Living Kyoto," a free general lifestyle information newspaper distributed in Kyoto City and surrounding areas (about 490,000 copies published), carried an article "Fascinated by the Stars" on August 1 on pages 1 and 2, featuring an interview with Professor Kazushi Sakka and Associate Professor Seiichiro Aoki of The Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics (KCGI).
In this article, Prof. Sakka discusses the relationship between astronomy and history, noting that there are many stars with names related to Kyoto, such as "Kyoto," "Kamogawa," and "Nijo," and the anecdote that Seimei Abe, a yin-yang master of the Heian period (794-1185), saw a "natural disaster." He says that there are two possible natural disasters: the unusual approach of Jupiter to Alpha Libra, and a "star eclipse" in which Subaru is hidden by the moon.
Professor Sakka also introduced a valuable record of supernova explosions, a phenomenon in which a star shines brightly when it reaches the end of its life and explodes, which appears as "kakusei" in "Meigetsuki," the diary of Fujiwara no Teika, a poet active in the Heian and Kamakura periods.Associate Professor Aoki said, "The mechanism of supernova explosions is being elucidated.（The elements (which are the remnants of supernova explosions) are the materials from which the next generation of stars will be born.The death of a star leads to the birth of a new star," he explains.
In addition, "Fascinated by the Stars" also includes a record of a visit by astrophysicist Brian May, guitarist for the British rock band Queen, to the Hanayama Observatory of the Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, in January of this year.At this time, Associate Professor Aoki was also present and responded to Ms. Mei, exchanging words and handshakes.Articles by Professor Sakka and Associate Professor Aoki can be read on the paper's official website ( https://kyotoliving.co.jp/topics/3099.html ).
