4. Procyon is one of 6 prominent stars which define the so-called Winter Hexagon, a bright star which together with Sirius and Betelgeuze also forms the Summer Triangle:  "On most locations on Earth (except the South Island of New Zealand and the south of Chile and Argentina and further south), this asterism is prominently in the sky from approximately December to March. In the tropics and southern hemisphere, this (then called 'summer hexagon') can be extended with the bright star Canopus in the south." (Wikipedia) It seems natural to have either Procyon, Betelgeuze, or Sirius as the star for announcing a change from one half year to the next, I think. But south of the equator Canopus will be at the top (= in the south). And Aldebaran will be at the beginning, though hardly at the beginning of the half year which began in 'July:
Castor has evidently no such bright role to play in the game:
However, the illustration of the upside down Winter Hexagon above is misleading, because Procyon arrives earlier than Pollux. Furthermore, people on Easter Island presumably saw not a hexagon but an oval (the form of an egg). Immedediately beyond the π glyph (Ka3-14) is the beginning of the henua calendar:
By adding 64 instead of 66 many of my earlier suggestions are vanishing, for example my idea that the bird who in Ka3-18 is looking down on something represents Saturn creating a Bright Fire. It is sobering to compare with my old version and then realize how weak such arguments are. |
