The concept of the zodiac was originally proposed by the Babylonians before 2000 BC who watched the sky and through the observation of the stars and their changes and movements, found out that these directly influence the behavior of human beings, animals, plants, minerals, etc. Zodiac signs are directly related to astronomy.
Zodiac comes from the Greek word zodiakos, "circle of little animals." The name comes because all the constellations of the Zodiac are living creatures.
The path that made the sun around the planets is called ecliptic, where the zodiacal constellations are.
The zodiac is traditionally divided into twelve constellations that correspond to twelve signs. In fact, the ecliptic passes through thirteen constellations in the sky, but one of them, Ophiuchus (or Serpent), not part of the traditional zodiac. The present constellations in the zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, their names due to the mythology.
The astronomic observatory of Cerro Mamalluca, depending on Town Council of Vicuña, which is located 9 Km to the northeast of the communal capital, in the heart of Elqui Valley. In 1994 it was become in the first amateur observatory of the country with touristic porpuses which it has earned several awards at national level, among them including SERNATUR of Coquimbo region and the Tourist Association of Municipalities of Chile. Its fame was mainly due to the enormous diffusion that the group “Los Jaivas” did with their musical production “Mamalluca;” a work which is not indifferent to the members of the Chilean group as the Keyboardist Claudio Parra, subsequently appeared twice in the observatory. This pioneering initiative in our country was born in the 80’ within a group of amateur astronomers called CASMIA and whose Director was the professor Juan Francisco Cortés. The idea was to have an observatory for amateur astronomy of the commune and the rest of the country. The first municipal managements achieved important advances: the donation of lands by family Rodríguez Urquieta, a telescope and the dome were donated by Cerro Tololo Observatory and obtaining resources from the FONDART, MOP, Regional Government and Pisquera Capel Company (a company which produces pisco).
At the end of 1995 the first stage of the observatory consisting of the main building Juan Francisco Cortés, with its respective dome, as well as the electrification system, access roads and drinking water, where it is developed the program called Basic Astronomy Tour. Later with resources of FNDR where it is built the second stage: Nicholas Copernicus Building which includes the planetarium, a selling room, a cafeteria, an auditorium, sanitary services and fitting out a museum and the program where Andean Worldview Tour is developed. Through the years new telescopes are acquired and donations are obtained by the Poland Republic to set up the museum consisting of replicas of the instruments used by Nicholas Copernicus. Nowadays the observatory have two digital telescopes and eight manual telescopes. The observatory not only attends thousands of tourists throughout the year. But also it has implemented a new social program of diffusion and promotion of Basic Astronomy called “Mira – Mira”. It was begun in 2006 with the trasnfer of Neighborhood leaders and elderly up to its building to observe the universe, which was very successful. Nowadays we cover several parts of the country with this program, bringing our telescopes to localities with limited resources, so they can know our skies. The initiative has the name of the first expression which had one of these children to visit atory and see through the express telescope “Mira – Mira!”.
Phrixus and Helle are the children of Athamas, king of Thessaly and Nephele. After being widowed, Athamas married Ino again. Years later, the kingdom suffers a period of famine and thequeen decides to sacrifice the brothers to end this darkage. Hermes saves children by giving them a winged ram with golden wool orfleece, and endowed with the gift of speech. Kids parties on the way to Asia, saving his life. During the trip Hele falls into the sea and drowned, giving his name to theMarine Region, which will be renamed Hellespont. Phrixus reached Colchis, whereAeetes king welcomed him andgave him his daughter in marriage to Calcíope. In appreciation of Aeetes, Phrixus sacrificed the ram and offered him the fleece to the king, who devotes himself to Ares and hung from an oak in a grove dedicated to the god, guarded by a huge dragon and surrounded by huge fields where wild bullsgraze. According to some, Aries is a constellation of low gloss for the golden fleece of the lamb was in Colchis.
Taurus
Taurus is the bull took the god Zeus to seduce Europa, a mythical Phoenician princess. They had three sons: Minos, the legendary king of Crete, Sarpedon and Rhadamanthus.
Gemini
The twins are Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux to the Romans). Born from an egg laidLeda, queen of Sparta, having copulated conZeus become a swan. Castor, the mortal, the son of King Tyndareus, the immortal son of Zeus Polydeuces. They participated in several collective achievements: the Calydonian boar hunt andthe voyage of theArgonauts, among others. The twins had a dispute with their cousins Idas and Lynceus. Idas (the immortalcousin) killed Castor with a spear, to which Polydeuces, despite his wounds, saidkilling Lynceus. Zeus intervened and glared lightning. Polydeuces immortal rejected his condition if he could not share it with Castor. Thus, Zeus made a pact with his brother Hades, in which the brothers could spend six months in Olympus and six inthe kingdom of Hades.
