As many of us are getting ready to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla and enter the Carolean era, this is a good time to have a look at royalty in astronomy.
The connection between kings and queens and astronomy and constellations dates back to ancient times. In many cultures, the stars were seen as a reflection of the divine, and the rulers of the world were often seen as being in some way connected to the stars.
In ancient Egypt, for example, the pharaohs were believed to be the incarnations of the sun god Ra. The stars were seen as the gods who lived in the sky, and the pharaohs were responsible for maintaining order between the world of the living and the world of the gods.
In ancient Greece, the constellations were seen as the gods and heroes of mythology. The king of the gods, Zeus, was associated with the constellation of Leo, while the queen of the gods, Hera, was associated with the constellation of Taurus.
The connection between kings and queens and astronomy and constellations continued into the Middle Ages. In Europe, the kings and queens were often seen as being chosen by God to rule their kingdoms. The stars were seen as a way of communicating God's will to the rulers of the world.
The connection between kings and queens and astronomy and constellations began to decline in the Renaissance. As people began to learn more about the universe, they began to see the stars as being less divine and more like objects in space.
This is due in part to the rise of science, which has led to a more secular view of the world. It is also due to the fact that modern governments are more democratic, and their legitimacy is based on the consent of the governed, rather than on the will of the gods or the stars.
The rulers of the world were no longer seen as being directly connected to the stars, and the connection between kings and queens and astronomy and constellations began to fade.
However, the connection between kings and queens and astronomy and constellations has never completely disappeared. Even today, some people still believe that the stars can influence the lives of people on Earth.
And, of course, the constellations continue to be a source of inspiration for artists, writers, and film makers.
King Charles is a Star
Well, a part of him might be.
Cor Caroli is the brightest star in the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs. So this star is also called Alpha Canum Venaticorum – the brightest star in a constellation is usually designated Alpha.
This star and Chara, Canes Venatici’s second-brightest star, are probably the only two stars you’ll ever come to know within the boundaries of this tiny constellation.
You can pick out the pair easily if your sky is dark enough. Though not bright, Cor Caroli and Chara have a relationship on the sky’s dome to the famous Plough asterism (aka Big Dipper), which is ascending in the North-East on spring evenings. The two stars of Canes Venatici parallel the two end stars in the handle of the Dipper.
Cor Caroli means Heart of Charles. Some say the star was named to honour King Charles I of England, who was beheaded in 1649 during the English Civil War. These sources claim Cor Caroli was labelled on old star charts as Cor Caroli Regis Martyris, or Heart of Charles the Martyr King.
Not everyone agrees, however. Others say the star was named for Charles I’s son, Charles II. Sir Charles Scarborough, physician to Charles II, is sometimes given credit for having coined the name. It’s said Scarborough claimed the star shone with exceptional brilliance on the night of Charles II’s return to England in 1660 to restore the monarchy.
If you’re familiar with the constellation Leo the Lion, you can star-hop to Cor Caroli by drawing an imaginary line from the star Alkaid of the Big Dipper to the Leo star Denebola. See the chart below.
Richard Sheppard photographed Cor Carolin on April 25 and you can see his image shows that is is actually a double star. Many stars have their companions to make multiple star systems.
The companion star is labelled Alpha 1, which isn’t very catchy – perhaps it should be labelled Cor Camillae? Our own star, the Sun, is a single star system.
Northern Crown
Corona Borealis, Latin for 'Northern Crown', is a constellation of the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations.
Its brightest stars form a semi-circular arc. In classical mythology Corona Borealis generally represented the crown given by the god Dionysus to the Cretan princess Ariadne and set by her in the heavens. Other cultures likened the pattern to a circle of elders, an eagle's nest, a bear's den or a smoke hole.
Corona Borealis is a beautiful and interesting constellation that is well worth looking for in the night sky.
The importance of astronomy in establishing legitimacy of rule
Astronomy has played an important role in establishing the legitimacy of rule in many cultures throughout history.
In many cases, the rulers of a kingdom or empire were seen as being chosen by the gods or the stars to rule. This belief helped to legitimise the rulers' authority and to make it more difficult for their subjects to challenge their rule.
There are many examples of rulers who used astronomy to their advantage in order to establish their legitimacy.
In ancient China, the emperors were seen as being the sons of heaven. The stars were seen as being the eyes of heaven, and the emperors were responsible for keeping the peace and order of the kingdom.
In the Middle Ages, European kings and queens were often seen as being chosen by God to rule their kingdoms. The stars were seen as a way of communicating God's will to the rulers of the world.
The belief that rulers were chosen by the gods or the stars helped to legitimise their authority and to make it more difficult for their subjects to challenge their rule. This belief was especially important in times of political instability, when it was important for rulers to maintain the support of their subjects.
The importance of astronomy in establishing legitimacy of rule has declined in recent centuries. This is due in part to the rise of science, which has led to a more secular view of the world. It is also due to the fact that modern governments are more democratic, and their legitimacy is based on the consent of the governed, rather than on the will of the gods or the stars.
However, the belief that the stars can influence the lives of people on Earth has never completely disappeared. Even today, some people still believe that the stars can influence their fortunes, and they may consult astrologers for advice on important decisions.
The Sun King
Having mentioned our Sun a little earlier it is worth mentioning that the atmosphere of the Sun which is called the Corona.
The Sun's corona is the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere. It is much hotter than the Sun's surface, and it is constantly expanding into space.
The corona is made up of plasma, which is a hot, ionized gas. The plasma in the corona is very tenuous, meaning that it is very spread out. This makes it difficult to see the corona with the naked eye, but it can be seen during a total solar eclipse.
Photo of the Month: The Sun
It’s been in the news lately for possible sightings of the Aurora in the UK.
Strong displays of Aurora are often caused by giant solar storms referred to as a coronal mass ejection (CME), which is a significant ejection of magnetic field and accompanying plasma mass from the Sun's Chromosphere and corona, the outermost layers of the Solar atmosphere.
The Sun is in a particularly active period right now in its 11-year cycle. This is one of the reasons why we are currently getting a predominance of Aurora Borealis sightings as far south as Devon.
CMEs are sometimes capable of reaching and colliding with the Earth where they can cause geomagnetic storms, aurorae, and in rare cases damage to electrical power grids.
Next year the Sun will reach Solar Maximum in its 11-year cycle, and will produce up to three CMEs every day. Near solar minima, there is about one CME every five days.
Stephen Heliczer from Hertford Astronomy Group took this picture of the Sun using a specially adapted telescope that only captures light in the Hydrogen alpha narrow band part of the spectrum.
The size of planet Earth in comparison with this picture would be about the size of the full stop that ends this sentence.
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