Project:Star Ocean

Did you watch the opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea?

   One of the most dazzling and enchanting parts of the ceremony was its tribute to Korea’s astronomical and celestial beginnings. At the beginning of the opening ceremony, we are introduced to a group of children who discover a celestial globe in the snow and are led on an adventure through time that teaches them about Korea’s past and present. During their journey, they discover an ice cave with painted murals, one of which is an ancient dragon who stands out more than the rest. As if sensing their entrance into the cave and its discovery, a golden tiger appears from the tablet welcoming and guiding the children through unknown lands to meet others similar to him and telling the story of Korea’s celestial guardians.     Unknown to many viewers, the golden tiger is not only a guide, but also one of ancient Korea’s celestial guardians Baekho (White Tiger), and he is introducing the children to the remaining celestial guardians, Chunryonga (Azure Dragon), Jujak (Vermilion Bird), Hyunmu (Black Turtle/Black Warrior), and Hwang-Ryong (Golden Dragon/Golden Emperor), as well as to Korea’s deep astronomical roots.

    During Korea’s ancient times, these celestial guardians were used as a way for Koreans to keep a yearly calendar and navigate the stars around them. When Korea’s first star charts were created, ancient astronomers divided the sky’s ecliptic into four regions and assigned each celestial guardian a specific cardinal direction, season, and principle. In these star charts, Baekho was assigned to the West and the autumn season. Chunryonga was assigned the East with the spring season. Hyunmu’s was placed over the cardinal direction North with winter as its season. Jujak was assigned to the cardinal direction South with its season being summer, and the celestial guardian Hwang-Ryong was assigned to represent the Earth located in the center of the star chart. In order for ancient astronomers to accurately record observations and keep time, each of these quadrants were broken down into 28 mansions (ancient star patterns), which made it possible for Korean astronomers to use the lunar path to track changes in the Moon, the motions of stars and planets, along with other changes in the observable universe around them. Within each of the mansions, stars and stars sets, such Spica, Ain, Markab, Alpha Librae, Alpha Crateris, Delta Hydrae, and many other stars still observable today, provided important information used by ancient Koreans to predict astronomical activity and assisted in making important decisions in regards to governmental and agricultural matters.

Hello again everyone! While going through my computer this morning, I found a few more Astronomy.FM transcripts to be posted on Project: Star Ocean! There are no links or photos available for this one, but I think you’ll get the point none-the-less. Enjoy! There will be more to come!

Astronomy.FM PyeongChang 2018 Paralympics Special Feature:

In our first segment, we discussed how the 2018 Olympic opening ceremony highlighted Korea’s ancient star charts and the celestial guardians who were used to track the movements of astronomical phenomenon and how they influenced Korean civilization. Our second segment, “Birth of a Star” also focuses on Pyeongchang, but instead focuses on the Olympics’ sister event, the 2018 Paralympic Games. Just as the Pyeongchang’s Olympics used its opening ceremony to honor Korea’s astronomical past, the 2018 Paralympics used its opening ceremony to pay tribute to Korea’s astronomical present by celebrating the formation of stars within its opening ceremony. To be more specific, the opening ceremony celebrated South Korea’s verification of a well-known star formation theory. 

In the finale of the Paralympics opening ceremony, we are shown a birds-eye view of people forming lines and holding hands then moving chaotically over a swirling cerulean blue energy field. These simple motions are telling the story of a star’s formation. This organized chaos is mimicking the movement of turbulent gases present when a star begins its formation. 

As the opening ceremony continues, we see the lines moving towards the center of the rotating field much like cosmic materials being pulled into the center of a developing star. As the lines chaotically encircle the center of the field, an open circular metal frame begins lowering from the ceiling emphasizing the creation of a spherical object. With each line that wraps around the center of the field, the circular frame inches closer to revealing what looks to be the formation of a protostar. Its shape and purpose become more evident when the lines of people have completely encircled the center of the swirling cerulean field and the sphere closes. After the frame closes, it begins to glow a bright golden yellow color, a color known to be associated with stars in the mid-temperature range.

As the sphere closes, the energetic atmosphere silences and another swirling field appears changing the cerulean blue field into a beautiful array of galactic purples, cosmic blues, and stellar white against a starry background. As we continue to watch the field change, the viewers see the colors begin to rotate and pull together until they form a tight circle of brilliant orange, celestial blue, and stellar white beneath the golden metal sphere. This vibrant reproduction is demonstrating how a nebular disk forms to increase the size of a protostar. In order to ensure that the star reaches full development, the nebular disk will continue to draw in materials until it reaches a point where thermonuclear fusion can begin.

