Something that pure fucks me up is that so many cultures around the world, from Europe to Indigenous Australians describe the Pleiades as a variant on seven sisters/maidens. Only six stars in the cluster are visible to the naked eye. There are stories from these diffuse cultures as to how one "sister" died or was hidden, usually from Orion the hunter.
About 100,000 years ago, a seventh star would have been visible but it moved so naked eye can't see its individual point of light any more.
I really wouldn't be surprised if it was "word of mouth" of different groups from adjacent regions swapping legends and mythology by near random or regular contacts.
I wonder if anyone has done a statistical simulation of such a process to see how long it might take for such and aural tradition to spread? 🙂🤷♂️
@stavvers @quidcumque I recall hearing speculation decades ago that Pleione or some other star in the cluster used to be much brighter than it is now.
But I now see the more recent research you mentioned that suggests it's the motion that just made it harder to see.
@stavvers Er... How many are visible depends on viewing conditions and specifics of eyeball. Ten of them have names in Greek; twelve have magnitudes 6.5 or brighter, and so are usually considered "visible"; two more are close.
Even if Sterope and Asterope can't be distinguished from each other because they're too close together, that still makes for nine. Combining Atlas and Pleione as well means eight.
Here's more documentation to support Stephan's statement that "visible with the naked eye" is not a constant value. Instead, it is highly dependent on local sky conditions and eyesight/training of the person doing the observing.
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/many-pleiades-can-see10222014/
From the article: "Robert Burnham, in his 3-volume Celestial Handbook, writes that 'there are at least 20 stars in the group which might be glimpsed under the finest conditions.'" The article's author states they were able to spot 14 (article written in 2014).
I was going to say the author was able to identify 14 "with the naked eye"... but they appear to wear glasses.
@stavvers Found this link supporting your argument, am delighted.
@stavvers
It took me a little over forever to realize Subaru referred to the Pleiades, and that was (hint, hint) indicated by the company's car logo.
Duh.
@stavvers wow! I was *just* trying to count all seven stars with my dad and my son the other night. It was a fun intergenerational moment.
Bleary eyed, we all finally gave up on pinpointing the seventh.
This is very validating. 😁 🤩
Attached: 1 image @[email protected] I recently learned that sharks are older than the Pleiades and don't know how to comprehend that scale of deep time.
I know a number of people have shared other articles about this in the r plies, but I found this one had some good detail on the myths and the changes in stellar positions.
I’m also reminded of all those years people spent searching for Franklin’s ships and the answer was found only relevantly. A tribe local to where they’d been sunk knew exactly where they were and had been happy to tell anyone, but they weren’t believed.
Or there’s the PNW tribes who knew all about a huge earthquake and tidal wave that had happened in the past, but nobody believed them until the geologists found evidence and then realized the whole place is sitting on a nasty fault.
Oral history is important.
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