His full name is Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau. He was born on February 23, 1949 and passed away on June 4, 2025.
He was a Canadian Armed Forces officer, astronaut and politician.
Mark served as a naval officer before being selected to be an astronaut in 1983. He became the first Canadian in space on October 5, 1984 and did three space shuttle missions. He was the president of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005.
In 2008 he was elected to the House of Commons when he decided to enter politics, he served as a Montréal area Member of Parliament until 2023. As a member of the Liberal Party, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from January to October 2021, and as Minister of Transport from 2015 to 2021.
He was born in Québec city and joined the Canadian Armed Forces. He graduated with a batch of this degree in engineering physics from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1970. He served with the Maritime Command which is now called the Royal Canadian Navy as a combat system engineer. He earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in 1973.
Before becoming the President of the Canadian Space Agency in November, he was appointed Executive Vice President in February 2001. He retired from the CSA in 2005 to start a career in politics.
He was elected to Parliament in 2008. The Liberal party formed government following the 2015 election and he was appointed to Cabinet.
After he served as Transport Minister and Foreign Affairs, Minister Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not appoint him to have another portfolio after a cabinet shuffle during the 2021 election. He decided to retire from politics in 2023.
He passed away in Montréal at 76 on June 4, 2025 after a short battle with cancer.
Early Life
He was born into a military family on February 23, 1949 in Québec city, Québec Canada.
His grandfather Gerard Garneau was a Colonel that served in the Canadian military during World War I.
His father Andre Garneau was a French-Canadian from Québec city who joined the military during World War II.
His mother Jean Richardson was an English Canadian from Sussex, New Brunswick. She was a nurse during World War II. She met her husband Andre while nursing him at a military hospital before he deployed overseas. After the war his father continued to serve in the Canadian military and became a Brigadier General.
The Garneau family had four sons Braun, Marc, Charles and Philippe Garneau.
Education and Military Career
Assent his family relocated a lot due to his father’s occupation. He went to schools in Québec city and in London England.
He graduated from the Royal military College of Canada in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in engineering physics and began his career in the Canadian Forces Maritime command.
In 1973 he received a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the imperial College of Science and Technology in London England. His thesis was called The Perception of Facial Images.
In 1974 he served as a Naval Combat Systems Engineer aboard HMCS Algonquin.
From 1982 to 1983 he attended the Canadian Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto he got promoted to the rank of Commander and was transferred to Ottawa in 1983.
In January 1986, he got promoted to Captain and retired from the Canadian forces in 1989.
Space Career
On December 5, 1983 the National Research Council of Canada announced Canada’s first group of astronauts that were to fly on NASA’s space transportation system.
Mark joined the first Canadian astronaut program group. He was one of the six chosen out of 4300 applicants.
Garneau became the first Canadian to reach space on October 5, 1984 when the Space Shuttle Challenger flew into low Earth orbit.
His first space flight was on the Space Shuttle Challenger from October 5-13, 1984. He was a payload specialist. He was promoted to the rank of Navy Captain in 1986 and left the Canadian forces in 1989 to become Deputy Director of the Canadian Astronaut Program.
In 1992 to 1993, he underwent further training to become a mission specialist.
On February 2001 he was appointed Executive Vice President of the Canadian Space Agency.
On September 28, 2001, the government announced that he had been appointed as President of the Canadian Space Agency, it was to start on November 22, 2001.
He resigned from the Canadian space agency on November 28, 2005.
Political Career
Marc served as the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 14 years.
His first attempt to win elected office was unsuccessful because he placed second in the electoral district during the 2006 Federal election.
He first won elected office as a result of the 2008 federal election and won his seat by over 9000 votes.
He was reelected to the House of Commons in 2011 federal election by 642 votes.
In the 2015 Federal election he won with the majority of over 18,000 votes.
On November 28, 2012 he announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal party to be decided in April 2013. On March 13, 2013 he formally withdrew his bid for the Party Leadership.
On November 4, 2015 he was appointed Minister Of Transport in the 29th Canadian Ministry of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
He became Minister of Foreign Affairs on January 12, 2001 after a cabinet reshuffle.
Member of the 40th Parliament
Marc was a member of the Industry, Science and Technology Committee of the 40th Parliament. He also served on the Canada- Japan interparliamentary group.
41st Parliament and Leadership Campaign
He was narrowly reelected in 2011. He was Liberal House leader and served from 2013 as Liberal Foreign Affairs critic.
He was a candidate for Interim leadership of the Liberal party but was defeated by Bob Rae. He announced later that he was considering a run for permanent leadership of the Liberal party.
In the summer of 2012, he was looking for his dream team to run his leadership bid but said he would only run if he could find the right dream team.
On November 21, 2012 Garneau was named the Liberal party’s Natural Resource critic after David McGinty resigned.
On November 28, 2012 he announced his interest in the leadership of the Liberal party with a heavy interest and focus on the economy.
On January 30, 2013 Marc was replaced as Natural Resource critic. He had been serving in this position on an interim basis.
On March 13, 2013 he announced his withdrawal from the race and reported Justin Trudeau.
On September 18, 2013 Marc was named co-chair of the Liberal International Affairs Council of Advisors where he provided advice on foreign and defense issues to the Liberal party of Canada leader Justin Trudeau.
