Skywatch: A crow, a cup and a water snake

Throughout the ages crows have been getting a bad rap Along with being considered big black ugly and stupid their intonating is anything but beautiful I m sure you ve heard the old expression about someone eating crow meaning they were proved wrong and humiliated Truthfully crows are one of the smartest birds around In fact according to Greek and Roman mythology crows were once the largest part respected birds on Earth Back then they were highly exalted and intelligent and possessed glorious voices that delighted all They also had bright white feathers with gold trim on their wings and tails Crows served the gods and goddesses as reliable messengers on Mount Olympus with great distinction until Corvus the bungling dishonest crow messed it up for all crows forever That s one of the myths of the springtime constellation Corvus the Crow Like plenty of spring constellations it s not all that big and not all that bright but it is distinctive Look for a lopsided trapezoid in the low south-southeastern sky that pops out as soon as it s dark enough this time of year How that lopsided trapezoid is supposed to be a crow is certainly beyond me but it has a heck of a story Apollo the god of the sun sent Corvus the crow on a quick but significant mission to fetch water from a nearby ultra-clear spring Apollo sent off Corvus with one of his favorite king-sized chalices That s how much he cherished this spring water Corvus didn t know exactly where the spring was and being a male crow he was too stubborn to ask for directions Ultimately in the mid-afternoon during the heat of the day he arrived at the spring Corvus was so hot and his throat so dry that he instantly plunged himself in the spring and had to get his fill of the precious water He was about to begin filling up Apollo s giant chalice when he saw a nearby fig tree loaded with fresh fruit He rocketed to the tree and set the chalice down The fruit was amazing He narrated Apollo that he d be back by suppertime but he couldn t stop eating the fruit It was that good Before he knew it was almost sunset and there was no way he d make it back to Apollo until the middle of the night Corvus was in a tight spot He had to come up with a good excuse hook or crook for getting back home so late His wheels were turning Just after he filled Apollo s giant chalice he saw a water snake swimming close by He hurriedly plucked it out of the water and that innocent snake was his scapegoat With chalice clutched by one talon and the snake by the other he put it into overdrive and flew home as fast as he could As he got closer to Mount Olympus Corvus could see Apollo standing out on the edge of a cliff From half a mile away he could already see Apollo s glare When Corvus made his landing he explained to Apollo that the water snake he captured tried to keep him from filling the chalice and he had to fight him off for hours Apollo was having none of this He went on a rampage and fired Corvus on the spot He didn t stop there though Apollo banned all crows from Mount Olympus and used his magical godly powers to transform all crows from their beautiful white and gold colors to the jet black we see at present Continuing his tantrum he waved his finger in anger once again and collectively turned all the crows beautiful crooning voices into the caw caw we hear in the current era To top it off Apollo flung Corvus the chalice and the water snake in the sky to become the constellations we still see in the spring Mike Lynch The lopsided trapezoid that makes up the constellation Corvus is easy to find but nearby Crater the Chalice and Hydra the Snake are much tougher to spot and are definitely deep-track constellations Celestial happenings this week There s a newly discovered faint comet available in the very early morning twilight Comet SWAN may be visible in the very low northeastern sky just before morning twilight begins around to a m It may be visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy star with a short tail although you ll maybe need binoculars or a small telescope to spot it Morning twilight will eventually wash it out There are predictions that it ll be much brighter toward the first part of May when it s visible in the early evening sky but I certainly wouldn t take that to the bank Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and retired broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis St Paul He is the author of Stars a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations published by Adventure Publications and available at bookstores and adventurepublications net Mike is available for private star parties You can contact him at mikewlynch comcast net Related Articles Skywatch The two brightest stars and a guest star Skywatch Celestial twins proudly sharing Orion s shoulders Skywatch Out with the hunter In with the Lion Skywatch Your universe through binoculars Skywatch Last chance to catch the little ram