Cancer
The constellation of the crab and the constellation of Hydra are related to one of the twelve labors of Heracles (Roman Hercules). The goddess Hera, sworn enemy ofHeracles sent a giant crab to kill him while he fought with the dreaded serpentHydra. However, Heracles was victorious. As a reward for their efforts goddessconstellations formed the Crab and Hydra in the sky.
Leo
Leo's birth dates back to antiquity, although post-Aries, Taurus and Sagittarius. Leo, corresponds to the Lion of Nemea, son of Typhon and Echidna, invulnerable animalravaging thefields devouring people and livestock. The first task of Hercules was to kill him. The Lionwas like a cave dwelling two entrances, Hercules plugged one of them and entered the other to catch the beast. He hugged the lion squeezing to drown, and then with his own claws skinned it and took to himself his skin and his head as a helmet. Zeus transformed the lion into a constellation to honor his son. In Mesopotamia, the fire symbolized the culmination of solar warming in the northern hemisphere. In Egypt, represented the Sun and the Monarchy. The Israelites assimilated with Judah, whichlies like a lion, and therefore that contained in the banner of the kingdom namesake. The Judeo-Christian tradition relates it to the evangelist St. Mark.
Virgo
In mythology it is the representation of Dice, daughter of Zeus and Themis, and goddess of justice for men. had born mortal and was put on earth to administer justice and order. He lived withmortals during the Golden Age and the Silver Age, but when the Race of Bronze was born, which he hated, he left the earth and ascended into heaven, where was established by the constellation Bootes (Boötes). It was one of the tres Horas orear then and most notable among virgin goddesses.
Libra
The constellation, which was originally part of the forceps of Scorpio, is the youngestofthe Zodiac and the only not a living being. In Greek mythology, this constellation contains the balance held by Hera, goddess of marriage.
Scorpio
The origin is in the constellation Orion legend. According to one version, Orion thehunter took eyes in a fit of jealousy, and as he wandered through the world blind stepped on ascorpion stung him with its sting, causing their death. The gods rose to Orion and the scorpion by placing them in the heavens opposite ends of the sky, so that when Scorpio rises in the horizon, Orion fleeing animal hides that caused his death. A longer version suggests that Orion tried to rape Artemis, since this was hunting in the middle of forest when it was seen by the giant Orion and Artemis in his eagerness to defenden lists the help of a scorpion, this fatally bitten by the giant and released, why the goddess Artemis placed him in heaven.The meaning of Scorpio or scorpion refers to astrology.
Sagittarius
There was great controversy among ancient mythologists whether or not this constellation representing a centaur. Eratosthenes eHigino favored the view that there was a saying that no centaurcentaur had used arc. Argued that it was a satyr called Croton, who lived with the Muses on MountHelicon. Croton, in addition to inventing the art of shooting arrows, he invented the applause, while listening to the Muses. these, pleased, asked Zeus to put a Croto among the constellations.
Capricorn
Capricornus represents half goat Amalthea, half fish, who cared for and fedZeuscuando he was young, in whom Rea entrusted to protect him from his father Cronus.According to some, Amalthea was a nymph of Arcadia, for others, a nymph in adecabra. Amalthea and her daughter Adrastea Zeus raised with honey and milk. Amalthea had impressive horns that grew and spilled nectar and ambrosia, and when one of them was broken, filled it with fruit and offer it to Zeus. This is the famous horn of Amalthea, asymbol of abundance and joy. From that event, Zeus placed her in one of the constellationsin the sky.Another version of the myth of Capricorn goes that Pan, the god of hunters andshepherds, is pursued by the serpent Typhon and, to escape, he jumps into the river Nile, becoming fish on the back ibex and a goat on the other. Zeus admires this ploy and rises to the heavens.
Aquarium
The well-known myth identifies Aquarius, which was also known as cup-bearer, withGanymede. Ganymede is son of Laomedon, King of Troy. His father entrusted the task ofguarding the flocksin the mountains. It was, stories, one of the most beautiful mortal, so that Zeus, father of the gods, fell in love of it and becoming Eagle (another constellation) kidnaps him and takes himalOlimpo. In return Zeus gave the father a boy's immortal divine horses. On Olympus Ganymede became the divine butlermanager serve the gods. Aquarius generally represents the figure of a man, and when the stars are considered for a human are very faint or indistinct view, takes the figure of a man with a jar that pours a liquid. Aquarius also has been identified as Deucalion, who escaped with his wife Pyrrha of flood sent byZeus, in the Greek version of the myth.