Minister Of Transport in the 42nd Parliament
In the 2015 election held on October 19, 2000 Garneau was reelected as MP.
Two weeks later on November 4, 2015 he was appointed the Minister of Transport by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In May 2017 Garneau introduced an airline passenger Bill of Rights that standardized how passengers would be treated by airlines which operate any flights in and out of Canada.
This legislation would create minimum compensation rates when airlines overbooked, lost or damaged their luggage and if they try to bump passenger us all flights.
It would also prohibit airlines from removing people from the flight if they have purchased a ticket and set the standard for tarmac delays and airline treatment of passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled because of events in the airlines control or because of the weather conditions.
Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 43rd Parliament
Mark continued to serve as the Minister of Transport after the elections to the 43rd Parliament held in October 2019.
He held this position for the first two years of the pandemic and was responsible to enforce the Quarantine Act as lieutenant to the Minister of Health.
During this time, he made many decisions that would affect the lives of travelers in coordination with the Minister of health.
He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from January 12, 2021 until October 26, 2021.
On January 12, 2021 after A resignation happened from the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet and Mark became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and someone else took his position at Transport.
Garneau was described as one of the most qualified and capable members of the cabinet.
44th Parliament
After the cabinet shuffle coming from the election in October 2021 Marc was dropped from cabinet on October 26 even though he was reelected to his seat in the House. Some people thought that he did not remain in cabinet due to his age, or that he was sacrificed in the name of having equal genders on the cabinet, and that he reportedly refused to be subservient to the Prime Minister’s office.
On March 8, 2023 Mark announced that he would resign his seat and retire from politics. He gave his farewell speech in the House of Commons that same day.
Retirement and Death
In retirement Marc continued to advocate for the advantages of humans spaceflight and building space infrastructure for monitoring the planet and for communications.
In fall 2024 Mark’s autobiography called A Most Extraordinary Ride: Space, Politics and the Pursuit of a Canadian Dream was published in Canada.
Early in 2025 he was diagnosed with both lymphoma and leukemia.
In the final weeks of his life, he was At McGill University Health Center in Montréal.
His family announced that he lost his battle with cancer on June 4, 2025 when he was 76 years old. After the announcement, Members of the Canadian House Of Commons stood for a moment of silence to remember him.
Awards and Honours
Canadian Forces Decoration
Companion of the Order of Canada – It was awarded to him on May 8, 2003
3. Officer of the Order of Canada – It was awarded to him on December 17, 1984.
4. 125th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Metal- It was given to him in 1993.
5. Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for Canada – It was given to him in 2002.
6. Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada- It was given to him in 2012.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1984 to recognize him for being the first Canadian astronaut.
He was also given the rank of Companion within the order in 2003 because of his work with connect Canada Space Program.
Garneau was the Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets and the Royal Canadian Air Cadet squadron is named in his honour.
He was awarded the Key to the city of Ottawa from the mayor on December 10, 1984.
He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1992.
About 100 years ago we thought our galaxy held the entire universe. Today we are seeing things more than 13 billion light years away that are close to the moment of creation. Here are a few discoveries that came from the actual edge of the universe.
A Galaxy from the Beginning of Time
Using a Hubble telescope (which is a large observatory that orbits the earth. It’s designed to capture images of the universe and multiple wavelengths of light that goes from ultraviolet to visible things) an image was created from the birth of the universe. It was from 400 million years after the Big Bang. It showed the bright infant galaxy as it looked like 13.4 billion years ago. At that point universe was only 3% of its current age and just a few hundred million years went by since the first stars burst into life. It only had one percent of the Milky Way’s mass stars within a structure 25 times smaller than our galaxy.
Colliding Starburst Galaxies
Superluminous Starburst galaxies shine brightly with the birth of countless massive blue stars. They are very rare but astronomers just spotted two of them coming together right on the Big Bang’s doorstep about 12.7 billion years ago. This is about 12 billion light years away and is known as ADFS – 27. Each part of it is a dozen times larger than the 100,000 light year wide Milky Way. These two entities are separated by 30,000 light years and are moving at hundreds of kilometres per second. This could cause them to merge together and be the most exciting thing anyone is ever witnessed in space. This may result in establishing an entire galaxy cluster and it could also bring with it hundreds of thousands of other galaxies.
The Most Ancient Black Holes
Scientists were looking through the early universe for quasars (they are extremely luminous active galactic nucleus that are powered by huge black holes at the centre of galaxy that are removing matter from their surroundings). They have come up with a cluster which they now confirm that 83 new black holes exist. This adds this adds to the 17 they knew already existed during this era. They are millions or billions of times bigger than our sun. They were already thriving when the universe was less than 10% of its age now, just 800 million years after the Big Bang.
Galaxies Have A Lot of Dust and Debris
The large galaxies of the Big Bang era have dust and debris all over them and it can have the radiation of a trillion Suns. They are invisible because of their light being absorbed by all the dust and readmitted at sub-millimetre wavelengths. With a lot of materials and few things to get rid of them researchers have pinpointed a structure that was exceptionally Fat and dusty. The galaxy possesses a huge gas mass of 330 billion solar masses compared to the Milky Way that has a gas of 5 billion solar masses because most of its mass is already locked away in the stars.
