NICOLE DASKAS BLOG POST 2

Beauty in Science: Constellations and The Night Sky
Nicole Daskas
While art and science are generally considered two very individual, distinctive fields, there is great overlap between the two. Art is more widely regarded as the field dealing with aesthetics, while science is more about objective, factual truth. However, beauty and aesthetics also play a large role in the sciences. One such instance is mapping and capturing the constellations.
The stars were originally mapped in ancient times as a way to identify deities, or mark the passage of time between planting and harvesting. While there was a reverence and appreciation for the constellations, the uses were scientific and practical. Constellations were carefully measured and calculated. There are 88 official constellations today. Over time, these constellations have been useful in navigation, telling the time of year, and creating calendars. However, they are also sources of beauty and have been a source of fascination for humankind for centuries. In ancient China, interest in astronomy began in the 13th century during the Shang Dynasty. The following image is the celestial globe created by Su Song, a mechanical engineer and scientist. 
Many artists, namely photographers, choose constellations as subject matter for their inherent beauty. Astrophotographers are moved by the grandeur and beauty of the night sky. They endure freezing temperatures, sleepless nights, and trek to remote locations in complete darkness in the hopes of capturing a spectacular image of the stars. This process of fixation on a natural phenomenon morphing into an art practice is common, as art often requires research and planning, just as science does. Astrophotographers must research about the best times and conditions for viewing certain objects in the sky, calculate the best location for what they want to capture, and experiment time and time again before reaching a successful outcome: a beautiful image.
Space Telescope Science Institute, in partnership with NASA, has been creating monthly videos as part of a series which outlines the location of specific stars and constellations as well as show stunning images of the night sky. This project, titled “Tonight’s Sky”, began in January 2019 and serves to show space views based on information and images captured by the Hubble telescope. The videos follow the changing sky over the course of the year as the planet moves, changing what is visible. The videos are so captivating because of the elements of beauty and aesthetics. “Tonight’s Sky” is both informative and beautiful, a perfect example of the crossover between beauty and science. 
Two stills from “Tonight’s Sky: August 2019”
Science and art are pitted against one another. Science is deemed logical, rational, objective, factual useful, and true. Art is seen as subjective, illogical, beautiful, even useless as opposed to functional. The dividing lines, however, are increasingly blurred when scientific technology such as Hubble telescope captures stunning, artistic images and artists capture the placement of constellations in the sky. Both projects are equally informative and lovely. Beauty is important, even integral, to science. The two are not mutually exclusive and never have been. 
Illustration of the “zodiac band” with a few of the constellations depicting the objects they represent. (https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/constellations/)
The modern constellations, color-coded by family, with a dotted line denoting the ecliptic. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio



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