LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – “October” is derived from the Latin word Oct which means eight. In the old Roman calendar it was the eighth month in the year.

When January and February were added, October became the 10th month, but retained its name.

October is the month for the appearance of the water constellations: Capricornus, Pisces, Pisces Austrinus, Aquarius and Cetus.

Capricornus is one of the constellations of the Zodiac. The name means horned goat or sea goat. It is half goat, half fish, and one of the oldest of constellations.

Pisces is another constellation of the Zodiac. It is Latin for the plural of Fish.

Pisces is associated with the Roman legend of Venus and Cupid. They transformed into fish tied together with rope to escape a monster.

Pisces Austrinus is Latin for “southern fish.” It contains the star Fomalhaut, the 18th brightest star in the sky.

Aquarius is another Zodiac constellation. Aquarius is known at the water bearer.

Cetus is a whale. Greek mythology has Cetus as a sea monster that was slain by Perseus as he saved the beautiful princess Andromeda.

We have referred to the zodiac in this month’s column. The zodiac divides the path the sun takes through the sky into 12 equal sections. One constellation is associated with each section.

The zodiac and its constellations figure prominently in astrology as well as astronomy.

John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County and has been an amateur astronomer for over 50 years. For more information about Astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .