Star Maps for Beginners

40 Pages·1942·11.076 MB·English

by  I. M. Levitt, Roy K. Marshall

18/42
d
e
e
n
MAPS
STAR
FOR
BEGINNERS
*
*
*
*
*
*
IM
Roy .
Levitt and KMarshall
.

MAPS FOR
STAR
BEGINNERS
BY
I. M. LEVITT, B.S. IN M.E., A.M.
Assistant Director, The Fels Planetarium
Research Associate , The Cook Observatory of the
University of Pennsylvania
AND
ROY K. MARSHALL, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, The Fels Planetarium
e
Astronomer ,The Cook Observatory of thUniversity ofPennsylvania
t y
iff RoK.Marshall
go
a
.Woll 1929
O .
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHORS PHILADELPHIA 1942
·
COPYRIGHT 1942, BY
I. M. LEVITT AND ROY K. MARSHALL
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form without permission of the authors.
Printed in the U. S. A.
THE BROOKS COMPANY
Philadelphia , Pa.
1942
THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
Modern astronomy has become a highly like Hercules , the prodigiously strong son
specialized study , with a good knowledge of Jupiter. Suppose we were to insist that
omfataictslereaqstuiseilteementotarya copmhypsreichsensaionnd mofatihtes aousrtafitrestnamperdesiWdeanshtin!gOtorn supsphoosueldthloeokstalitkees
mexapneicftold itramtoificbaetioonthser,wiseWe, coinulda shciaerndcley loafndGeaonrdgiaV,irgNionritah asnhdoulSdouhthaveCatrhoeliinrab,oMuanrdy
which attempts to embrace as its field the aries changed , to force those states to be
whole of creation the universe . profile portraits of a King George , a King
Charles , a Queen Mary , and a Queen Eliza
ftaoscrienTaahlitezinefgintdhrienaatgdsinnogoofnfoemrocdahenrimn eawxsphtoerocnitsomtowyigllmrianaskgpe rbseeigltlahyrd,(ythesetuchValimrgaoisntth)ienvgeorfyaosEnneaglatisndleu!ansdterWestlhisgehhotiumllyd
quite all of what is contained even in a pression that the constellations are sup
so -called " popular " book , without at least posed to be pictures ,because they bear the
some measure of concentration and connect names of persons, creatures , and objects.
ed thought. This is not peculiar to as
tirsotnroym,y g, eooflocgoyur,seb;otamnoydern- pevheynsicesco,nocmheicms of theInsktyhe weearfliinedstitcosmtaptleedte thdaetsccreiprttiaoinn
and political science are such special mortals ,in ages long agone," finding that
ized subjects that the general reader must it was a tedious task ,and not particularly
appreciate his handicaps, and must not ex helpful in identification , to give a name
pect to be able to grasp completely in one to every star , decided to name them in
hurried reading what other men learn only groups. Then , as we might refer to "that
after many years of concentrated study . biggest oak tree in Johnson's meadow", the
early watchers of the sky might speak of
But there is one part of astronomyliitn " the brightest star in the constellation
which the professional astronomer has Auriga ". How soon after the naming process
tle interest , and it is in this field that the pictures were associated with thiet con
the interested amateur can become as pro stellations we do not know , but must
ficient as the greatest of the ancient as have been very early .
tronomers . This is the study of the appar
ent face of the sky , to the end of being The earliest complete representation
able to identify the star-groups or con of the heavens as they were considered at
stellations ,and to name many of the stars. the time appears to be the famous Farnese
Oinnge nheieldlsnootr bsoearainggeomlooguinsttaintos,ennojoryarboollt GinlobIeta,lnyow, iint cthoensNisatpslesofMwusheuimte .mDairsbcleov,eraendd
anist to enjoy a flower; toknow and enjoy portrays Atlas on one knee , supporting on
tbhuet isttariss raenquaircehsievneometnetchonficawlhickhnowonleedgmeay, hspisherbeow,edwhhicehadheandstesahdoiuelsderwsiththehciselehasntdiasl.
well be porofud . It leads to greater appre In an excellent state of preservation , it
clairitaeetrifaoatnvuorreit,efsogrreinathtethwehoserekrsoeostohfewrmhouasfeicisl,tlheattrhtice, aseknnyd dfcueantleltysurysfrcoubmlepftourareetdlteheainstCrhaarissiseetdiaarnrlyeeliareasf.t,heBinefaiurttshiet
deavors of mankind . Today most of us read correct positions on the sphere , are the
very little of the old legends of Rome and pictures of the constellations , but images
Greece , but a study of the constellations of the stars are not shown .
will prove an incentive to greater enjoy
ment of these old stories . Similarly ,the earliest manuscript map
of the sky contains only the constellation
The sky is parcelled into named areas figures , and not the stars. The so -called
called constellations , as our country is Planisphere of Geruvigus ", included in a
divided into named areas called states . It Roman manuscript version of Aratus (whom we
is in just this way that a modern astrono shall discuss later) ,dates from the second
maforeerrgaosrettgeanrdasnsdtathrite-gciasozenqrssuteitwlelhaotliiooknresiglyin-a-thllaayts nnthaammoseeedd Mcaneudsnetuurmerys.emA*bi.lteDsd.,imfafenoddresrnisfrsotmanorwthmeaipnsFatirnhneesBethraAitttilsaihst
the constellations thought of them in the represents the actual face of the sky ;that
same way . Sometime in between, however , is, it shows the constellations as seen
there arose a demand that a constellation from the inside of the celestial sphere ,as
named Hercules , for example, shoula look we see them from the Earth .
