A collaborative book about constellations and their mythologies

collaborating schools

Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School- İstanbul- TURKEY

4th Primary School of Chios -Greece

12th Kindergarten of Chios- Greece

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/ahd2xr96dykn

A constellation is the name given to one of the 88 areas into which the sky (or celestial sphere) is divided. The term is often used, incorrectly, to broaden the group of stars that appear to be related to their content.

Some famous constellations have bright star patterns that have been likened to various subjects. Examples include the constellation Orion, which suggests the figure of a hunter, and the constellation Leo, which suggests the figure of a lion.

Ancient astronomers likened these to certain animals and heroes in myths and believed that they were brought up into the sky by the gods. Large sections of the constellations were named by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Design and text by Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School-İTürkiye

Voiced by 4th Primary school of Chios-Greece

Orion

The constellation Orion is located in both the southern and northern hemispheres, so it can be seen all over the world.

Design and Voiced by Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School

İstanbul-Türkiye

The belt of the star of the constellation Orion, known as the Hunter, is made up of three bright stars, so its waist is easy to see. The belt of the Orion star is a small set of three stars. Also on its shoulder is the supergiant star Betelgeuse, which is quite prominent. The bright star on the left row is Rigel

Orion (mythology)

Design and text by Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School-İstaanbul-Türkiye

Voiced by 4th Primary school of Chios-Greece

According to Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the moon and hunting. Seeing her mother's pain during the birth of her brother Apollo, Artemis swore that she would never marry. However, after a while, Artemis saw Orion, a tall and handsome hunter, and forgot this vow and wanted to marry him. Realizing this, Apollo did not approve of his sister's request and tried to dissuade her. Despite all of Apollo's efforts, Artemis did not give up on this request. Thereupon, Apollo wanted to solve this issue in another way.

ARTEMIS AND HER GREAT LOVE ORION

One day, Orion set sail and got so far away that he was seen as just a dot on land. Seeing this, Apollo challenged his sister by pointing to the point where Orion was and saying, "Can you shoot your arrow there?" Artemis did not give up on this event and shot her arrow at that point. As a result, she killed Orion, the only man she had ever loved. Realizing this later, Artemis hid behind the clouds for days and could not illuminate the earth at night.

Days later, her father asked Zeus to place Orion in the sky as a constellation. Accepting his daughter's request, Zeus sent Orion and his loyal hunting dog Sirius to the sky as a constellation due to his loyalty to Orion.

(Canis Major)

The brightest star of this constellation is Sirius. The Sirius Star is the dog of the hunter Orion in Greek mythology. Sirius has the characteristic of being the alpha of the constellation it is located in.

Design and text by Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School-Türkiye

Voiced by 4th Primary school of Chios-Greece

Canis Major is often shown chasing a hare, which represents the Lepus constellation next to Orion. In Greek mythology, Canis Major represents Laelaps, a skilled hunting dog that was a gift from Zeus to Europa. Eventually it found its way into the hands of Procris, an Athenian princess. Her husband Cephalus took the dog out to hunt down a fox that no one could catch. The endless hunt went on for so long that Zeus elevated the dog into the sky in order to end it.

URSA MAJOR,

Always visible in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s one of the most recognized star patterns. Its name in Latin means “greater bear” or “she bear.”

URSA MINOR,

also known as the Little Dipper, is famous for containing Polaris, the North Star.

Design and text by Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School-İstaanbul-Türkiye

Voiced by 4th Primary school of Chios-Greece

As the Greek myth goes, Zeus fell in love with a young nymph named Callisto. Hera, Zeus’s wife, was jealous and transformed Callisto into a bear. While she was in animal form, she came across her son Arcas, but he didn’t recognize the bear as his mother and tried to shoot her. Zeus intervened and turned Acras into a bear too. He placed Callisto (Ursa Major) and her son (Ursa Minor) permanently in the night sky.

Design and text by Sevim Avni Çoğal Primary School-Türkiye

Voiced by 4th Primary school of Chios-Greece

Pegasus is one of the most prominent constellations in the northern sky. It was listed by the astronomer Ptolemy during the 2nd century and was named after a winged horse in Greek mythology. The brightest star in the constellation is Epsilon Pegasi, which forms the creature's nose.

Pegasus belonged to Poseidon, the god of the sea, earthquakes, and storms. In a battle between Perseus and Medusa, Perseus decapitated her and the winged horse “sprang” from her blood.

Pegasus was stolen by the Greek hero Bellerophon with the help of Athena and Poseidon. Pegasus allowed Bellerophon to ride him in order to defeat the monstrous Chimera. However, Bellerophon later fell from the creature’s back while trying to reach Mount Olympus. After some time, the riderless Pegasus reached Olympus and Zeus transformed him into the famous constellation. Pegasus was also known for bringing thunder and lightning to Zeus whenever he needed it.

Pegasus(mythology)

Constellations in the Zodiac