It might sound crazy, but if you lived right at the north pole of the Earth, you would only see one sunrise and one sunset every year. Since the Earth is tilted in space in respect to the sun, between mid-March and mid-September, the northern half of the Earth is tilted more towards the sun. […]
Dao Look Kai: A Taiwanese Folk Tale
Hello, I am a farmer in Thailand. You might have heard of a group of stars in the night sky where you live—we call it the Dao Look Kai. I have heard there are a lot of different stories about this cluster, but if I told you all the different stories, we would be here […]
The Astronomy Behind the Japanese Holiday Tanabata
If you’re ever in Japan on July 7th, you might see many people laughing, dancing, shooting off fireworks, and tying wishes to bamboo trees—but most importantly, looking up into the heavens. This joyful event is called Tanabata, created to commemorate the two lovers in the stars, Princess Orihime, daughter of the god of the heavens, […]
Hercules: The Myth of His 12 Labors
Zeus, the most powerful of all gods, had a son named Hercules. Hercules was the strongest man on earth and considered himself equal to many of the gods. Because his mother was mortal, and his father was the king of gods, he was half-god, half-mortal. Hercules was confident, brave, and cunning, but he was also […]
How Orion the Hunter Became Orion the Hunted
He caught a whiff of it, and instantly it was gone. Quickly, he walked in circles trying to find it and smelled it again, but this time it was stronger. As he followed the scent, it kept getting stronger and stronger, so he drew an arrow from his quiver, strung it onto his bow and […]