The Fault in Our Star Names

The International Astronomical Union has established a committee to finalize a list of official star names. Some companies offer unofficial naming rights for purchase. But the voices of certain communities are often left behind. By accident of Earth's 23.5-degree tilt and the specific geography of our view of space, amateur astronomers and travelers who find themselves lost in the Northern hemisphere have long searched for Ursa Major, the great bear, whose torso is formed by the conspicuous...

Rosa Lyster: At the V&A

In​ the first room of the new Fabergé exhibition at the V&A (until 8 May), there is a display case containing a pinkish columnar table-portrait of Tsar Nicholas II. It is made of variegated gold, in laurels and garlands, with a gold double-headed eagle on top and a gold frame, accommodating more huge diamonds than one would think permissible or even possible, encircling a vague-looking Nicholas and culminating in a crown. It sits on little gold feet. The eagle is wearing a little gold cro...

Constellation Perseus: the hero

Perseus is one of ancient Hellas' greatest heroes, and it is not odd that he was immortalized in the night's sky. He is--of course--linked to the many constellations dedicated to the rescue of Androméda, but there is far more tot he hero Perseus.  Perseus was born to Danae, who was locked in a bronze chamber by her father Akrisios, where she was impregnated by Zeus in the form of a golden shower. Akrisios put both mother and child in a chest and set them adrift on the sea, but ...

The Point in Your Star Chart that Reveals Your Hidden Sexual Desires

The Point in Your Star Chart that Reveals Your Hidden Sexual DesiresPhoto by Marija Savic via Stocksy. Jeremy Corbyn's birth chart via planetaaleph.comAnyone who is into astrology can tell you that it involves studying the movements of the planets, as well as their mythology and overall meaning; however, those aren’t the only celestial bodies we astrologers look to. For instance, there are asteroids, minor planets, and aspects that play a crucial role in a person’s birth chart. Of these more ...