Stars Sky

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The 2012 alignment of planets I think personally is potentially one of the most important events that our race has seen in a very long time, at least from a philosophical point of view. I challenge you to think about it reader, picture yourself where you sit right now reading this and then start to zoom out, zoom out beyond the sky, out beyond the solar system, out beyond our beloved milky way galaxy and beyond, realize your place amongst these celestial bodies, and realize what an amazing thing this 2012 alignment of planets shall truly be.

You know whether or not there is any validity to the Mayan Prophecy about the 2012 alignment of planets bringing about an apocalyptic scenario that could potentially wipe out all life on earth, or at the very least change it dramatically forever is true or not, the significance of such an event is truly beautiful in every way, I think at least, don't you?

The ancient Mayan's of course predicted that the 21st of December 2012 would be the end of the world, brought about by catastrophic natural events of every description and type, occurring supposedly with this 2012 alignment of planets, however in my investigation of this particular topic I personally was always seeking for scientific claims to back up these apocalyptic notions, and I indeed found them.

It was recently documented in the national geographic societies expedition journals that geological scientists had recorded the magnetic field data from rock samples in both Finland and Australia, the results they found suggested that the phenomenon commonly known as a "pole shift" had occurred in our distant past, its affects changed the geography of the planet as well as its climate conditions.

However, this pole shift they were able to document was not a quick event, but rather took place over hundreds of years, so whilst not ruling out the possibility of a pole shift being caused by the 2012 alignment of planets I think we can speculate that it at the very least would not be a quick event, even if this 2012 alignment of planets is the trigger for such an event.

But how exactly did the Mayan Civilization know about these alignments such as the 2012 alignment of planets? Well it is well known and documented that the Mayan Civilization had its own astronomers or "sky watchers" that would sit in there observatories night after night watching the movements of the starts and meticulously take note of the changes they saw, they in the end developed a incredibly accurate calendar via the collection of this data, and this is how they were able to accurately predict such events as the 2012 alignment of planets.

Whilst it is true that some of the primary applications for all this information they recorded was to assist with agricultural endeavors and religious ceremonies they also were able to use the natural laws of probability and their knack for recognizing patterns to predict what would happen to them in the short and long term future based on the movements of the stars.

As an example, if an ancient Mayan astronomer took note that violence ensued on a particular day, when the stars were in a particular pattern or angle in the sky, and this took place multiple times with the same conditions, they may then ascribe this particular placement of the stars in the sky as having a constant repeat affect.

So the 2012 alignment of planets being ascribed a doomsday type scenario may indeed be part of this observational diagnosis that these astronomers used to attempt to understand the world around them and make sense out of what at first glance appears to be complete irrelevance.

The 2012 alignment of planets is particularly interesting to me because I think it illustrates just how much of a connection the ancient Mayan civilization had with not only nature but with the larger cosmos, they recognized that they were not detached from the stars in the sky, but they were part of that vast ocean that we today call "space"

As we are truly apart of those stars in the sky reader, you right now reading this, are part of the universe, the plastic office chair you sit on, the coffee cup beside you and the monitor in front of you, are all sitting on a rock, twirling around in space, you are not disconnected from it, you are a part of it, so when this 2012 alignment of planets takes place, both you, and that comfy chair, will all be aligned, you will be aligned, what a grand concept don't you think?

I think it's exciting, the concept that this 2012 alignment of planets could mean that I am taking part in the cosmic nature of the universe, this is the sort of mentality that the ancient Mayans had, we can see these sorts of concepts expressed in modern times with the philosophical phrase "as above, so below" which I would encourage you all to think about, as it holds great weight in relation to the 2012 alignment of planets.

Astronomy was amazingly important to the ancient Mayans, and it was for the very reason I have been talking about, they knew the sky's better than even some professional astronomers today, and were even able to take notice of such subtle things in the stars such as the planet Pluto, which wasn't even discovered by modern scientists until a few decades ago, that's truly amazing, and that's why at the very least, we all must investigate the claims that surround their prophecies of the 2012 alignment of planets.

I Had watched many documentaries on the subject published by main line television networks, and I'm still wading my way through many of the books put forth by some of the big names out there in this investigation, but I found a really snazzy eBook that has a great overview about the 2012 alignment of planets, it's called 2012 Contact, and I strongly recommend you at least check it out.

I still am baffled about how these ancient astronomers were able to take such precise notes of the movements of the stars, kind of says something about our human senses don't you think? The Aztec empire had great astronomers to my sources would lead me to believe, I would encourage you all to look into this, even if only from an intellectual point of view and if you're looking for a great overview of the subject I highly recommend 2012 Contact, it's a great hand guide to the 2012 alignment of planets.