Whirlpool Galaxies At the Edge of Space
The Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) is a machine that is so finely tuned it could see through 94% of the universe and it detected the rotation of two fetal galaxies. They are some of the oldest galaxies on record and they are five times smaller than the Milky Way. According to the ALMA photo that captured them as they were 800 million years after the Big Bang. Even though the view is nearly 13 billion years old it’s colour indicates the motion of the gas and the galaxy’s rotation. Like modern galaxies, they turned like whirlpools making thousands of stars per year. Researchers say that they are surprisingly in order and they can’t believe how quickly the universe organized and circulated itself.
A Fossil Gas Cloud
The universe has a lot of chemicals mixed together. This means that heavy elements are everywhere but scientists have identified it by a pristine relic fossil gas cloud. It’s only the third gas cloud discovered ever and it has managed to remain uncontaminated for 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang. It also looks very wispy and puffy from its earliest days of existence. It almost looks like a fluffy cosmic Three Musketeers bar. It has a portion of heavy elements that are less than one/10,000th that of the sun.
A Star with Two Planets
Astronomers found a star from the beginning of time that was only 375 light-years away. It was a star full of hydrogen and helium but it was lacking in any type of metal. This star could only exist at the beginning of the universe. When it was around 12.8 billion years old it formed when our Milky Way was only a baby. In 2012 scientists were shocked when they discovered that the star was harbouring something even more amazing. It was holding two very old planets. Scientists were looking into the origin of the planets during the days of the first stars as planets may not have been able to form because of the lack of heavy elements. They thought that this discovery was painting a clear picture of when the first planets were finally able to form. When they used the new high-resolution spectrograph called HARPS – N at the Galileo national telescope in Spain, astrophysicists took even more measurements of the star over a 150 day period from August 2012 to January 2013. They did not see the two giant planets that were supposed to be in the system. They saw nothing. They concluded that the previous discovery of two ancient planets had been wrong and happened because of errors with the tools they were using.
I thought we could finish class by watching a video about Katy Perry’s experience in space and then a tiny Tim video.
I thought it would be fun to look at some things about Father’s Day that we might not have known about.
The First Father’s Day
On July 5, 1908 a church in West Virginia hosted the nation’s first event specifically in honour of father’s. During a Sunday sermon, 362 men died in an explosion in December at the Fairmont coal company mines were honoured in a one-time commemoration. One year later, someone named Sonora Smart Dodd who was one of six children raised by a widower try to create a Mother’s Day that was for father’s. She was actually very successful. Washington State held the first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910.
Father’s Day vs Fathers’ Day
Sonora petitioned for the holiday to be written as Fathers’ Day but the U.S. Congress used the term Father’s Day when they established that day as an official holiday on the third Sunday in June. It took over 60 years for Father’s Day to be a nationally honoured date. President Calvin Coolidge supported the holiday but didn’t make a proclamation. Finally, President Lyndon B. Johnson was the one who declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day however it was still not a permanent national holiday. Finally, it was President Nixon who officially declared it a holiday in 1972.
The First Father’s Day Card
One of the earliest Father’s Day cards dates back to about 4000 years ago. Elmesu, a little boy from Babylonia carved a card out of clay which his father good health and a long life. Father’s Day is the fourth most popular card sending holiday in the US. Over 72 million cards are sent out on this special holiday just to say I love you. Celebrating dads on the third Sunday in June may have started in the United States, but Father’s Day is celebrated in over 40 countries around the world. People were asked the question whether or not husbands on Father’s Day should get cards in the same way that father’s give their wives cards for Mother’s Day. It turns out that 20% of Father’s Day cards bought are sent from mom’s to their husbands.
Father’s Day Dates around the World
Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in many countries around the world. These include the Netherlands, India and the UK. Many other Christian countries such as Spain, Portugal, and Italy celebrate their fathers on St. Joseph’s day on March 19.
Some Fun Facts About Father’s
On Mother’s Day it is not uncommon for the mother receive roses. A fun fact is that on Father’s Day the official flower is the rose. A red rose is worn in your lapel on Father’s Day if your father is living. If your father has unfortunately passed away then a white rose is used instead. Have you ever wondered where the word dad came from? It is estimated that it began around the late 15th century. It is believed that it what came from baby talk because in many languages “data” or “tata” is how a baby calls their father.
Father’s Day can be even more special for single dads. In 2017 there were 2 million households with a single father. Believe it or not this is a 900% increase since the 1960s. It is estimated that over $15 billion is spent on Father’s Day gifts. Data from the National Retail Foundation reports that this money will be mostly spent on clothing, gift cards, and electronics.
The History of the Necktie
A necktie is one of the most popular gifts for father’s on Father’s Day. Did you know that the history of the necktie could go back as far as 221 BC when Chin Shi Huang, China’s first Emperor, and is “terracotta army” were found each of them was wearing a necktie. They also can be traced back to the early 1600s when King Louis XIII and Louis XIV used soldiers in certain battles. These soldiers wore scarves as part of their uniforms. They were used as a way to tie up the shirts of their uniforms. As history went on scarves started to be called ties.
Let’s watch a heartwarming video with fathers and their children.
I thought we could finish up class today but watching a funny Father’s Day video.