Just when the audience believes the image has finished changing, the circle of colors violently expands outward until only a cosmic blue ring remains. Shortly after this burst begins, all colors dissipate entirely leaving only the newly formed golden sphere which changes to a celestial blue and now hovers above its own small energy field of the same matching color. This too represents part of a star’s formation. In this moment of art reflecting life, the protostar has reached thermonuclear fusion and released a stellar wind stopping any further cosmic materials from being collected. It also represents the new star’s ability to produce energy in order to sustain itself.

Associated Links:

*Watch South Korea’s star formation tribute at the Paralympics site! (Skip to: 1:41:52). *Listen to South Korea’s newest stellar discovery on Arirang TV.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to comment below or email me at [email protected]!

Good Morning, everyone! I finally found Astronomy.FM’s original introduction page to Project: Star Ocean. Since the screenshot I posted isn't clear, I’m reposting the original transcript! Enjoy!

Astronomy.FM Special Feature: Project: Star Ocean

Welcome to Project: Star Ocean!

Astronomy.FM's segment, Project: Star Ocean is inspired by the ancient mariners who once used Earth's skies to navigate through unknown oceans, and future generations of explorers who will use the same stars to navigate the Milky Way Galaxy & beyond. Our goal is to inspire men, women, & children of all ages and cultures to study the stars and the sciences and technology that will make space exploration and colonization possible. We believe by embracing humanity's curiosity, creativity, and innovative spirit that humanity will be able to develop the technology and knowledge needed to explore the star oceans of our galaxy and beyond.

Each of our segments features technology or scientific ideas & concepts from pop culture media ( anime, scifi, comics, & more) that are in development or could possibly be developed in the future. In each segment, we'll highlight how past & present pop culture influences science and how it is applied to help in space exploration and to improve humanity's quality of life on Earth, as well as how these concepts could open doors to advancing humanity in the future. If you've ever asked questions like “When is humanity going to experiment with mecha tech?”... “Can the Tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell be used to explore other planets or help in rescue operations on Earth?”... or “Is it possible to adapt Attack on Titan's ODM gear to navigate planets with gravitational differences?”...you're in the right place...Project: Star Ocean is “where fantasy meets reality” and art reflects life.

Have pop culture ideas, icons, or technology you would like featured in our segment? Send an email to Misty Dawn (aka Oceanstar) at [email protected]. I would love to hear your ideas!

Good morning everyone!!! P: SO and its associated projects are still under construction, so please pardon our hectic posting schedule and long pauses. We’ll be up to a regular posting schedule soon! 

#GoodMorning everyone! Here’s a quick editor’s note to invite everyone to visit Astronomy.FM's Facebook site to listen to our popular podcasts Space Pirate Radio, Comet Watch, and Event^Horizon. Throughout the week, we will be uploading old and new content for our visitors to watch and we hope you’ll join us as a listener. We’ll see you on the airwaves!

https://www.facebook.com/AFMRadio/

 -Oceanstar (AFM*Radio Editor, SkyGuide, Blogger, & Social Media Manager)

Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Project: Star Ocean's first post! Instead of starting off with a pop culture feature right away, I thought it would be best to start off the blog with a short Q & A introduction so our readers would have a better understanding of who we are and what we write about! If you still have questions after we have finished our two-part introduction, feel free to email me or comment below and I'll be glad to answer any questions you have! Now onward to the Q & A segment!

So why is Project: Star Ocean considered “where fantasy meets reality”?

Much like the popular gaming franchise that inspired Project: Star Ocean, our blog explores scientific discoveries, inventions, philosophies, and other scientific concepts where imagination and fantasy have influenced or could influence real-world science and technology. Each of our postings will give our readers an introduction into the ways past and present pop culture media has influenced these areas, as well as educate our readers about recent developments in the fields of technology and space studies in private and governmental sectors worldwide. Through featuring an international pop culture icon or other form of artistic expression (literature, art, cinema, music, theater, and more) and its possibility of creation and use in the scientific and technological community, we hope to give others a pop science point of reference that all individuals, regardless of scientific experience and education, can relate to.

And what do we hope to accomplish in “Project: Star Ocean”?

Whether you have always been interested in the world of science or are a newcomer to the field, our goal is to demonstrate how past and present media have helped to influence the ever-growing fields of science and technology. By analyzing pop culture topics (anime, video games, comics, science fiction and more) we hope to inspire dreamers and thinkers of all ages, cultures, and educational levels to consider traditional scientific thinking and improve upon current theories and discoveries, as well as inspire readers to look for potential scientific discoveries and inventions in non traditional sources.

>>> Coming Soon to Project: Star Ocean Q & A part 2 <<<

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to comment below or email me at [email protected], and I'll be glad to respond to your message!

 Would you like to know more about Project:Star Ocean,then please visit our introduction page here!

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