Stars and Bubbles

Astronomers have recently realized that galaxies are distributed in a sort of "frothy" or "bubbly" structure. That is, the large scale structure of the universe can be described as consisting of strings of galaxies with big spaces in between.

A projection of this structure onto the sky of any planet should look highly web-like as well. From these webs, we've created constellations. One of the features that has helped give rise to similar constellations from separate traditions is locality: 參, the ancient "three stars" asterism from Chinese astrology, matched the belt of the Greek constellation Orion. Within traditions, "guideposts" are also established, creating a coherency to the stellar structures.

Various religious traditions have identified constellations as prophetically or genetically relevant to their beliefs. In 1884, Joseph Seiss laid out his "Gospel In The Stars" system, describing the relevance of the zodiac to Christianity. Authors like John Kotselas will argue that the structures act to justify belief in Christianity. Today, new patterns are identified and the old ones still argued.

Astro-Art

The emerging field of bio-art begs the question: what other science/art "mashups" are possible? What would astronomy look like if taken over by artists? Can we track space junk and use it as a projection medium in the manner of Ken Perlin's holodust? Can we launch satellite arrays, using each satellite as a pixel that turns "on" when it orients itself to reflect the sun towards Earth? Pauline Oliveros has already improvised with moon, can we improvise with Sun by bouncing sound off its corona? What more distant interactions and displays are possible?