Delphinus
The Dolphin
Conjunction - The Prelude to a Meteor Shower
Starting today, the constellations we will cover are Delphinus, Canis Major, and Coma Berenices. The accompanying story groups these three constellations together to talk about the "Milky Way." In the image above, the Milky Way appears as a river rising in the center of the sky. What is the Milky Way? Since it cannot be seen in cities, some people might be unfamiliar with it. The Milky Way is also known as the "Milky Way Galaxy," and it is one of the many "galaxies" in the universe. What is a galaxy?
This is the famous Andromeda Galaxy, which can be seen with the naked eye. It is said that there are as many as two trillion galaxies (of various shapes) in the universe. If the Milky Way Galaxy, where Earth is located, has a similar shape, it is believed that Earth (the Solar System) is situated quite far from the center. The Milky Way in the opening photo is a view of the spiral arms of the Milky Way Galaxy looking towards the center of the galaxy.
Sisask's image of the constellation Delphinus is "Conjunction - Prelude to a Meteor Shower." There seem to be no prominent celestial objects in the region of Delphinus. The imagery of a meteor shower comes to mind from the musical theme, but why a meteor shower? I wondered if there was a "Delphinus Meteor Shower" and decided to investigate. I found a record stating, "In 1930, a 'Delphinus Meteor Shower' was observed in Maryland, USA. It was predicted that this meteor shower would reappear on June 11, 2013, but unfortunately, it was hardly seen." Only three people witnessed it in 1930, and now it is referred to as the "Phantom Meteor Shower" or the "Delphinus Meteor Mystery."
The NASA homepage is impressive! The opening photo was taken in Chile, South America, on June 15, 2013, close to the predicted date of the "Delphinus Meteor Shower." It just goes to show that it is worth persisting in searching for such data. To witness such a beautiful scene where meteors rain down on the Milky Way is truly remarkable.
Sisask is also impressive. From the subtitle of Delphinus, "Conjunction - Prelude to a Meteor Shower," it's clear that he knew about the 1930 "Delphinus Meteor Shower." "Prelude" means an introductory piece. Delphinus was composed in the 1980s, before the 2013 reappearance prediction was confirmed. The term "Conjunction" can also be interpreted in various ways.
In Sisask's music for Delphinus, one can sense countless meteors and chain-reacting beams of light. By varying touch and keystroke speed, it is possible to express everything from subtle glimmers to dazzlingly bright lights, with repetitive motifs representing things that appear and disappear in succession. Knowing that the Milky Way is close to Delphinus, one might feel as though they are being drawn towards the center of the galaxy. Although it is a very small constellation, it is easy to find (I always look for it when I see the night sky!) and has a mysterious charm.
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