2. When the Pleiades could be seen in the night the Polynesians identified the season as Matariki i nia (above) and when they were below the horizon it was the other season Matariki i raro (below): ... Ellis wrote of the natives of the Society and Tonga Islands, who called these stars Matarii, the Little Eyes: The two seasons of the year were divided by the Pleiades; the first, Matarii i nia, the Pleiades Above, commenced when, in the evening, those stars appeared on the horizon, and continued while, after sunset, they were above. The other season, Matarii i raro, the Pleiades Below, began when, at sunset, they ceased to be visible, and continued till, in the evening, they appeared again above the horizon. When the right ascension of a star is close to zero it will rise heliacally with sun at spring equinox north of the equator (= at atumn equinox south of the equator). Close to the sun it cannot be observed in the early morning (and in the daytime no star at all can be seen). Also in the evening it will be close to sun and not possible to observe. Later in the year Sun will gradually advance among the stars, rising with them in the order dictated by their right ascension. In the mornings nighttime is behind him and daytime is in front of him, and those stars which he already has visited can no longer be seen. These stars will now rise earlier than the sun, but rising in daytime they cannot be observed. Not until about half a year after rising together with the sun will there be a chance to see the star again, viz. when the sun has just gone down in the west and darkness makes the star visible. When the star thus appears on the horizon (in the east) in the early evening it can be said to be 'above' (nia). The earliest Pleiad is Celaeno (03h 42m) which is rising together with the sun 56 days beyond equinox, and 250 days earlier than Peacock:
The first Pleiad is also the Lost Pleiad and, I guess, she has been 'struck by lightning' because the light from Sun has made her disappear in the early morning. Once, about 56 / 365¼ * 26000 = ca 4,000 years ago, she disappeared at spring equinox (north of the equator) and would reappear about half a year later. If I am right her disappearance is therefore an event far back in mythic time. If we nowadays should search for Celaeno in the sky 56 + 250 = 64 + 242 = 306 days beyond equinox, where should we look? Half a year beyond day number 56 the Pleiades will be in the east when Sun is in the west. Later the Pleiades will be seen in the east because Sun has gone down and if Celaeno is looked for in the early evening she will be in the east. If she is looked for at midnight she will be high up in the sky. 250 - 364 / 2 = 68. We should look in the east and maybe we should wait 68 days beyond equinox (autumn north of the equator = spring south of the equator) before Cealano will be easily seen. If the star is too close to the horizon it is harder to observe. |