There Are 49 Different Species of Dolphins and Porpoises
Dolphins are just the grey medium-sized mammal we see in the movies like free Willie and Dolphin Tale. Dolphins come in the variety of fun colours like black, white, bluish, and sometimes even pink! Their colour depends on their environment and what they eat. The best known species of saltwater dolphin is called the bottlenose dolphin. That is the grey dolphin you see in Dolphin Tale. The best known species of freshwater dolphin is called the animist Amazon River Dolphin. This is a much larger and it does look a lot different than the dolphin species were used to seeing.
Dolphins Stay with Their Families for Life
They are very dedicated to their families. Dolphins live in pods. They form matriarchal societies and will stay with their family groups that have their grandmothers, cousins, brothers, sisters, and friends. Most of the time they will stay within this large group for their whole life. Male dolphins may separate and form smaller groups for years but they will come back and meet up with their pods at some point during their lives.
A Group of Dolphins Is Called a Pod
Dolphins live in a social group called a pod. The number of dolphins in a pod changes but can be anywhere from 2 to 15 dolphins. Sometimes several pods may join together for a few minutes or hours in open ocean water. Mothers and their babies, which are called calves, stay together for 3 to 6 years and they might even return to their mother to raise their own calves. Therefore, pods might have a lot of generations and can include both mother and calves, juvenile dolphins and adult male dolphins. Within a pod there are often social hierarchies. For example, bottlenose dolphins can be aggressive and show their dominance by biting, chasing, smacking their tails on the water or even body slamming other dolphins. They can also show aggression by something called raking which is when they scratch one another with their teeth.
Dolphins Can Live To over 50 Years in the Wild
When dolphins are in their free and natural environments they can live an average of 40 to 60 years. Male dolphins can live to be 45 to 50 years old and female dolphins can live to be up to 60 years old. Killer whales are the largest members of the dolphin family and can live longer than any other dolphin species. A dolphin named Nicklo is the oldest documented bottlenose dolphin. She was last photographed when she was 66 years old. Studies have shown that dolphin calves that were born in captivity live for a shorter time than if they are born in the wild.
Some Whales Are Actually Dolphins
Orcas are very recognizable because of their black-and-white colouring. But they’re Not actually whales. They are actually part of the dolphin family. They’re called killer whales and they are the biggest member of the dolphin family and are found in every ocean in the world. They are very intelligent and communicate just like dolphins. They work with other whales in their pod to hunt their prey. If killer whales are actually dolphins why do we call them killer whales? The name killer whale came from the ancient sailors who often saw orca’s hunting and praying on other whale species. They called them Asesina Ballenas as which translates to whale killer. Soon the names were changed and the term killer whale was born.
Dolphins Only Sleep with Half of Their Brain
Dolphins and killer whales only sleep with half the brain. This is known as unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. It just means that they sleep only with half of their brain. When a dolphin goes to sleep, it shuts down one hemisphere of its brain and closes the opposite eye. This is because the dolphin needs to monitor what’s going on around them and it helps to regulate their breathing. While they sleep some dolphins are motionless at the surface of the water and other dolphins may swim slowly. In a 24-hour period, each side of the dolphin’s brain gets about four hours sleep. Dolphin sleep this way for a few reasons. They need half of their brain to control their breathing and also to watch for danger as they rest. If they don’t watch their surroundings they could end up being pray for bigger ocean predators. Sleeping with half the brain also allows certain psychological processes like muscle movements to continue. It also helps warm-blooded mammals like dolphins keep the body heat they need to survive in the ocean.
Some Dolphins Can Swim up to Speeds of 35 Mph
Olympic swimmers can reach speeds of about 6 mph. But bottlenose dolphins can reach up to 18 mph and they only breathe 2 to 3 times per minute. During a dolphin stampede which is a lot of dolphins swimming together at one time, some of them can reach speeds of up to 20 mph! As I said earlier, orcas are the largest member of the dolphins family and they are also the fastest swimmer of the dolphin family. They can reach speeds of up to 35 mph!
Dolphins Have Unique Names
Like people, dolphins have unique names that they go by. Scientists and researchers have proven that dolphins give themselves names that signify them as individuals. A dolphins name is developed by the unique whistle that they are born with. They will remain recognizable for their life as an individual by their specific whistle as they continue to grow. An interesting fact is that pregnant dolphin mothers will begin working with their unborn baby to develop their unique whistle before they are even born so that they are recognizable by the pod immediately after they are born.
Dolphins Are Highly Intelligent
Scientists that study dolphins believe that their intelligence is the same or they are even smarter than humans. They used a two-way mirror for this experiment to see how dolphins would respond to them. If you put a dog or cat in front of the mirror they generally don’t respond but if you put a dolphin in front of a mirror they seemed much more interested and played in front of the mirror for hours. They are able to recognize that they are looking at themselves from the age of about six months old. In order to prove this is true scientists came up with an experiment. They marked one side of the dolphin with an “X” and didn’t mark another dolphin before letting the two dolphins swim around. The dolphin that was marked swam straight to the mirror and turned to look and see what had been drawn on him and the other dolphin didn’t show any interest at all.
I thought we could finish class watching a cute dolphin video.
