Cetus
Whale
Yearning
In the constellation map depicted in the first edition of Sisask's sheet music for Cetus, only the celestial object NGC 246 (a planetary nebula) is noted. The region of Cetus also contains the Messier object M77, but I can't imagine that Sisask would forget to include it. Perhaps he found NGC 246 to be more impactful.
This celestial object, NGC 246, is also known as the Skull Nebula. It is quite eerie, as it is a dying celestial object (more precisely, it surrounds stars that are in the process of dying).
In Greek mythology, the constellation Cetus represents the monster that tried to devour Princess Andromeda, who was chained to a rock. In star maps, Cetus is depicted with the head and front legs of a beast, no hind legs, and a tail that resembles a whale's.
Mira is a very famous pulsating variable star, and its discovery dates back to 1596. It was named "Mira," which means "wonderful" or "amazing" in Latin. Mira changes its brightness over a period of about 11 months as it contracts and expands. Right after it contracts, it becomes very hot and its brightness reaches a maximum (as bright as magnitude 2). When it expands, the opposite happens, and its brightness decreases to a minimum (as dim as magnitude 9). Dropping to magnitude 9 means its brightness is reduced to 1/500th of its maximum, and it remains invisible to the naked eye for several months.
Mira has a comet-like tail that extends an astonishing 13 light-years in length. This tail is said to be the remnants of the star's outer layers, ejected when Mira contracts.
Sisask's image for the constellation Cetus is "Yearning."
Why is that? I think the answer lies in the famous Kalevala legend associated with this piece, "The Wound on Väinämöinen's Knee." The light trailing from Mira's tail and its heart-like contraction gave me a clue. This beautifully aligns with the story of the elderly magician Väinämöinen, who, on his way back home, cuts his knee with an axe and can't stop the bleeding. Despite being a magician, he doesn't know the spell to stop the bleeding and wanders until he finally finds an old man who knows the spell. This legend connects to the image of "yearning." However, if it wasn't driven by mythology, perhaps the sight of "Mira" or the "Skull Nebula," showing the end of life, evoked a yearning for the miracle of life being extended, even just a little.
In Sisask's music for Cetus, the contraction and expansion of the variable star, and its wonder, are beautifully expressed. The repeated chord progressions in the left hand represent the weak heartbeat of a failing heart, while the unsettling leaps of triplets evoke an ominous tremor of impending death. The quiet repeated notes in the coda resemble Mira's fading tail or Väinämöinen's bleeding knee. This piece reminds us that life and death exist both on Earth and in the universe, and it deeply moves us.
Now, the image of Cetus has become somewhat dark, but let’s brighten things up by borrowing an image of M77, the only Messier object in Cetus, from NASA!
What do you think? What a beautiful, hope-filled, and energetic spiral galaxy! Urmas, did you perhaps intentionally keep this magnificent galaxy hidden?!
When my life ends, I yearn to encounter such a beautiful galaxy in the heavens.
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