Welcome to The Reading Room

The night sky is the oldest library in the world. Most people have just aren’t sure how to read it. This is where we start.

The Dark Side of Greek Mythology
Lauren Blundell Lauren Blundell

The Dark Side of Greek Mythology

One of my favourite things about the work I do at Leo & Luna is how much research goes into learning about the stories that sit above our heads. If you’re looking at the constellations through the lens of Ancient Greece, you’ll encounter tales of heroes, monsters, and the complicate – and often brutal – relationships between gods and mortals. But dig a little deeper and you soon begin to realise those romanticised myths are laced with something much darker.

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Three Times Astronomy Influenced History in the Most Chaotic Ways
Astounding Astronomy Lauren Blundell Astounding Astronomy Lauren Blundell

Three Times Astronomy Influenced History in the Most Chaotic Ways

These days, many of us look up at the night sky in quiet awe. To some, it may prompt them to wonder the meaning of life itself, while others find comfort in the endlessness of it all.

But it hasn’t always been this way.

Here’s three of the strangest and most dramatic moments when the stars kicked humanity into chaos and exponential terror.

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The Betrayal of Medusa: Monster or Victim?
Myth & Legend Lauren Blundell Myth & Legend Lauren Blundell

The Betrayal of Medusa: Monster or Victim?

If mythology is famous for anything, it’s for its tales of betrayal, spiteful gods and tragedy. Most of us are familiar with the story of Orion, killed by the Earth goddess Gaia for boasting too loudly of his hunting skills, or poor Andromeda, chained to a rock by her own parents as a sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus. But perhaps the most tragic of them all is that of the gorgon Medusa. Throughout popular culture, Medusa was mostly portrayed as nothing more than a black-hearted monster, intent on destroying any living soul that entered her domain. Yet if we were to look at the why behind her terrible circumstances, we might see her as the greatest victim of all.

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Virgo: The Meaning Behind the Constellation
Zodiac & Symbolism Lauren Blundell Zodiac & Symbolism Lauren Blundell

Virgo: The Meaning Behind the Constellation

To celebrate the beginning of Virgo season, we’re going to explore all there is to know about the star sign’s constellation. The second-largest constellation in the night sky, Virgo is best seen between late March and June from almost everywhere on Earth, located between the constellations of Libra and Leo.

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