Ad astra (phrase)
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- For other uses, see Ad astra.
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Ad astra is a Latin phrase meaning "to the stars". The phrase has origins with Virgil, who wrote sic itur ad astra ("thus you shall go to the stars", from Aeneid book IX, line 641, spoken by Apollo to Aeneas' young son Iulus) and opta ardua pennis astra sequi, ("desire to pursue the high (or hard to reach) stars on wings" book XII, lines 892–893, spoken by Aeneas to his foe Turnus in their combat). Another origin is Seneca the Younger, who wrote non est ad astra mollis e terris via ("there is no easy way from the earth to the stars", Hercules Furens, line 437, spoken by Megara, Hercules' wife).
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[edit] Mottos
It is used as, or as part of, the motto of many organizations. It has also been adopted as a proper name for various unrelated things (publications, bands, games, etc.). It also sees general use as a popular Latin tag.
- sic itur ad astra (a path to the stars)
- St. Andrew's Scots School, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- sic itur ad astra (reach for the stars)
- ad astra
- Ardrossan Academy, North Ayrshire, Scotland
- Asia Digital Holdings Plc, Singapore
- Birrong Girls High School, Australia
- Colegio Salesiano San José, El Salvador
- Colegio Salesiano Don Bosco, El Salvador
- Colegio Stella Maris Hermanos Cristianos, Uruguay
- Newstead House Dagfa School Nottingham
- Elgin Academy, Scotland
- Instituto Tecnico Ricaldone, El Salvador
- Innova Junior College, Singapore
- Miami Central High School, United States
- Phi Gamma Delta, United States and Canada
- Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale, Australia
- Ruamrudee International School, Thailand
- Salesian Institute San Miguel, Honduras
- Slough Grammar School in Berkshire, England
- Sutherland High School, South Africa
- United States Air Force Academy Class of 2007
- United States Coast Guard Academy Class of 1992
- University College Dublin, Ireland
- USS Taurus (PHM-3)
- The first track off of Betraying The Martyrs album Breathe in Life
- Ad astra per alas fideles — "to the stars on the wings of the faithful ones"
- per ardua ad astra — "Through struggle to the stars"
- Royal Air Force —
- Royal Australian Air Force
- Royal Canadian Air Force
- Royal New Zealand Air Force
- AFA - Academia da Força Aérea - Brazilian Air Force Academy
- Trondheim katedralskole, cathedral school in Trondheim, Norway
- Theta Phi sorority
- Avondawe Ltd
- Jamie Ashton Ltd
- Dialectic IT Ltd
- Colegio Rio Branco, São Paulo/SP - BRAZIL - Rotary Club
- Motto of the Irish family of Mulvany
- ad astra per aspera — "to the stars through difficulties"
- Kansas (U.S. state) and Seal of Kansas
- Albury High School in Albury, New South Wales, Australia
- Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina
- Coventry High School, Coventry, Rhode Island
- Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Buckinghamshire, England
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos, in Madrid, Spain
- Grupo 5 de Caza, a fighter/bomber squadron of the Fuerza Aerea Argentina (Argentine Air Force)
- Harry Crosby, Jazz Age celebrity and literary patron
- Immaculate Conception High School in Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies
- Miami Central Senior High School in Miami, Florida
- Milwaukee High School of the Arts in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Mirman School in Los Angeles, California
- Morristown-Beard School in Morristown, New Jersey
- Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies
- Mount Saint Michael Academy in The Bronx, New York
- Starfleet, the fictional organization in the Star Trek universe
- Trenton Air Cadet Summer Training Centre, Canada
- Woodville High School, South Australia
- Song by rock band Acceptance
- Apollo 1 memorial placed at Launch Complex 34
- per ardua ad astra — "through adversity to the stars" or sometimes even "a rough road leads to the stars"
- Arethusa Sorority-Sigma Gamma Phi. Clarkson University & SUNY Potsdam
- California State University, East Bay, California State University
- Cornelia Strong College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Gouda, a city in the Netherlands
- Nuriootpa High School, Barossa Valley, South Australia
- Pall Mall (cigarette)
- Queenwood School for Girls, Sydney, Australia
- Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi
- Hardwald High School, Olten, Switzerland
- The 6th Company/II Battalion of The Danish Royal Guard
- South African Air Force
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Girton Grammer School, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
- Quam celerrime ad astra - "speedily to the stars"
- Sic itur ad astra — "thus one goes to the stars"
- Detroit, Michigan public schools
- Richmond, Virginia (city)
- St. Andrew's Scots School, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires province, Argentina (daughter institution of St. Andrew's Scots School)
- The Geelong College, Australia
- The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania
- Canadian Forces Air Command
- Colombian Air Force
- Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Jean-Pierre Blanchard the first human to cross the English channel, by air.
- The Priory LSST Academy, Lincoln, UK
- The former Llandysul Grammar School, Llandysul, Cymru
- Sicituradastra.[1] An International BOINC team.
- The former St. Patrick's College, Tuam, Co. Galway, Ireland
- Ad astra per alas porci — "to the stars on the wings of a pig"
- Motto on John Steinbeck's personal stamp, featuring a figure of the Pigasus
- Motto of the O'Fallon Township Marching Panthers
- Per herbam ad astra — "from grass to the stars"
- Motto of Wisborough Green Lawnmower Races, United Kingdom
- Per audacia ad astra — "Through boldness to the stars"
[edit] Other Uses
- A related phrase, ex astris ("from the stars"), is used frequently in NASA publications and in science fiction - see Ex astris, scientia.
- There was a 1984 computer game called Ad Astra [1] which was an outer space shoot-em-up with a 3-D perspective.
- The phrase was used in the finale of the film Armageddon.
- It is also a title of a William Faulkner short story - see Collected Stories of William Faulkner: New York: Vintage International.
- The Free State Brewing Company in Lawrence, KS, brews a beer called "Ad Astra Ale" after the Kansas motto "Ad Astra per Aspera".
[edit] External links
- History of the RAF motto (but note that this page misspells sic itur)
- Royal Canadian Air Force Website
- [2] Sicituradastra. Public forum.
