I hope you enjoy the constellation Delphinus (the Dolphin) as much as I do. It’s said that good things come in small packages and Delphinus certainly helps prove that. It’s the 19th smallest of all of the 88 constellations that can be seen from Earth.
Part of what makes Delphinus so easy to see and find in the Everett evening sky is that it’s a very simple constellation. All there is to Delphinus are four stars that make a little diamond which outlines the dolphin’s body, and another star off one of the corners of the diamond that marks the dolphin’s tail.
The only challenging part is that the five stars that make up Delphinus are not that bright, but since they are in such a tight little group, it’s easy to spot, even in areas of moderate light pollution.
In the early evening, as soon as it’s dark enough, look for Delphinus in the high southern sky near the overhead zenith. It’s almost directly above the southern horizon. It’s considered a summer constellation, even though we’re well into autumn. The western half of the sky is still dominated by summer constellations while the constellations of fall are hanging in the east.
A great tool for zeroing in on Delphinus is the use of the Summer Triangle, made up of three bright stars that are the brightest in their respective constellations. They’re the three brightest stars you can see in the high western sky. The star at the bottom of the triangle as you look to the south is Altair, the brightest shiner in the constellation Aquila (the Eagle). You don’t have to bother with Aquila, but just gaze a touch to the right or east of Altair and there will be Delphinus.
Delphinus is pretty consistently referred to as a dolphin or porpoise. The earliest story of Delphinus being referred to as a dolphin comes from the Hindus of Southeast Asia. It’s thought that the Greeks of ancient times borrowed that interpretation from the Hindus.
One of the early Greek stories about Delphinus was how Poseidon, the god of the sea, was riding around on this tame dolphin he found to chase women. One of his conquests was the sea goddess Amphitrite. After winning her over, Poseidon rewarded his faithful dolphin by magically placing it up in the celestial sea.
The best Greek story involves Arion, who was a rock star of his time. He was out on concert tour winning the hearts of all who heard him and making a lot of money.
He had just finished a concert in Sicily and hired a boat and crew to take him back to Corinth on the Greek mainland. It turned out he hired a bunch of pirates who were out for plunder. The crew cornered Arion and made him walk the plank and meet his death. Arion did persuade the crooked captain to let him play his harp and sing one more song.
Arion sang for a long time, but eventually his voice gave out and he ended his song. He jumped into the ocean and one of the dolphins hoisted Arion up on his back and sped him safely to Corinth on the mainland.
The gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, who were also fans of Arion, were so impressed by this dolphin that upon the swimming mammal’s passing they placed his body in the stars as the constellation we see to this day — and night.
Minor meteor shower
The Orionid meteor peaks this week, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday morning in the early morning hours. The Earth this week is passing through a debris trail left behind by Halley’s Comet. This is not one of the better meteor showers of year, yielding an average of 10 to 15 meteors an hour that seem to originate from the general direction of the great constellation Orion the Hunter. Orion’s hanging in the southeastern sky before morning twilight starts to set in.
Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and is author of the book, “Washington Starwatch”, available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com.
The Everett Astronomical Society welcomes new members. Go to www.everettastro.org/.
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