Folklore - The Story of Corona Borealis: The Pot Star From Bali

Hosted by Avivah Yamani, our Director. Today I will share a story from Bali, Indonesia about Corona Borealis. The story is part of the Stars of Asia Project during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009 and compiled by Mitsuru Aoki from Japan.  Corona Borealis is a small constellation in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. The constellation has only four stars brighter than magnitude 3 and form a semicircular arc . It was first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its Latin name for the constellation is “the northern crown” inspired by its shape, 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.  Corona Borealis, the crown constellation, looks very different depending on where it is observed. When seen from Japan, it shines around the zenith in a “u” shape, when observed from Indonesia/Bali, the constellation appears in the North in a “n” shape, and for people in Bali, Indonesia, this constellation is known as a dented, upside-down cooking pot. It is said the Indonesian description originates from the actions of a careless and greedy couple…   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].