bridging THE generation gap

Stargazing has always been a one of my hobbies. One morning (read 4:00AM) I noticed that Mars was not where I thought it should be. Checking an astronomy web site, I found I was wrong, Mars was right.

While browsing the constellations on the star map, I noticed that Orion the Hunter was chasing Taurus the Bull. That’s just wrong. First of all, the bull should be chasing Orion. Secondly, the dot-to-dot stick figure in the constellation Taurus, does not look like a bull at all. It looks, well feminine and pornographic. Sorry, but it does.

Then something occurred to me. I’ve always felt a “disconnect” between Prehistoric Man and Modern Man. I mean, we both have the same brain. They were as clever as we are. Maybe more so. But, what is there that both of us can look at and relate to?

The stars, of course. The “connect-the-dots” groups of stars we call constellations. I can imagine prehistoric folk, sitting around, taking turns making up different creatures and (probably ribald) stories, as the stars moved across the sky.

Some Puritan-minded wet blanket probably changed Taurus the Bull from Alice the Floozy. Poor Orion.

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