tails with their own embellishments.


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THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Remote Planetarium 91:   Galaxy Questions and a Mythology Question

Since we've received a few questions this week pertaining to the galaxy, we decided to devote today's lesson to answering them.   Also, a subscriber asked a question about a mythological reading list.     Even though it shatters the two tier-system, we decided to include that answer, as well.   Actually, we already did. See above. 

What is the difference between "Andromeda Galaxy" and "Andromeda Nebula?"
M.B.H.
The Andromeda Galaxy and Andromeda Nebula refer to the same celestial object.   Until about a century ago, many astronomers believed that ours was the only galaxy in the Universe.   Every object, stellar or otherwise, was therefore considered to have been part of our home galaxy.   The "Andromeda Nebula," was thought to have been a vapor cloud within the Milky Way Galaxy.    American astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) determined that this "nebula" is actually an entire galaxy well beyond our own.      

m31m_s.jpg
This drawing, taken from the Messier catalog, depicts the Andromeda Nebula, so named as it is located within the constellation Andromeda.      Astronomers now know that this nebula is a galaxy and so its name changed from Andromeda Nebula to Andromeda Galaxy.    The word "nebula" means "cloud-like," as these bodies resemble luminescent clouds in the night sky.


"How do we know we're in a barred spiral galaxy?"
-P.H.
Astronomers draw their conclusions about anything in the Universe through observations.     They face a particular challenge when trying to determine the galaxy's shape because they are living inside it.     They realized that we live toward the outskirts of our galaxy by observing globular clusters.  These large star clusters are not distributed uniformly through the sky, but are instead concentrated around the Sagittarius region.        Since globular clusters congregate around the galactic nucleus, astronomers such as Harlow Shapley (1885-1972) reasoned that our solar system had to be well displaced from the center.  If Earth were close to the galactic center, these clusters would appear to all directions from our perspective.      Observations of stellar distributions lead to the conclusion that the Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.   Stars and other material are concentrated along these arms as opposed to being scattered throughout the entire galaxy.      Astronomers observed that certain regions contained more stars than others: a tell-tale sign of the galaxy's spiral structure.     Astronomers have also been able to observe innumerable other galaxies in the Universe.   Based on these observations, they determined that only a certain number of galaxy types exist: ellipticals, spirals, barred spirals, irregulars, lenticular.    Observations showed that Earth is about 23,000 light years from the nucleus of a spiral galaxy.   Further observations of the nucleus region revealed an "asymmetry" of light within the center.     The center appeared much brighter in one region than another.   A central bar of stars around the nucleus can explain this asymmetry.  If the Milky Way didn't contain a bar, observations wouldn't show this lack of symmetry.



"What process leads to the creation of spiral arms? Is it related to gravity, dark matter or dark energy?"  -J.V.
The spiral arms formed because the galaxy rotates around the center and because of something else called "density waves."   One can think of galaxy waves as being like compression waves (think of sound waves).    As the spiral galaxy rotates, the waves cause the stars and dust to collect around the "crests," regions we now see as spiral arms.  One tricky issue about spiral arms pertains to their duration.      Astronomers would expect them to "wind up" after just a few rotations and disappear.     We know that the Sun, which is less than half the galaxy's age, has revolved around the galaxy about twenty times since its formation.     Yet, the spiral arms persist.  It is possible that the neighboring satellite galaxies could help to retain the spiral structure by keeping the larger density waves in motion for an extended period.    This issue remains unresolved.     We do know that the Milky Way Galaxy and billions of others have and keep their spiral arms. 




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