Perseus

Perseus Eurymedon, as you may know, was a mythic Greek hero who rescued Andromeda from the sea monster and cut of Medusa's head. For this and other heroic feats, Perseus's name has been ascribed to many things, including an online database of art, archaeology, and translations. He has been represented in painting and sculpture by such notable artists as Dali and Cellini. There are multiple operas celebrating his feats, and authors have been inspired by his myth as well; Melville in Moby Dick calls him the original whaler, and Sylvia Plath has a poem about him.

Perseus was one of the main heroes of Greek myth, and as such is often associated with a saving force of good, sky, or light, and an animating masculine character. The monsters he defeated are dark and of the earth, and often represent the "mysterious" character of female-ness which myth-makers of all eras seemed to have such a hard time dealing with. (In my opinion, there is no more reason to associate females with darkness, the moon, or the earth any more than with donut holes or strappy sandals, but then again my opinion doesn't count since I'm a woman. Har har har.)

Of course, many of us know Perseus through the constellation which bears his name. Its brightest star, Mirfak, is 62 times more luminous than our sun; the best-known star, Algol (from al Ghul, the "ghoul" or "demon star") represents the gorgon Medusa's eye, which was said to turn mortals to stone. The famous Perseid meteor shower takes its name from this constellation, and although the shower peaked early this morning, you can still see meteors streaking through the sky tonight and for the next few nights.



For best viewing, get away from the ambient light of your cities for once. The best times to view the showers will be between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. For those of us here in the East, Perseus will be visible in the northeast and continue to rise to the north as the night progresses.

Get your outdoors gear in order and go! There's no reason whatsoever for you to miss this. How many more meteor showers will you see in your life? Probably not as many as you'd like to think. And, since neither of us have any clue as to whether or not you'll be able to view meteor showers after you die, it's about time that you decided to carpe noctem and go view this dazzling display (which is actually just very shiny, glorified debris hitching a ride in the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle). Meanwhile, I'm really digging this painting, "Perseus and Andromeda - A Role Inversion" by Christina Neofotistou, and I think you will, too (click for bigger).



Art, stars, monsters and myths. As always, I strive to remain,

Mz. Your-One-Stop-Shop-For-Things-Not-Of-This-Earth