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Mythology of the Mayas

Visit the links below to learn about Mayan myths related to objects in the sky, and aspects of their world.

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Maya astronomers had a remarkably accurate knowledge of the apparent motion of <a href="/venus/venus.html&edu=high">Venus</a>. They knew on what day Venus would appear again in the east after it had disappeared in the west. Venus, the morning star, was the patron planet of warfare.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Windows to the Universe</em></small></p>

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Explore Mythology of the Mayas

The Earth: Bacabs

The Earth was conceived by the Maya as flat with four corners. Each corner represented a cardinal ...Read more

The Rain: Xib Chac

Xib Chac was the rain god according to the Mayan pantheon. The rain god was a benevolent deity, ...Read more

The Moon: Ix Chel

Ix Chel, the "Lady Rainbow," was the old Moon goddess in Maya mythology. Mayan people lived ...Read more

Venus: Kukulcan

Maya astronomers had a remarkably accurate knowledge of the apparent motion of Venus. They ...Read more

The Planet Mars

Mayans were sophisticated observers of the sky. Mayans used their astronomical knowledge to ...Read more

The Milky Way

Mayans seem to have thought of the Milky Way as the mystic road along which souls walk into ...Read more

Historical Events

4/24 Eruption of Mount Santa Maria in Guatemala on this date in 1902
4/24 Launch of the Hubble Space telescope on this date in 1990 Details
4/26 F5 tornado hits Andover, Kansas on this date in 1991 Details

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Did you know?

Did you know that we look back in time when we look into the cosmos?

Do you know what discoveries Marie Curie is famous for, and why you frequently benefit from her discoveries when you go to the doctor?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

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Allotropes
xAllotropes : Forms of an element with different structures and properties when they are in the same state - solid, liquid, gas

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Research Highlights

“Missing” Heat May Affect Future Climate Change

Current observational tools cannot account for roughly half of the heat that is believed to have built up on Earth in recent years, according to a "Perspectives" article in this week's issue of the journal...Read more


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