Many of the stars and star groupings we find in our nighttime sky have names and stories that originated in olden times.
Most that we know of today come from ancient Arabic, Greek or Roman cultures, but every culture on the planet has applied its own names and stories to the heavens.
Some of the greatest observers of the ancient world were the Chinese, and they were wonderful storytellers as well.
One of my favorite stories is about the Milky Way and the three stars of the Summer Triangle.
But first, some science.
The stars that outline this large Summer Triangle are known to astronomers as Vega, Altair and Deneb, and you saw in last week’s column that you can find the Milky Way as it appears to pass right through the triangle’s center.
The brightest of this stellar trio is named Vega, the main star in the constellation of Lyra, the harp.
Located some 150 trillion miles (25 light-years) away, Vega shines so brilliantly in our sky because it’s nearly three times larger than our sun and radiates about 50 times more radiation.
The southeasternmost of the three stars is Altair, the most prominent star in the constellation of Aquila, the eagle. Its name comes from the Arabic Al Nasr al Ta’ir; in English, “the flying eagle.”
One of the nearest stars to us, Altair lies at a distance of about 100 trillion miles (17 light-years) from us.
Finally, the faintest of the triangle is Deneb, located in the tail of the celestial swan Cygnus. Deneb lies some 12,000 trillion miles (around 2,000 light-years) away.
The reason Deneb appears so bright is that it’s one of the most luminous stars in our entire galaxy, shining with the power of more than a quarter million suns.
Imagine a star that can produce more light in one day than our sun has emitted since the end of the 13th century!
These are the stories that modern astronomers tell, but the ancient Chinese skywatchers interpreted the stars quite differently.
They told a story of two lovers — a poor, orphaned cowherd and a young, beautiful weaving maiden who was the seventh daughter of the Emperor of Heaven — who had been separated and banished to the skies.
The young maiden settled at the star Vega and the cowherd at the star Altair, and they found themselves forever separated by the river of the Milky Way.
But all was not lost, for when the magpies heard this sad tale, they decided to gather to form a bridge (represented by the star Deneb) so that the two lovers could reunite for one day each summer.
That day — the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar — is now known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, and it occurs this year on Saturday, Aug. 10.
While it’s certainly true that anyone can see the Summer Triangle and Milky Way on any clear, dark night at this time of year, I hope you’ll plan to head out on Saturday evening to celebrate the reunion of these two young lovers, and to enjoy a stellar Chinese Valentine’s Day!
