Not at all unusual - co-opting the stars into new constellations for an
agenda is an old trick (from Hinckley, "Star Names, Their Lore and Meaning
(1899,1963) pp16-17):
"It has been the fashion with astronomers to decry this multiplicity of sky
figures, and with good reason; for, as Miss Clerke writes in her monograph
on 'The Hershels and Modern Astronomy':
Celestial maps had become "a system of derangement and confusion," of
confusion "worse confounded." New asterisms, carved out of old, existed
precariously, recognized by some, ignored by others; waste places in the sky
had been annexed by encrouching astronomers as standing-ground for their
glorified telescopes, quadrants, sextants, clocks; a chemical apparatus had
been set up by the shore of the river Eridanus, itself a meandering and
uncomfortable figure; while serpents and dragons trailed their perplexing
convolutions through hour after hour of right ascension;
with more to the same effect. This condition of things led the Royal
Astronomical Society, in 1841, to depute to Sir John Herschel and Mr.
Francis Baily the task of attempting a reform. But although improvement was
made by the discarding of several figures and the subdivision of others,
their changes were too sweeping and were not successful, so that as the
constellations stood then, in the main do they stand today, and so will they
probably remain, at least with the people. "
Lynne.
---- We use SpamQuiz. If your ISP didn't make the grade try http://lynne.telemuse.net -----Original Message----- From: sf-bay-tac-bounces@No-Spam [mailto:sf-bay-tac-bounces@No-Spam]On Behalf Of Richard Crisp (SBC) Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 7:27 AM To: The Astronomy Connection Subject: [TAC] OT: "Christian Sky" Doing away with Pagan Names??? this one is a bit unusual: http://www.christiansky.com/newindex.html FLAME SHIELD ENABLED>>>Received on Mon Apr 4 12:29:00 2005