Constellations are groups of stars that are arranged into patterns in the night sky and they all have their own boundaries. They may be used as a way to divide space up into more manageable areas but they are also unique and fascinating and have their own individual qualities.
Constellations Are Simply Star Patterns in the Sky
Constellations are basically groups of stars that have been imagined by us and put together to look like mythical characters, animals and objects from mankind’s past. Historically this allowed people to organize the night sky into a recognizable picture to assist it in their religious study of the heavens as well as more earthly applications such as predicting the season for farming, measuring time or as a directional compass.
2. There Are Officially 88 Constellations
In 1922 the International Astronomical Union officially recognized 88 constellations. 48 of them were recorded by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his book Almagest which was written around 150 AD. However, his chart had gaps especially near the south celestial pole because it was uncharted at the time. Over the centuries new constellations have been added to the list by Dutch explorers near the turn of the 16th century. Later Polish astronomers and French astronomers later completed the remaining constellations that we have now and are familiar with in our night sky.
3. Knowledge of Constellations Came from Early Cultures
the Greeks knowledge of consolation goes way back to at least the eighth century BC when Homer made the earliest known Greek reference to the constellations boots, Oriana, and Ursula major in his poem called Illiad and the Odyssey. However much of the initial knowledge of the constellations came to the Greeks from the ancient Egyptians who got their knowledge from ancient Babylon. In fact, approximately 30 constellations that we have now can be shown to date back to around 1650 to 1050 BC. There are even references to some of the constellations found in Mesopotamian writing tablets and Babylonian star constellation catalogs that date back to the third millennium BCE. There are also some references found in the Hebrew Bible and biblical texts. Orian is the most distinctive of all the constellations. An amazing discovery was made in 1972 at the Ach Valley in Germany where an image of Orian was found carved into a piece of mammoth ivory more than 32,000 years old.
4. Different Constellations Become Visible throughout the Year
Throughout the year there are different parts of the sky and constellations visible to us. This is because the earth completes its annual orbital turn around the sun. The constellations that we see at night are the ones located behind the earth on our side of the sun. We can’t see those constellations in the opposite direction because they are behind the bright sun during the day. The cancellations that you see throughout the year depends on your latitude and will change from different locations around the world. For example, in the northern hemisphere the constellation of Orion is a winter constellation, Leo is associated with spring, Scorpius with the summer and Pegasus with autumn.
5. Constellations Travel from East to West like the Sun
Every night more stars and constellations begin to appear in the eastern part of the sky at dusk before moving across and disappearing over the Western horizon by the morning. The constellations which we could see after the sun went down will disappear from our view and replaced by constellations which have been higher in the sky at sunset just a few weeks earlier. Constellations that appear in the East have the daily moving rates at close to 1 degree per day and they complete a 360° circle journey around the sun every 365 days. A full year later the stars return to the same position and rising time as the year before.
6. The Rotation of Constellations Is a Matter of Someone’s Perspective
The direction that the constellations appear to move in the night sky depends on the Earth’s rotation and what direction the person is facing. When you look to the north the constellations look to rotate counterclockwise around the night sky known as the North celestial pole which is located near the North Star Polaris. This is because the earth spinning from West to East means the ground under you is rotating to your right while above you the stars appear to follow East to West or move in the left to right direction just like the sun, moon, and planets. If you are facing south the stars would seem to move in a clockwise direction or left to right. A person facing the east would see the stars coming up in front of them and setting behind them. A person facing towards the West will see the stars appear to rise behind them before setting in front of them.
7. Zodiac Constellations Are Found Where Sun, Moon, and Planets Move
The most commonly known of all that 88 constellations are the 12 zodiacal constellations which we learned about on Thursday. They appear in an 18 degree wide band of sky called the elliptic plane in which the sun, moon and planets seem to move throughout the year. There is also in fact a 13th constellation which also lies with within the zodiacal band called Ophiuchus. This constellation is better known as the Serpent Bearer.
8. Some constellations have Associated Families
A constellation family refers to a group of constellations located within the same area of the night sky. They usually get their names from their most important constellation. The most well-known example of this is the Hercules Family which has 19 constellations. Others include the Ursa Major Family with 10 constellations, The Perseus Family with nine constellations and the Orion Family with five constellations.
9. Some Notable Star Constellations
The biggest constellation is called Hydra. It extends over more than 3% of the night sky and the smallest one is called Crux, which only covers .165% of the night sky. Centaurs contains the largest number of visible stars which is 101, while Canis Major contains the brightest star in the celestial heavens called Sirius which has an appearance magnitude of -1.46 which means glowing in ancient Greek. Mensa is the faintest constellation in the night sky because this star only has a brightness of 5.09.
I thought we could finish the class by watching another funny Ellen video.
When we lack self-acceptance it can hold us back in every part of our lives. It can affect your confidence and prevent you from reaching your full potential. People with a high amount of self-acceptance are more resilient to criticism. They can handle it better and they understand that it’s okay to accept themselves as they are. But they also work for continuous self-improvement.
What Is Self-Acceptance?
Self-acceptance is accepting ourselves and all our personality traits exactly as they are. We accept them no matter what. It doesn’t matter whether they are positive or negative. This is having a positive self-esteem.
It also includes our physical and mental attributes. Self-acceptance means recognizing that your value goes even beyond your personal attributes and actions.
