Phoenix+-+Michelle+German



Michelle Germann Astronomy 10: Spring 2015 May 4, 2015 Constellation Phoenix  Phoenix comes from a Greek word “phoînix” which means purple (h2g2). The color purple was a very valuable to the ancient world because of its rarity (h2g2). The color purple has represented royal families and noblemen (h2g2). The stars that represent the Phoenix are shaped in a type of bird form (Phoenix: Stellar guide). The constellation has stood for different types of birds; for example, “The Griffin, The Eagle, The Young Ostriches (Arabic), and The Fire Bird (Chinese)” (Phoenix: Stellar guide). A picture of the constellation can be found on the last page (Figure 1).  The constellation Phoenix is located in the southern hemisphere, which can be seen from Australia and South Africa in the summer (Phoenix Constellation). It may be seen in the north if you live below the 40th parallel, but it is difficult (Phoenix Constellation). It belongs to the family of constellations of Johann Bayer (Phoenix constellation). The neighboring constellations are “Eridanus, Grus, Fornax, Hydrus, Sculptor and Tucana” (Phoenix constellation). A Dutch astronomer named Petrus Plancius was the first to map the constellation off of “observations of Dutch navigators on an expedition to the East Indies” in the late 16th century (Phoenix: top astronomer). Plancius named other constellations and phoenix is the largest of those, even though it is smaller than other constellations (Phoenix Constellation). According to the Constellation Guide website, it appeared in 1603 of “Johann Bayer’s atlas //Uranometria//.”  The constellation Phoenix was named after a legendary bird that lives, dies and a new bird rises from the ashes (Phoenix, Mythology). Phoenix is bases off a fire bird that has a connection to multiple cultures; like Greek, Egyptian, and the Arabian world (Phoenix Constellation). The Phoenix was represented by an “eagle with purple, red and gold feathers, and a scarlet and gold tail” (Phoenix Constellation). The Phoenix constellation is relatively a new one and does not have its own myth but the myth of the stars comes from its name Phoenix (h2g2). There are a couple versions to the myth one is the bird lives for 500 years and at the end of its life would build a nest on a palm tree with “incense and cinnamon bark, then ignite the nest and die in the fire” (Phoenix Constellation). A new Phoenix would be born from the old and once it was old enough, it would carry its nest to Hyperion’s temple (Phoenix Constellation). Hyperion was a titan and considered the “lord of light” (Phoenix Constellation). This myth is based off of the Greeks mythology (Phoenix: top astronomer). Egypt has a couple of myths that connect to the myth of the phoenix. One myth from the Egyptian’s is its relation to the sun (Phoenix, Mythology). In Egypt the Phoenix is called Fenix and is connected to the sun and it’s rising and setting of each day (Phoenix, Mythology). In the Fenix’s case its beginning, end and beginning again. Another possibilities of the phoenix in Egyptian culture is “the eternally renewing bird Bennu as a symbol of immortality” (h2g2). An Asian-god called Suzaku, which represents “the 'Vermilion Bird of the South', associated with the southern portion of the sky” (h2g2). The Japanese representation of the royal family is the Ho-Oo, which is a firebird and stands for “obedience and fidelity, seeking justice and proclaiming the glory of the Sun” (h2g2). In Native American culture they have a bird that symbolizes the “child of the sun god,” it is called Yel (h2g2). In the Arabic culture the constellation is represented by the young ostriches (Phoenix: Stellar guide). The phoenix bird has a representation through many cultures and represents multiple ideas through these culture. The theme of many cultures are its relationship with the sun and immortality.  The Phoenix constellation has some interesting objects in its constellation; which includes, “the Phoenix Cluster of galaxies, the black hole candidate HLX-1, and Robert’s Quartet, a compact galaxy group” (Phoenix Constellation). The some of the stars that are related to Phoenix are the: Alpha Phoenicis, Nu Phoenicis, Beta Phoenicis, and Delta Phoenicis (h2g2). The Alpha Phoenicis star “is an orange giant star” and has a companion and is the “head of the Phoenix,” then the Nu Phoenicis star “it the closest star of this constellation to us” and it is similar to our sun (h2g2). The Beta Phoenicis has a “yellow giant and a yellow dwarf” circle each other, while the Delta Phoenicis is also a binary system with “a yellow sub-giant which has a planet in its habitable zone” (h2g2). A meter shower is associated with the Phoenix constellation which occurred in 1819 (h2g2). The NGC 625 “is a barred spiral galaxy” and “it is a member of Sculptor Group, a loose group of galaxies located near the south galactic pole in the constellations Sculptor and Cetus” (Phoenix constellation). HLX-1 may be a black hole in galaxy ESO 243-49, because of a “galactic remnant of a dwarf galaxy that was absorbed by ESO 243-49 after a galactic collision” (Phoenix constellation). According to the Constellation Guide: Phoenix website, “there is a supermassive black hole at the core of the system that is growing very rapidly, and expanding at an approximate rate of 60 solar masses per year and currently it is 20 billion times the mass of the Sun” (Phoenix constellation). A picture has been provided below in figure 2, provided by Constellation Guide website. The Phoenix Cluster is one of the largest galaxy cluster that we are aware of and is “emitting more x-rays than any other known massive galaxy cluster” (Phoenix constellation). Plus it is also has a massive output of forming stars ever monitored, it has formed “740 solar masses per year” (Phoenix constellation). The Robert’s Quarter it is four galaxy assimilating into one (h2g2). The galaxies are called, NGC 87, NGC 88, NGC 89 and NGC 92, the largest of these is NGC 92 (Phoenix constellation). The visual magnitude of all four together is 13, while NGC 92 alone is 13.8 (Phoenix constellation).  The Phoenix constellation may not be consider one of the major or well-known constellation to people in the Northern Hemisphere, but it seems every culture can relate to its name. The phoenix is a very well known symbol throughout society and its representation of death and come back to life to many culture. Even though the constellation may not have a myth with it, the name makes up for it. Figure 1 (Phoenix Costellation) Figure 2 (Phoenix Constellation) EOS 243-49, black hole

"H2g2 - Constellations: Phoenix 'the Mythological Firebird' - Edited Entry." H2g2 –  Constellations: Phoenix 'the Mythological Firebird' - Edited Entry. N.p., n.d. Web. 04  May 2015. http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A37329834. "Phoenix Constellation." Constellation Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.  http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/phoenix-constellation. "Phoenix." Constellation on Top Astronomer. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.topastronomer.com/StarCharts/Constellations/Phoenix.php. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Phoenix, Mythology, History, Characteristics and Observations by Telescope." Phoenix, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mythology, History, Characteristics and Observations by Telescope. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">May 2015.http://www.mallorcaweb.net/masm/Phe1.htm. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Phoenix." The Stellar Guide:. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.botproductions.com/stellar/phoenix.html. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Phoenix Constellation." Constellation Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/phoenix-constellation/.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Work Cited: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Image Cited: **