Easter has been and gone, but I thought it might be nice to explore some (admittedly tenuous) links to Easter in the night sky for May.
But before we start, did you know that the date of Easter, like all major holidays, is dictated by celestial movements? Easter Sunday is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the northern hemisphere’s vernal equinox. Its phases have been watched for millennia as a means of ancient time keeping, and its relentless path from new, to full, back to new, has long been associated with new life. This has been recorded as far back as the early Bushmen, who considered it bad fortune to look at a full moon after piercing an animal with a poisoned arrow, for fear that the regenerative properties might be passed on to their prey.
Related objects
Here are five Easter-related objects and astronomical myths to consider during the month of May:
The Cosmic Egg
Many ancient cultures believe that the Universe, and everything within it was hatched from some sort of divine embryo. Various mythologies refer to the Universe itself emerging from a cosmic embryo, while in others, it hatched a great creator, who then manifested the Universe. In more recent times, the phrase was given traction by George Lemaitre in the 1930’s, a pioneer of the Big Bang Theory. By backtracking the expansion of the Universe, Lemaitre proposed an initial state of a primeval atom from which everything originated: the original Cosmic Egg.
![The Egg Nebula Image Credit - Wikipedia[94]](https://kruger2canyon.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/4-550x367.png)
The Egg Nebula
Continuing the Easter Egg trend, the Egg Nebula is found within the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. Considered a proto-planetary nebula, its kaleidoscopic appearance is caused by an old star that is in the process of shedding its atmosphere into space. These gaseous layers form a glowing cloud around the dying object. The protoplanetary nebula is a short-lived period, lasting only a few thousand years (a blink of an eye to a star), before the star finally expires, releasing its entire contents back into the cosmos in a beautiful phenomenon known as a planetary nebula.
The Milky Way
No Easter is complete without a copious amount of chocolate! Cosmic confectionary references abound, with products such as Mars bars, Astros and of course, the light and fluffy Milky Way! Named after the spiralling hazy arms of our galaxy that arc high across the night sky during southern hemisphere winter, our galaxy has been known as the Milky Way since the time of the ancient Greeks. Zeus attempted to get his illegitimate son, Hercules, to suckle from the breast of his wife, Hera, while she slept on Mount Olympus. Unsurprisingly, Hera awoke and was none too pleased, wrenching Hercules away, spilling the milk across the sky. The Greeks called it kyklos galaxias (milky circle), the Romans evolved this to via lactea (milky road), and we now refer to it as the Milky Way.
Lepus, the Hare
But what about the lovable, chocolate-toting Easter Bunny? Many constellations in the night sky are named after animals, and nestled beneath the feet of Orion, the Hunter, lies Lepus (the Hare). One of the original forty eight constellations recorded by Ptolomy around 150AD, the hare is depicted hiding from Orion’s hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor.
![Hare on the Moon[72]](https://kruger2canyon.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2-550x367.png)
The Hare on the Moon
Our final offering also refers to a hare, this time on the face of the Moon. The dark mare, or seas, on the lunar surface were seen as a hare by Bushmen tribes. One day, the Moon came across a hare that was very upset on account of losing a family member. The Moon consoled the hare, telling it not to fear death as it would see its loved ones again, just as the Moon disappeared and reappeared each month. The hare was tasked with sharing this information with the humans but failed to do so, angering the Moon. The two had an altercation, with the Moon splitting the hare’s top lip with a blow, before placing it on the Moon’s face, so that it would fade and return each month, for eternity.
The timeless expanse of stars above our heads has long-since been the medium upon which cultures have etched their thoughts, memories, and imagination. Regrettably, this is not something that we do much these days, but regardless of what you may, or may not see, in today’s stellar tapestry, I hope you had a very happy Easter!
See Celestial Events SA advert for contact details