Pisces
The Greek astronomer Eratosthenes (born in 276 BC) tells us that the origin of thesymbolism of the fish is in a big fish that saved Derceto (Assyrian goddess who was half woman half fish), when it fell into a pond. in this version was considered Derceto daughter of Aphrodite. Hyginus's version, however, was based on the myth of Venus and hijoCupido (in Greek mythology, Aphrodite and Eros).These two mythological figures were surprised by the monster Typhon, but Venusknew that they could escape by water. Cupid took and plunged into the water, where both were transformed into fish. To ensure that no lost, tied with string. In heaven we see, therefore, the mother and child, united by a rope
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile, is the largest astronomical project in existence. ALMA will be a single telescope of revolutionary design, composed initially of 66 high precision antennas located on the Chajnantor plateau, 5000 meters altitude in northern Chile
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is a revolutionary instrument in its scientific concept, its engineering design, and its organization as a global scientific endeavor...
Currently under construction in the thin, dry air of northern Chile's Atacama desert at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level, ALMA will initially be composed of 66 high-precision antennas working together at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths, with a possible extension in the future.
Thanks to its high resolution and sensitivity, ALMA will open an entirely new "window" on the Universe, allowing scientists to unravel longstanding and important astronomical mysteries, in search of our Cosmic Origins.
Some people say that the sun never sets on ALMA. Indeed, ALMA is a wonderful example of a worldwide collaboration , involving partners from four continents. By working together, scientists and engineers from around the world tackle unprecedented challenges and will seek to expand the frontiers of knowledge.
ALMA is expected to begin science operations with a limited number of antennas and to start full science operations with 66 antennas. Scientists from around the world will thus soon employ this remarkable facility to probe the very first stars and galaxies, and directly image exo-planets, possibly discovering the first traces of life.
Capricornus is the smallest among the zodiac and is between Aquarius and Sagittarius
It is higher in the night sky between August and September. The sun passes through this constellation from January 19 to February 18 or so.
Its brightest star is Delta Capricorni (Deneb Algedi) of magnitude 2.9 (the smaller the number the more light they are).
Aquarius
It is the faintest among the zodiac. It lies between Capricorn and Pisces.
Is highest in the night sky between August and October. The Sun crosses the region from mid February to mid March.
Pisces
Aries lies between Pisces and Taurus.
Aries is highest in the night sky in June and July. The Sun crosses the region of the sky from mid-April to mid May
Taurus
Taurus is high in the night sky between December and January. The sun passes through this constellation from 14 May to 21 June.
Aries
His neighbors are Aquarius and Aries.
Is higher in the night sky in October and November. The sun passes through Pisces from mid-March to mid April and therefore, is the constellation of the March Equinox.
Gemini
This is surrounded by zodiacal constellation Taurus and Cancer.The sun passes through this constellation from mid-June and July.
Cancer
It is located between Gemini and Leo and its brightest star is Beta Cancri, Alfarf. This constellation is highest in the night skies in February and March. The Sun crosses between mid July and mid August.
Leo
It lies between Cancer and Virgo and the Sun passes through it from 10 August to 16September.
Virgo
It is higher in the night sky between April and June. This from their neighbors and Libra Leo and is crossed by the Sun from 16 September to 31 October.
Libra
Libra is located south of the celestial Ecuador, between Virgo and Scorpius. Is higher in the night sky between April and June. The Sun crosses the region between late October and late November.
Scorpius
It is highest in the night sky in June and July. The Sun passes briefly through this constellation of 23 to 29 November.
Sagittarius
This zodiacal constellation is in the sky Ecuador, between Scorpius and Capricornus. And as the Scorpius, lies in the region "milky" effect that gives the look to the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
July and August are the months that are higher in the night sky. The Sun crosses Sagittarius between December 18 and January 19.
The principal telescopes are the 4-m Victor M. Blanco Telescope, named after Puerto Rican astronomer Victor Manuel Blanco, and the 4.1-m Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, dedicated in April of 2004. The latter telescope is actually situated on the neighboring Cerro Pachon, but is managed by CTIO. Other telescopes on Cerro Tololo include the 1.5-m, 1.3-m, 0.9-m, and the Yale 1.0-m telescopes operated by the SMARTS consortium of universities and research institutes. CTIO also host many tenant observatories and research projects, such as PROMPT, ALO, WHAM, and soon LCOGTN, providing a platform for access to the southern hemisphere for U.S. and world-wide scientific research.