Sometimes this is called radical self-acceptance. When we have a higher amount of self-acceptance, it gives you more confidence in yourself and it helps to make sure you are less vulnerable to criticism.
This means that you deeply and totally accept every aspect of yourself unconditionally without any question or exception.
In order to achieve complete self-acceptance, you must learn to accept the parts of yourself you would like to change.
It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate your positive qualities and achievements.
If you remember your goals and your progress towards accomplishing them, it can help to remind you of your accomplishments and self-worth.
This is why so many of us struggle with self-acceptance. We tend to hide, neglect, and reject the parts of ourselves we consider unacceptable. We would rather change them then except them. If we totally accept ourselves it can actually help us change the aspects of ourselves that we might not like.
Having an awareness of our limitations is the first step towards personal growth.
Self-acceptance doesn’t just mean accepting our negative qualities and giving up on changing them. It means being aware of our weaknesses but not always noticing or worrying about them. This self-awareness can help us improve our behaviour and build better habits.
How Does Self-Acceptance Affect Your Day-To-Day Life?
Self-Acceptance Helps You Control Your Emotions: A lack of self-acceptance can affect the part of your brain that is responsible for controlling your emotions. This can cause you to feel a lot of stress, anxiety, or even anger. A lack of self-acceptance can also affect your psychological and emotional well-being. It can also keep you focused on the negative aspects of yourself and this causes negative emotions to happen. However, if you have a lot of self-acceptance you are more positive and have more positive emotions and greater psychological well-being. Self-acceptance boosts your mood and can help keep away the effects of stress and depression.
Self-Acceptance Helps You Forgive Yourself: Learning to accept yourself helps you to be less critical of yourself. You create a more positive, compassionate, and balanced view of yourself. It is said that acceptance and forgiveness go hand in hand. The ability to accept and forgive ourselves causes us split into different parts. These two parts, the one that needs to be forgiven and the one that needs to forgive are at odds with one another. Self-acceptance can help you bridge the gap between them which helps you to forgive yourself for your mistakes and move on from them. This is very important for your well-being because when we dwell on the past we get stuck in the cycle of negative thoughts and emotions.
Self-Acceptance Gives You More Self-Confidence: Self-Acceptance can give you more confidence in yourself. It helps you understand the qualities that you see as negative don’t really define you or your self-worth. When you’re confident in yourself you are more likely to take action even though you might be afraid. In contrast, a lack of self it acceptance can hold you Back and stop you from going toward your dreams. Self-acceptance helps you realize that failure doesn’t define you and in fact it’s a way learn things to get you on the path to success. Confidence can also give you more independence. It allows you to make decisions for yourself without needing the approval of others.
Self-Acceptance Leads to Self-Compassion: According to research, self-compassion is more important for our mental and emotional well-being and self-esteem. Self-compassion is giving yourself the same kindness and care you would give to a good friend. We know now that anyone who struggles to accept themselves will tend to agree that we are our own worst enemies. Improving our self-compassion can help us to be kind to ourselves when we fail or make mistakes and it helps us be more resilient when we have a setback.
Self-Acceptance Helps You to Be Yourself: When we lack self-acceptance, we are constantly trying to hide, change or repress our true selves. This can leave us feeling very tired and drained. Self-acceptance can help us show up more authentically without worrying about others’ judgements. Essentially when we accept ourselves, we feel free to be our true self.
Some Ways That We Can Practice Self-Acceptance
Embrace What Makes You Unique: You can think of the things that make you special. Think about how these differences may benefit you in the future and how they add value to your life.
Let Go of the Things That You Can’t Change: It is very important that we try not to focus on the things that we can change. It sometimes helps to write a letter to yourself about letting go of what you can change and then thinking about the things that you love about yourself.
Identify Your Strengths: One thing that you could do is write down the things that you’re good at and that you love to do. By doing those activities regularly and help yourself feel more confident in your abilities and accomplishments.
Set Goals: If you set a few realistic goals for yourself and plan how you’re going to meet them it may help to raise your self-esteem. It’s also important that you remember to reward yourself when you meet a goal.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments: One way to do this is to make a list of everything you’ve accomplished so far and try to add to it regularly. You can put it up someplace where you can see it all the time this will help you see everything you’ve accomplished and you can be very proud of yourself!
Plan Ahead: If you can try to avoid the people or situations that may challenge how you feel about yourself. When you’re in stressful situations memorize a few thoughts that you can say to yourself if you begin to doubt or question your abilities or accomplishments. These can be called affirmations.
Think Positively: Remember to always speak to yourself in kind ways and turn any self-doubts or negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Try not to be too hard on yourself or compare yourself to others.
Be Kind to Yourself: Think of some ways you can treat yourself and spend some quality time on your own doing some things that make you happy and calm. Some examples might be taking a warm bath and going for a walk. It’s also important to take care of yourself by eating right, sleeping enough and exercising regularly.
Get Involved: Doing things like volunteering, getting a part-time job or doing extracurricular activities that you enjoy can help you learn about yourself and see even more things you’re doing that you’re good at.
Find Support: You can always share your feelings with people that you love and trust such as family and friends. You can even try asking them to name two or three things they like about you, which would be another way you can learn even more positive things about yourself to be proud of.
