For our project, Gina is doing the research on the constellation Leo and Jenna is doing the research on the constellation Orion.  During our weekly get-togetheres, we share information that we have found regarding our research project and work on our web pages together. One aspect of our research is observing these constellations using our naked eyes, binoculars and telescopes.  We are also researching specifics on the stars and other astronomical events, such as nebulas and galaxies, within these constellations.  In addition, we are investigating how the ancient Egyptians saw these constellations and what significance they had in their culture.
 Our team (Jenna & Gina) are meeting at least once a week to observe these constellations in the night sky.  The instruments we have been using to observe are our naked eyes and binoculars.  We also had a great opportunity to observe our constellations at the Star Party.  Here we were able to see Regulus in Leo, the Orion Nebula, Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion through Orion telescopes.  This opportunity enabled us to see that Regulus is a double star, which correlated with our research findings.  Although we were not able to see the Horsehead Nebula in Orion, we were able to view the Orion Nebula and discovered that there are actually two nebulas in Orion’s sword.  Betelgeuse and Rigel merely looked like larger dots of light, but it was obvious to see the color difference between the two.   An interesting event occurred at the party; the waxing moon was in Leo.  In this way we were able to see that Leo is indeed part of the zodiac, or the path of the moon through thirteen specific constellations.  This in turn made Leo less visible than usual due to the brightness of the moon.  In our weekly observations we have noticed that Orion is setting earlier and that Orion is harder to see because of the increased light from the later setting sun.  In contrast, Leo is prominent in the sky for most of the dark hours, especially during our observations.
 Within Leo there are numerous double and binary stars, galaxies and nebulas.  Regulus is the brightest star in Leo and is actually a double star. It marks the very bottom of the Sickle asterism.  Creating the Lion’s tail are three spiral galaxies formed in a triangular shape.  Orion is the only constellation that has two first magnitude stars, Betelgeuse and Rigel.  Along with these two, Orion is comprised of five second magnitude stars, making it one of the brightest, easiest constellations to find.  Betelgeuse itself is an old, red supergiant nearing the end of its life.  In contrast, Rigel is a young blue-white star.  Additionally, there are two nebulas located in Orion’s Sword where new stars are being born.
 Researching ancient Egyptian astronomy has been difficult.  We have found no journal articles dealing with our topic.  Recently, we have been successful in finding non-fiction books on Egyptian Cosmology.  We have found that the stars had a major significance in their culture and that they did see the constellations Leo and Orion.  In ancient Egypt, the Lion was revered, respected, honored and considered noble.  The constellation Leo appeared brightly in the summer months and was associated with the annual flood of the Nile.  Because this flooding enabled agriculture and the survival of the people, the constellation Leo was believed to hold a majestic influence on this event.  Aside from this importance, the Lion represented fire and heat in the Egyptian culture and thus correlated with the summer months in the dry, hot desert of Africa. We are finding information that the beliefs of ancient Egypt, pertaining to the stars, originated from the Babylonians and perhaps even the Sumerians.  Ancient Egyptians had a zodiac, in which the Lion was represented as the King of the Zodiac.  This is proven by the archaeological find of the Circular Zodiac in the Temple of Isis at Denderah.  From the information we have found so far, it seems that the Egyptians view the constellation Orion as the spirit of their main God, Osiris.  Shafts in their pyramids have been found to point to a place in the sky where Orion would have been when the pyramids were built.  Additionally, there is a belief that three pyramids in Giza are a replica of the three stars in Orion’s belt.
 We chose to study these constellations because we are both very interested in their cultural history and modern day scientific understanding.  Gina chose to investigate Leo more specifically because she is a “Leo” by today’s astrological charts and she wanted to know more about how this related to the stars and science.  Gina was also interested in the origin of Leo as a cultural symbol.  Jenna decided to study Orion because it has always been an easy constellation for her to find and it reminds her of a friend that she used to view it with.  Jenna knew the Greek story of Orion, but was interested in what other cultures saw and thought of the same constellation.  We hope to find as many specifics on these constellations as possible, including their stars, nebulas and galaxies. Additionally, we would like to gain a better understanding of ancient Egyptian cosmology as it pertains to our constellations, and possibly how these beliefs were passed on to other generations and cultures.