A Star Named after 'Gibbo'
Gazette & Herald
28th April 2005
www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk
THE widow of Lyneham hero Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson has sent her heartfelt thanks to all her friends, family and neighbours for the tremendous support she and her seven-year-old daughter Poppy have received since his tragic death almost three months ago.

Mrs Sheila Griffiths-Gibson, 38, of Gairlock Close, Swindon, said that without their support she doesn't know how she would have carried on after the devastating news of January 30. Neighbours have collected money to buy presents for Poppy as well as helping tidy-up and re-plant a fir tree outside the front of their house.

Colleagues at the Great Western Hospital also collected money and with it have bought a star in the Hercules constellation which has been dedicated to Mark and designated with the date of his death. "I told Poppy that now we can look up at night and the brightest star twinkling in the sky is daddy," said Mrs Griffiths-Gibson.

Hercules Constellation
Hercules is a Northern Hemisphere constellation that is the fifth largest in the sky, he can be seen kneeling in the sky during Spring. Hercules was a great warrior in Greek mythology. From the southern hemisphere, he appears low in the north. Four bright stars form what is known as the Keystone. Hercules' arms and legs extend from this central square.

Myths about Hercules
More than two thousand years ago, Greek people believed that a particular group of stars represented the figure of Heracles, the most famous Greek hero.

The ancient Romans called him Hercules. Heracles was a courageous and strong man.

In manhood, Hera made Hercules insane by burning down his house and killing his wife and children. When Hercules recovered his sanity, he sought the help from the oracle of Delphi. The oracle told him he must serve his cousin Eurystheus, King of Argos, for 12 years. Hoping to destroy Hercules, Eurystheus set him 12 supposedly impossible tasks, but the hero completed them all.

Did you know: Mu Herculis is 27.4 light years from Earth.

The 12 labours of Hercules were (1) strangling the Nemean Lion that terrorized the valley of Nemea. Hercules killed the lion by thrusting his fist down its throat; (2) striking off the many heads of the poisonous water snake Hydra of Lerna, Cancer joined in on the battle against Hercules; (3 and 4) delivering alive to Eurystheus the terrifying Erymanthian boar and the Arcadian stag, sacred pet of Artemis; (5) killing the man-eating birds of Lake Stymphalis; (6) cleaning in one day the stables of Augeas, King of Elis, which contained 3,000 oxen and had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules cleaned the stables by turning two rivers to flood the stables; (7) capturing and bearing on his shoulders to Mycenae the white Cretan bull, sire of the Minotaur; (8) capturing the man-eating mares of Diomedes (a Thracian king and son of the war god Ares) and feeding them the flesh of Diomedes; (9) fetching for Eurystheus' daughter the girdle of the Amazon queen, Hippolyte; (10) killing the three-headed monster Geryon, along with his giant herdsman Eurytion and the two-headed dog Orthrus all in order to capture Geryon's oxen; (11) freeing Prometheus and temporarily bearing the weight of the world for Atlas, who went to fetch for him the golden apples of the Hesperides; (12) descending to the underworld to bring the three-headed dog Cerberus to its master, Hades.

After Hercules completed his service to Eurystheus, he took part in the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts to find the Golden Fleece. Hercules died when his second wife accidentally put poison on his robe. She thought that Hercules was being unfaithful and poured a magic potion on his robe that was suppose to restore his love for her. The poison burned his skin, causing him great pain. He tore at his flesh but the potion could not be removed.

Zeus honored his son by making him a god and placed him in the sky forever. Hercules may have been Gilgamesh, the strong-man hero of ancient Babylon. Like Hercules, Gilgamesh killed an invincible lion and accomplished other great tasks. Gilgamesh also explored the seas of the underworld. Here he meets Utnapishtim, a strange sailor who lives on an island in the center of the underworld sea. Utnapishtim is the survivor of a flood created by the gods.