The zodiac wheel has 12 signs. They begin with Aries and end with Pisces. It is shown as a wheel or sphere and can be called a zodiac wheel. It’s divided into 12 separate sections in the sky. Each section relates with the zodiac sign that the sun, moon, and plants pass over during the year. The zodiacal presentation can be different depending on which type of astrology used. It can be tropical or sidereal astrology as well as which House system is used. Basically, the zodiacal sphere is used to gauge daily movement and will also show birth chart placements.
Zodiac Qualities
Each zodiac sign relates with one of three modes. They are cardinal, fixed, or mutable. Cardinal signs are the oldest and leaders of the zodiac. Fixed signs stabilize the zodiac. Usually, they are the ones who can steady the course of action. The mutable signs are the editors of the zodiac. They are the ones who round out the finished product and have flexibility. Each modality is associated with four zodiac signs. The cardinal signs are Aries, Libra, Capricorn, and cancer. The fixed signs are Taurus, Scorpio, Leo, and Aquarius. The mutable signs are Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, and Pisces. There are six feminine signs and six masculine signs. The feminine signs are the earth and water signs and are usually known to be more passive, have deep thoughts and be introverted. The masculine signs are the air and fire signs and people that are these signs are known to be active, go on their gut instincts and have an extroverted personality.
Zodiac Sign Traits
Aries: March 21 to April 19
Aries is a cardinal, masculine Fire sign. It’s ruled by Mars and is associated with the First House of “the self.” Because it’s a cardinal sign, Aries starts the zodiacal modality and astrological year. It’s the original leader. It’s masculine nature is filled with strength. People that are born under the Aries sign are known to be vivacious, enthusiastic, childish, and a little bit selfish. They can also be impulsive and sometimes hotheaded. They think quickly and move to action when there is a problem or they need a quick solution. The Aries sign is represented by the ram and because of that they have been known to butt heads with people in a conflict.
Taurus: April 20 to May 20
Taurus is a fixed, feminine or sign that is ruled by Venus and is associated with the Second House of money and value. Because it is a fixed sign, this astrological sign is a stabilizer and people that are this sign have a lot of earthly presence and stamina. They are a quiet and elegant feminine sign. People under the Taurus sign are always counted on for having great taste and exciting pastimes. The saying “stubborn as a bull” definitely fits the personality of someone under this sign. They have the ability to get through anything and are very determined to work through any problem they encounter.
Gemini: May 21 to June 20
Gemini people are part of the mutable, masculine air sign. Gemini is ruled by Mercury and is associated with the Third House of local community, they like short distance travelling, siblings and communication. People under this sign are very fickle and feisty. Because of their mutable nature they are very restless. They are very direct with people thanks to their masculine nature. Their directness often comes out as a witty remark, a flippant hand gesture and they tend to be very busy and overbook themselves. They enjoy learning new things from other people. The Gemini sign is known as the twin sign which means that someone that is a Gemini sign will consider all perspectives of a question or thought.
Cancer: June 21 to July 22
Cancer is a cardinal, feminine water sign that is ruled by the moon and is associated with the Fourth House of Home and Family. People under this sign are driven by their intuition. Cancers cardinal capabilities come from a lot of feminine energy. People under this sign are leaders that can Act on their intuition and make decisions but will also sometimes hide away from their responsibilities. These people are often all in the situation or don’t want any part of it. They are ruled by the moon and can be can have psychic abilities and strong intuition. They are very motherly, nurturing and compassionate. The cancer sign is also known as the crab and they can also have a moody presence around people.
Leo: July 23 to August 22
Leo is a fixed, masculine fire sign. It is ruled by the sun and associated with the Fifth House of joy, pleasure, children, and dating. This sign is as bright as the sun so a person born under the Leo sign loves to shine. They are often the centre of attention and they are bold, fearless and brave. They have a very warm personality but tend to be stubborn at times. They always seem interested and engaged in a conversation or when learning something. People under this sign experience a lot of joy and have a very dramatic personality. This sign is associated with the lion and people under this sign will always have the loudest voice.
Virgo: August 23 to September 22
The Virgo sign is a mutable, feminine sign and it is ruled by Mercury. It is associated with the Sixth House of work, health and daily routines. People under the sign of Virgo are very adaptable. They are known to be very dependable and have a lot of attention to detail and tend to have a bit of a perfectionist attitude. They can be somewhat nervous but always strive to be the best at what they do and have the most positive outcome of any situation. They can have a critical nature that is ideal for catching any mistake or situation and then noticing every flaw and fixing it.
Libra: September 23 to October 22
The Libra sign is a cardinal, masculine air sign that is ruled by Venus. It is associated with the Seventh House of commitment, partnerships and marriage. This sign is represented by scales. It’s cardinal nature comes from the ability to weigh all pros and cons to come up with a solution to a problem. People under this sign value partnerships over anything else so it’s leadership capabilities always depend on social relationships. They can sometimes come across as being dependent on others or indecisive. Libra personalities want to make sure that every decision is fair and equal.
