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Ephemeris: 07/16/2026 – What the Anishinaabe peoples saw in Scorpius

July 16, 2026 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, July 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 9:24, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:13. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:59 this evening.

The Anishinaabe native peoples of our area gave another name to the star pattern we call Scorpius the scorpion, which is low in the southern sky these July evenings: Wenaboujou, a.k.a. Nanaboujou. He was an important character from their creation stories. He was a semi-spirit, trickster, and shapeshifter, able to turn himself into a hare. What they saw in the sky and the stars of Scorpius was him with a bow and arrow. The front three stars of the scorpion are a bent line that can look like a bow. He’s shooting an arrow all the way into the western sky at the receding constellation of Curly Tail, or the Great Underwater Panther, an early spring constellation. This month, only his tail remains in evening twilight, which we know as the head Leo the lion.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Wenaboujou, a trickster figure of many creation stories, uses Scorpius' stars. His bow, using the front three stars, is aimed at Curly Tail, or the Great Underwater Panther, setting in the west.
Nanaboujou, a trickster figure of many creation stories, uses Scorpius’ stars. His bow, using the front three stars, is aimed at Curly Tail or the Great Underwater Panther, setting in the west. Its tail, the front stars of Leo, is what’s left of his body above the horizon. The brilliant star low in the west is Venus (Ikwe’anung, Women’s Star). In this position, it is Onaagoshi’anung (Evening Star). Created using Stellarium.
Categories: Anishinaabek Constellation, Ephemeris Program, Observing Tags: , , ,