Venus Tracing the Phoenix

Venus, the goddess of beauty, originally Astarte in Phoenician mythology, is tracing the Phoenix constellation. The stars and galaxies shown are from the actual celestial sky. The star dust used by Venus is the nebula clouds that shows the phases of star birth. The galaxies shown around are NGC300 and NGC55. Also you can trace the Double Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud around the Phoenix constellation.

The painting was completed fall of 2007.

[ See other paintings by the artist at http://www.tonysky.net/tony/]

Venus Tracing the Phoenix


as narrated by Antoine Faddoul


The inhabitants of the land far south could not see the splendor of the Phoenix nor hear its beautiful sound. In one Fall, and in order to share its tale of the will of rebirth, the Phoenix used November winds to help it flying so high over Mount Lebanon, and it lapsed between the stars.


The firebird kept traveling to the starry heavens every night until in the seventh night, Venus (Astarte), the Goddess of beauty, decided to trace its figure with the stars to spread the Phoenix story for all people.


Until now, people who live far south (in the Southern Hemisphere) can still view the Phoenix constellation in the sky for most of the year, and those who live in Lebanon can see it in the Fall, the actual time it made its trip to the stars..