Naming Stars in Different Cultures

While modern astronomers refer to most stars solely by catalog numbers and astronomy coordinates, many people informally name stars using name a star services. In fact, throughout history people from various cultures have used star names of their own choosing: Many civilizations explained their existence through mythological stories passed from generation to generation, and often associated these stories with the stars in the night sky. As we'll see, even a major car company is named after the stars.

To illustrate, let's start with a constellation (an area of the night sky) modern astronomers have named after a character from Greek and Roman mythology - "Orion," the Great Hunter. Orion is one of the most well known and easily-identifiable constellations, and can be seen from just about anywhere on Earth: The best time to view Orion is during the evening hours between roughly December and March. Many classical mythology stories are told about Orion and how he came to be placed in the heavens. One such story is that Orion had no fear of any animal and therefore threatened to exterminate all of the animals of the earth. When Gaia, the goddess of the earth, heard this she became enraged and sent a scorpion to kill Orion. When Orion encountered the scorpion he was unable to kill it, and the scorpion stung Orion and sent him falling to the earth, fatally wounded. In honor of this story, Orion was placed in the night sky as a constellation, as was the scorpion - known as the constellation "Scorpius."

While 21st century astronomers refer to the constellation "Orion" after a hunter from classical mythology, other cultures have had different interpretations of these same stars. One of the distinguishing features of Orion is a line of three, bright stars that form what is called "The Belt of Orion." The ancient Egyptians thought these three bright stars were the resting place of the god Osiris. The Dogon people of West Africa viewed the three stars as the stairway to heaven. These same three stars have been associated with Christmas, viewed as representing the Magi - "The Three Wise Men" (The Three Kings) from the Bible. The people of the Marshall Islands viewed Orion's stars as an octopus and a fisherman: The story told was of a fisherman who was attacked by an octopus. The fisherman defended himself by using a stone to stab the head of the octopus. Although the octopus was wounded he was able to spray his ink, behind which he hid and was able to escape. The Chimu Indians of Peru believed that the middle star of Orion's belt represented a thief or mischief maker that the Moon Goddess punished. The Moon Goddess punished the wrongdoer by sending two stars to capture him and send him to four vultures that would eat him. This mythological story served as a warning for those who would commit crimes.

Another interesting example from classical mythology is related to a beautiful group of stars in the constellation Taurus called "The Pleiades," or "The Seven Sisters." These stars are visible in the evening sky from roughly November through April, and are often confused with "The Little Dipper" (which is in another constellation) as the bright stars of the Pleiades together resemble a very small dipper, or ladle. The story from classical mythology is that Orion, the hunter, became enamored of these seven beautiful ladies, and relentlessly pursued them throughout the world. Taking pity on the young women, Zeus placed them in the heavens where Orion continues to pursue them in the night sky.

Many cultures have also associated the Pleiades with females or femininity. The Australian Aborigines saw this group of stars as a cluster of girls who were musicians. These girls play their instruments for a group of young boys who are represented by the stars seen in Orion's belt. Some Native American tribes viewed the Pleiades as seven mothers who were looking for their seven lost sons: According to the Chumash Indians of California, these seven sons had become the stars of the Big Dipper. The Kiowa Indians saw these stars as young women who were placed in the heavens by the Great Spirit so as to save them from attacking bears. In Norse mythology, they were the hens of Freya, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. In Japan the Pleiades were known as "Subaru," after which a Japanese car company is named.

Naming stars, then, is an age-old custom that has been practiced by different civilizations around the world.

About the Author

Richard Pickering is an astronomer for Name A Star Live, which lets you express your feelings in a romantic, meaningful way by 'naming a star' for a loved one. While no star-naming service can change the scientific designations of stars, only Name A Star Live makes it real by providing you: Virtual Planetarium™ astronomy software; an opportunity to view your star live using an online telescope; and the launch of your star name into space!

Why is it difficult to see stars in the sky when in a big city?

Of the two, which factor more significantly impacts the inability to see stars clearly in a big city sky:

It's a combination of both.
While the light pollution is a major factor, the atmosphere is the other, and both are factors for the reason we build optical observatories on mountaintops. Less atmosphere in the way, means better viewing conditions.

Imagine you are looking at a penny on the bottom of a swimming pool. The water represents the atmosphere. And since the atmosphere is not stationary, but has constant shifts and movement, it's now like someone os making small waves on the surface of the pool, distorting the view. It gives the penny (star) a twinkling effect. Now someone throws in a handful of dirt. The water gets cloudy. Harder to see the penny right? And when the pool light(city light) gets switched on, this dirt reflects it right back at you, making it harder to see the penny(star).

Observe the stars; laugh at The Change
Valley-Wide Trips is getting you closer to the starts this March. Our first trip is to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. There is a lot to see, including the Wilder Hall of the Eye, Ahmanson Hall of the Sky, and Cosmic Connection exhibits.

Thanks for visiting!