MYTHOLOGIE DU SYSTÈME SOLAIRE DES DIEUX DANS LE CIEL ! JEAN-NOËL SARRAIL

A talk at 8 pm, followed by a pot-luck dinner with everyone bringing something from their own basket.

During this lecture, we will delve into the intersection of astronomy, history and mythology. You will discover how the red colour of a celestial body evoked the blood of the god of war, why the ruler of Olympus lent his name to the largest of the planets, and how the International Astronomical Union continues to shape the modern mythology of the solar system today. A fascinating journey through the legends of the past and the discoveries of the present, during which we will construct the family tree of the heavens together.

Why is Mars associated with war, Venus with beauty, and Jupiter with the king of the gods? Long before the invention of telescopes, our ancestors would look up at the sky and observe points of light moving in intriguing ways. To make sense of these celestial wanderers, the Babylonians, Greeks and later the Romans attributed to them the names, colours and characteristics of their principal deities. This tradition did not end with antiquity. With the discoveries of Uranus, Neptune, then Pluto and the dwarf planets, modern astronomers have carried on this fascinating legacy by drawing once again on the Greek and Roman pantheons, as well as those of the Māori and Inuit.

Jean-Noël SARRAIL was appointed as a project officer by the Toulouse Regional Education Authority at the Cité de l’Espace’s educational department for eight years. He has written a book for teachers entitled ‘50 activities to discover astronomy’, published by Canopé and with a foreword by Hubert Reeves. He is an active member of the Sabarat Astronomical Observatory in Ariège. He is currently a music lecturer at Jean Jaurès University. He is also a singer-songwriter and pianist.