Scorpio: October 23 to November 21
The Scorpio sign is a fixed, feminine water sign that is ruled by both Mars and Pluto. It’s associated with the Eighth House of joint resources, intimacy and transformation and change. Because Scorpio is ruled by both Mars and Pluto it is a very intense sign. It’s a fixed water sign which means a person can be very deep and emotional. Their personality is very fierce and intense and they tend to go through a lot of different phases of transformation and change.
Sagittarius: November 22 to December 21
Sagittarius is a mutable, masculine fire sign. It is ruled by Jupiter and is associated with the Ninth House of exploration, long distance travel, philosophy, law and spirituality. People under the Sagittarius sign tend to be expressive, happy and have a very strong presence. They are larger-than-life and have excessive tendencies with a lot of good luck. They love to explore and learn about unknown territories and places. Their personality can be too much for people sometimes because of their different opinions and thoughts. People under the Sagittarius sign tend to be the perfect travel companion, debate partner and they like to get into mischief sometimes.
Capricorn: December 22 to January 19
Capricorn is a cardinal, feminine sign. It is ruled by Saturn and is associated with the Tenth House of career, reputation and goals. People under this sign focused on building an empire and being successful at whatever they do. This type of person doesn’t mind working hard and playing the long game to make sure they are very successful. Because Capricorns are ruled by Saturn a person with this sign has to deal with the karmic duties of time, lessons and authority. This sign can carry of the weight of the world and know how to get through it. The Capricorn sign is expressed by a goat. Similar to a goat clinging to a mountain a person under the Capricorn sign will persevere until a solution is reached.
Aquarius: January 20 to February 18
Aquarius is a fixed, masculine air sign. It is ruled by Saturn and Uranus. It’s associated with the Eleventh House of better communities, friendships and dreams. It’s fixed nature is unmoving but it’s air qualities prefer innovation and change. Aquarius is a technological sign That prefers both the structure of Saturn and the rebellious nature of Uranus. To express the Aquarius signs quirkiness this sign is represented as the Water-Bearer. People under this sign are highly empathetic but shield themselves by having a cold personality sometimes. They are very selective when choosing personal relationships. They are very good at being their own individual.
Pisces: February 19 to March 20
Pisces is a mutable, feminine water sign and it is ruled by Jupiter and Neptune. It’s associated with the Twelfth Hour of the subconscious memory, hidden talents and weaknesses, and self-consciousness. The Pisces sign goes in and out of conscious reality because of its mystical mutability. A person under the Pisces sign is gifted with psychic openness and accurate intuition. Jupiter improves these qualities but Neptune tends to lessen them, which sometimes can be confusing. This sign is represented by two fish swimming. The Pisces sign is our reminder to consider the known and unknown.
This type of cat is named after the munchkin characters in the Wizard of Oz. Munchkin cats began in the early 1980s when a teacher from Louisiana found two pregnant cats with short legs underneath her car. They are very known for their curiosity, they love shiny objects and they can stand on their hind legs like prairie dogs do.
The Ragdoll
The ragdoll cat to be able to roam free outside until the 1960s. A lady named Ann Baker from California decided to breed them and tried to domesticate them. They are known for their pretty blue eyes and are very lovable, active and easy-going. When you try to pick them Up they may go limp in their owner’s arms. This is where there name came from. They love to spend time with their owners and enjoy sitting back and watching them as well. They tend to be lazy and need the owner to be involved with them and try to keep them active.
The Savannah Cat
Savannah cats are priced according to how many to generations separate them from their original wild cat genes. Those cats that are higher up the line can cost up to $20,000 but later generations can still cost up to $1000. Their price, distinctive wild features and large triangular ears can explain why celebrities like well Ralph Lauren and NBA player Ben Simmons have bought them. Justin Bieber even paid $35,000 for Tuna and Sushi his two Savannah cats.
The Birman
The Birman’s blue eyes and silky light coloured skin have caused many people to take notice of their beautiful markings. According to a legend, this cats got it’s features through a blue-eyed Asian goddess called Tsun-Kyan-Kse. She turned the Birman’s eyes blue but kept its feet white to signify purity. This breed was recognized by the French in 1925. It is a very friendly cat with a laid-back personality that makes them ideal for first time cat owners.
Serengeti
The Serengeti cat is purely domestic and domesticated. This is a mixed breed between Bengles and Oriental shorthairs. This breed was made to mimic an African wild cat called Servals. These cats are known for being gentle, outgoing, loyal and playful. Be warned though that they have been known to be able to open cupboards and drawers so make sure to keep your valuables out of their reach.
African Serval
Although serval cats have started to become domesticated they are wild animals. They come from the African grasslands just south of the Sahara desert. They tend to live longer than most cats to around 22 years of age. Even though the colouring is beautiful and they look very noble, African servals need lots of space to roam and run which means they are not ideal for apartment living. They do not like regular cat food but enjoying meats and fish. They like to play roughly so they are not a good match in homes with young children.
Himalayan
They are also known as “Himmies”. They are a cross between a Persian and Siamese cat and they are developed in the United States. This mix gives them the silky hair which requires daily brushing and the colour on the feet, face, and ears. The bluer their eyes are the better. This breed is an easy going cat that is known for being lazy around the house but they have sudden bursts of energy and enjoy playing.
I hope you enjoyed our class learning about different breeds of cats. I thought we could end class by watching a video with cute and funny cats.
NYDP Communication Enrichment Class 