ן
2 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
In the earliest map showing the con ly, modern astronomers believed that the
stellation figures and also the stars tol Greeks had apportioned the sky into star
erably well located , we find a return to groups , because most of the legends con
the practice of showing the sky as it ap nected with the figures in the sky were
pears on the surface of the sphere ,as seen known to be Greek. Later study reveals the
from the outside . It is the work of Peter interesting fact that , with the growth of
AAleiucspughiatueensddt ,a5(sL,rea1pat5irn3es6isizne.egndtleiIntagsshis4Pe8eetatrc,uwosanotosAdtIcpenuilagltano,tulisoswtn)aes,dlltp.ueboxn votthhaueerllreeGykrenheoaokwsflemctdhogymeteehTsoiaghfarreditsahaeliaznScadeitvimoEilniuitzipcahtriotaohtrneaigsstinmrio.avnfeyrthsoe,f
amateBurut aitstrwonasomJoerhanonf BAuaygesbru,rga,lawwhyoerpaunbd nGeanrmedeessk.s, Msainimgdhpttlyoothkcehyaonvgneeordtthtsheimepislloaetrtstlyinoghfsavtheaendtalekthegen
lished (1603 ) the star atlas which was the over the constellations of the Euphratean
first of a series of fine ones later pre peoples?
pared by others . Bayer's "Uranometria "
shows the positions of about 1250 stars. We know that the Akkadians and Sumer
with their relative brightnesses quite ac ians, non -Semitic forerunners of the Baby
curately represented , and upon the star lonians , had names for many of the stars,
groups are shown the constellation pic chosen particularly from the words in use
tgurarveesd. onThecop5p1erplabtyesAlewxearnedeerxMquaiisrit.elyHeenre itnhe shheepahveerndliyngfl.ockTh"e; tshtearsbriwgehret ksntoawrn Arcas
we find again a star map showing the sky turus was called Sibzianna , the star of
ia(tse,xsceaenepdnt,frpoomfracctothuiecrsaeilnl,ysidceeevle,eraysstiwamealpaglcootbufeastllh)yehasssekye, wSthueenrewshtahesephce"aroldllesdd-oshtfheeethpemsohtldaearsvseh"ne.leyp"hT;ethhriedssw"pal.asneTththsee
since that time , been drawn this way. Το kind of astronomy inherited by the Baby
Bayer , too, we owe our modern method of lonians from their predecessors in the Eu
designating most of the naked-eye stars by phratean valley.
letters of the Greek alphabet,in each con
stellation . His atlas passed through sev Examination of baked -clay tablets and
eral editions . cylinder seals which date from 3500 to 500
B.C. gives a few clues . One of the older
It was more than a century before the myths describes a battle between the Sun
star maps of Bayer were equalled ,when John god Izhdubar and the dragon Tiamat. On a
Flamsteed , the British Astronomer Royal, clay cylinder seal dating from at least as
observed the positions of the stars for a early as 3000 B. C. , Izhdubar is pictured
catalogue and atlas (posthumously published kneeling on the dragon , The Greeks inher
in 1729 ) . The constellation figures are in ited a constellation called En Gonasin,the
some respects superior to those of Bayer , Kneeler , who has one foot on the head of a
without , perhaps , the same beautiful work dragon . They were reminded of their hero
manship . There were many editions of this Herakles (Roman Hercules ) and his struggle
atlas , in which the practice of numbering with the Dragon which guarded the Golden
the stars in each constellation , in order Apples of the Hesperides . So Hercules and
from west to east, was established. At a Draco are surely two very old constella
later moment, we shall explain and illus tions . Another is Leo, the Lion, which is
trate these designation schemes of Bayer shown on an ancient clay tablet , with the
and Flamsteed . star Regulus marking his heart . A cunei
form synthesis of all earlier inscriptions
Later star atlases were published , by (known as the "Creation Legend", compiled
D(1o8p5p1el)m,ayaenrd o(t1h7e42rs),, bBuetvisper(h1a7p5s0 )o,nBlyurthriattt babaonuit-p6a5l0) Bin.Cd.ic,atdeusrintghatthetherereigwneroef Arescsougr
of Johann Elert Bode, about 1800 , need be nized 3-6-constellations ,divided into three
mentioned here.Bode seems to have been the groups northern , zodíacal,and southern .
