Crown of Glory problem

[Fizz]

I think there is a fundamental flaw with the constellation, the Crown of Glory. As described in the book:

This constellation, six stars high, looks like a warrior en garde and is fully visible from southern Anuire at the summer solstice. With each passing month after this solstice, one star slips below the southern horizon. When the last star Haelyn's head, or the Crown of Glory falls beneath the horizon, the Eve of the Dead has come. Haelyn's constellation hides only for the single night of the winter solstice, but it's a night of frantic prayer, for many fear that influence of the Shadow World grows strongest when Haelyn's constellation does not watch over his people. Of course, Anuireans living farther north must endure even more time away from Haelyn's gaze (and longer nights).

According to the Aebrynis maps, the southern edge of Cerilia is at a latitude of about 38 degrees North.

Now, if the constellation is fully visible only on the summer solstice, and the constellation is in the south, the declination of that Foot star must be about -52 degrees (90-38).

On the winter solstice, the Crown is no longer visible. That means it must have a declination of +52 degrees. And because the planet is now on the other side of the sun, it will be in the north.

So the Crown is at +52 degrees, and the Foot at -52 degrees. This means the constellation is huge- spanning 104 degrees of the sky. That means it starts at the horizon and extends more than half-way over the night sky.

But size is not the problem. +52 degrees means the Crown is a northern hemisphere star. Anuireans in the far north would always be able see the Crown- it'd never disappear for them. This contradicts the description that the far north must endure many long nights without Haelyn watching over them.

In order for the north to see the Crown less often than the southern coast, the Crown would need to be at a declination of less than +38 degrees. But in that event, the Crown would be below the horizon for much longer than just one day.

So basically, the Crown of Glory can't exist as described in the core book. Not sure if anyone had addressed this before, or whether it's worth fixing in the 5E conversion. But it bugs me.

I don't think i've missed anything here, but if i have i'm happy to be corrected.


-Fizz

[Sorontar]

Good point, though how it can be seen on the southern horizon if it can be seen from the northern hemipshere of Aebyrnis during both halves of the year confuses me a little. Mind you, astrology isn't really an area I know much about.

I have started a new page on the wiki. Feel free to update/fix that.

Sorontar

[Fizz]

Good point, though how it can be seen on the southern horizon if it can be seen from the northern hemipshere of Aebyrnis during both halves of the year confuses me a little.

That's why the constellation needs to be so large- the Crown (head) star isn't far from being directly over the north pole, whereas the foot is on the horizon.

Mind you, astrology isn't really an area I know much about.

Well, i'm coming at this from the standpoint of astronomy, not astrology. Big difference.

I have started a new page on the wiki. Feel free to update/fix that.

Cool. I've been thinking about it. Personally, i think the important piece is that the Head star is below the horizon for a longer period of time for the more northern latitudes. In this case, the constellation must be below the 38th parallel (southern edge of Annuire).


So let's consider some options:

1) If the Head is at a declination of 0 to maybe -10 degrees (over the equator or just south), then for half the year it will be below horizon for part of the night. During the winter months the star may only be visible during dawn/dusk in the east/west, (depending on brightness). During the summer, the Head peaks about 40 degrees above the horizon with the Foot just barely above the horizon.

2) If the Head is at a declination of +38 degrees, in the summer it will pass directly over southern Annuire (directly above at midnight). But in the winter, it appears northerly, starting in the northwest at dusk, ducking below the horizon late evening, and then coming back up in the northeast a few hours before dawn.

I think i like #1 best, as i think it's more in keeping with the original text.

For comparison, this means the constellation would be about twice the height of our own constellation (asterism) Orion. Still big, but only about a quarter of the night sky, not more than half.


-Fizz