Starstruck Lovers

Callisto or Kallisto

Callisto is the fourth Galilean Moon of Jupiter and has an orbital radius of 1,880,000 km. It is the second largest Moon in the Jovian system after Ganymede and the third largest moon in the Solar System.  Callisto has an almost identical diameter to the planet Mercury but has only one third of its mass.

Callisto unlike the other Galilean Moons does not experience appreciable tidal heating and is less affected by Jupiter's magnetic field primarily because its orbit is further away.  It is composed of equal amounts of ice and rock and may have a subsurface ocean.  The surface of Callisto is pocked with impact craters and has a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide and molecular oxygen.

Photograph taken by the Galileo Spacecraft

Greek Myth

The God Zeus really had an eye for the girls and was always up for a seduction. Depending upon which version of the story you wish to accept, Zeus took a great fancy to King Lykaon's daughter Callisto.

As a member of the royal family Callisto was not obliged to get a job and therefore spent her days hunting with the Goddess Artemis. For some reason or other Callisto vowed to keep her virginity for as long as she remained in the company of Artemis. 

As a result of Zeus's perseverance or Callisto's inability to hang on to her knickers the Father of all God's seduced her and put her in the Olympian Pudding Club (Ancient Greek slang term for being made pregnant).

Having broken her vow, Callisto decided to keep her pregnancy hidden. Clearly this was a good short term strategy that was destined to unravel with the passage of time.  Her delicate condition came to light whilst she was taking a bath. What Artemis was doing in Callisto's bathroom remains unknown but when she found out that Callisto was pregnant she really got the hump (Ancient Egyptian slang term for being annoyed).  In her fury Artemis transformed the pregnant Callisto into a bear.  Nice choice as swans were off!

Hunters then captured the bear and delivered her and her new-born son Arkas to King Lykaon.  The King being broad minded,provided a home in his Palace for his newly discovered grandson and his then rather well built and hairy daughter.

Time passed by..........................................................................................

Presumably Arkas was either very unintelligent or possessed the world's worst memory, and he forgot that the bear wandering about the Palace was in actuality his mother. 

One day, the bear, being a bit bored, wandered into The 'Sanctuary of Zeus'. Arkas, being a 'full on' religious zealot, was angered by the bear's act of sacrilege and decided to kill it.

Zeus however intervened and placed both bear and amnesiac son amongst the stars.

So the next time you look at the Constellation Ursa Major hanging in the northern night sky remember Callisto and her illegitimate son Arkas, a real Greek Tragedy if you ask me!

Credits: Nasa and Caltech

           Wikipedia