Vulpecula
 

       Vulpecula et Anser, the Fox and Goose


[COVER TITLE] TIME & TUNE : BBC BROADCASTS TO SCHOOLS. SPRING TERM 1955. The Raven



A modern imaga of Sulis
The constellation, under the full name of "Vulpecula and Anser", can be seen on the bottom of this c. 1825 star map from Urania's Mirror.




History on Roman Baths,Aquaducts, and the Goddess Sulis Minerva.  

History on Roman Baths,Aquaducts, and the Goddess Sulis Minerva.
 


Vulpecula

From Wikipedia,
.
Vulpecula
Constellation
Vulpecula
Abbreviation Vul
Genitive Vulpeculae
Pronunciation /vʌlˈpɛkjʊlə/,
genitive/vʌlˈpɛkjʊliː/
Symbolism the Fox
Right ascension 20
Declination +25
Quadrant NQ4
Area 268 sq. deg. (55th)
Main stars 5, 20
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars		 33
Stars with planets 5
Stars brighter than 3.00m 0
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) 0
Brightest star α Vul(Anser) (4.44m)
Nearest star Ross 165
(33.54 ly, 10.28 pc)
Messier objects 1
Bordering
constellations		 Cygnus
Lyra
Hercules
Sagitta
Delphinus
Pegasus
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −55°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month ofSeptember.

Vulpecula is a faint constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for "little fox", although it is commonly known simply as the fox.
 It is located in the middle of the Summer Triangle (an asterism consisting of the bright stars Deneb, Vega and Altair).

Notable features

The constellation Vulpecula as it can be seen by the naked eye.

Stars

There are no stars brighter than 4th magnitude in this constellation. The brightest star in Vulpecula is α Vulpeculae, amagnitude4.44m red giantat a distance of 297 light-years. The star is anoptical binary (separation of 413.7") that can be split using binoculars. The star also carries the traditional name Anser, which refers to the goose the little fox holds in its jaws.

Pulsar
 Fifteen years after the first pulsar was discovered, the first millisecond pulsar, PSR B1937+21, was also discovered in Vulpecula, only a few degrees in the sky away from PSR B1919+21.

Planet -

Vulpecula is also home to HD 189733 b, one of the closest extrasolar planet currently being studied by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

 with water vapour

 On 12 July 2007 the Financial Times (London) reported that the chemical signature of water vapour was detected in the atmosphere of this planet. Although HD 189733b with atmospheric temperatures rising above 1,000 °C is far from being habitable, this finding increases the likelihood that water, an essential component of life, would be found on a more Earth-like planet in the future.

Deep-sky objects

The Dumbbell Nebula

Two well-known deep-sky objects can be found in Vulpecula. The Dumbbell Nebula (M27), is a large, brightplanetary nebula which was discovered by the French astronomer Charles Messier in 1764 as the very first object of its kind. It can be seen with good binoculars in a dark sky location, appearing as a dimly glowing disk approximately 6 arcminutes in diameter

. A telescope reveals its double-lobed shape, similar to that of an hourglass.

Wikipedia HERE

 



Odysseus

Fox and Goose games


Fox and Goose

            Fox and Goose is played all over the world including China but particularly it was a winter time game, you needed snow on the ground to play it, preferably, fresh snow.  In order to set up for the game, the game area needed to be laid out in the snow. 

 A "playing field" is made by stomping out a circle 50 to 60 feet in diameter into the snow.  Next, four to eight paths are made that cross at the center, dividing the circle into a "pie-slice" form. 

            This game is best played with a smaller group of people, four through six would be ideal.  One person is selected or appointed as the Fox and the rest are the Geese.  The Geese are expected to torment the Fox and the Fox tries to catch the Geese.  Now you're ready for action.  The Fox can chase and try to tag the Geese, using only the tromped-down circle and pathways.  The pathways provide sneaky shortcuts, and fortunately for the Goose, the center is "goose haven"--where he or she can't be caught.  Upon tagging the Goose, the Fox doesn't get a meal; rather, they change roles, the Fox becomes a Goose and the Goose becomes a Fox.  Any Goose who steps outside the path tromped in the snow gets penalized and becomes the Fox

HERE.


 Fox and Geese - replica medieval leather board with wooden pieces

The earliest definite record of Fox and Geese is in the accounts of Edward IV in the fifteenth century. It is quite possible that it derives from the earlier Icelandic and Viking games of inequality such as Tafl or Hala-tafl that date from pre-10th century. Indeed Hala-tafl in Ancient Icelandic means "Fox Game". 

Fox and Geese is a game of unequal sides in which the red fox tries to hop over the geese while the geese try to trap the fox by sheer weight of numbers so that he can't move. It's a game that is intriguing and which has stood the test of time admirably.

Our board is an authentic leather replica Fox and Geese game with hand-made wooden pieces. Evidence for the play of Fox and Geese has been found in ancient digs and boards have been found inscribed on old buildings and even as graffiti by monks in medieval Christian cloisters! These boards enable you to enjoy some history while playing a great game that was popular for many centuries and was considered until quite recent times to be a traditional English pub game.

Fox and Geese - replica medieval leather board with wooden pieces

Suitable for museums, schools, families - great for children, the board, pieces and rules come in a convenient cardboard tube so take up very little space when not in use.    Made in Britain

Approx. dimensions: Board 26cm square. Tube 28cm long

Contains small parts. Unsuitable for children younger than 4 years old.
on Amazon HERE