first
one to draw star charts to show the
skies month by month, a scheme which has In the poems of Homer (perhaps dating
btieoenn,qpuaitreticpuolpaurllyar foforrmsortearthmaanpsaingteennedread farcocmordthineg mtioddHleeroodfotthues)nthinetrhe caerentureryferBe.Cn.c,
for the beginner . It is a similar scheme es to the constellations . Inasmuch as Ho
which has been followed for the charts in mer was probably only the collector of the
this book. tales and ballads of earlier days , these
constellations must be much older . In the
Besides the sculptures and maps show writings of Hesiod ("Theogonia " and "Works
ing the pictures over the whole sky, there and Days") , about a century later, mention
have come down to us descriptions of the is made of Arcturus , the Pleiades , Hyades,
sky and fragmentary representations which Sirius , and Orion, while Homer had referreIdt
fpruasmheyrsetoffartthheercobnasctkelloautrionknsow.ledgOerigoifnathle itso mUorrsea thMaanjorli,keinlyadtdhiatitonthetoetahrelyseG. reeks
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTELLATIONS 3
received their astronomical lore from the THE CONSTELLATIONS OF ARATUS
Euphrateans, by way of the Phoenicians . NORTHERN
Some of the best Greek astronomers (an in Ursa Major , Ursa Minor, Bootes, Draco ,
stance is Thales) were Phoenicians by de Cepheus , Cassiopeia , Andromeda , Perseus ,
scent . Triangulum , Pegasus , Delphinus, Auriga,
Hercules , Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila , Sagitta,
AquilaAgalanodstChyennoessura ((cn.ow650UrsBa.C.M)inmore)n.tionTehde Corona ,ZSOeDrIApCeAnLtarius
early Mediterranean sailors had used what Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer , Leo , Virgo ,
we call the Big Dipper to guide them , but Chelae, Scorpius , Sagittarius ,Capricornus ,
the Phoenicians changed over to Ursa Minor Aquarius , Pisces
or the Little Dipper, which was called Cy SOUTHERN
nosura . Today we speak of something which Orion , Canis Major , Canis Minor, Eridanus ,
is the center of attention as a cynosure. Lepus, Cetus , Argo Navis, Piscis Austrinus
Epimenides of Crete (c. 600 B.C. ) wrote of Ara , Centaurus , Hydra , Crater, Corvus
Capricornus and the star Capella ; Pherecy
des of Athens (500-450 B.C. ) tolá the leg rather unfamiliar constellations , Chelae
end of Orion and mentioned the fact that, and Serpentarius , and one whose name is
as Orion sets, Scorpius rises ; Aeschylus not to be found in up-to-date lists: Argo
(526-456 B.C. ) and Hellanicus of Mytilene Navis . We shall soon take care of these .
(496-411 B.C. ) tell the story of the seven
Pleiades . Geminus of Rhodes relates that, Another who wrote a commentary on the
einnsthceomfpiifletdh acewnteuartyherB.aCl.m,aEnuasctemionn wohifchAthhe BPhitaheynnomiae,noane" ooffthEeudogxruesatewsats mHiepnpaorfchaunstiqof
mLyernati,onCeydgnusO,rioAnq,uatrhieusH,yCadoerosn,ath,eDPellepihainduess,, iunitayl (focr.m160i-s125noBt .Cex.)ta.ntH, isbuwtoirtk hinasobreiegn
Pegasus ,Aquila , and Canis Major as weath incorporated in a work of three centuries
er portents . later, by claudius Ptolemy . But Hipparchus
went further then mere description of the
Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 403 -. 350 B.C. ) constellations in words . He compiled the
appears to have been the earliest to write first star catalogue , in which were listed
of constellations as such , merely for the the positions and the relative brightness
purpose of writing a description of the es of the stars . A century earlier, two
sky . The title of his work was " Phaenom Alexandrian astronomers, Aristillus and
ena ", and this title was preserved by the Timocharis , had made measurements of star
cilician poet Aratus (c.270 B.C. ) when , by positions , and their work was adopted and
command of the Macedonian king Antigonus extended by Hipparchus . It was he who in
Gonatus , he put the description of the sky augurated the classification of the stars
by Eudoxus into verse . The original work by "magnitudes " , the brightest stars being
of Eudoxus has been lost . of the "first magnitude " ,the faintest vis
ible to the naked eye being of the asixth
Aratus begins with an invocation to magnitude ." Today this scheme has been
the Supreme Being,using in the first words made more suitable for modern science by
of the fifth verse the phrase , "For we are the establishment of definite standards, a
His children ." Paul , in his sermon to the precise scale , and extension to the stars
Athenians (Acts 17: 28) , quotes him: "For not visible to the naked eye .
in Him we live, and move, and have our be
ing;as certain also of your own poets have Practically contemporary with Aratus ,
said, For we are also His offspring ." Callimachus and Eratosthenes had written
descriptions of the constellations , and in
In the " Phaenomena " of Aratus , there these a new constellation , Coma Berenices ,
are 44 constellations named, but oneploef had appeared , but Hipparchus and his suc
them is the small cluster we call the cessors for more than seventeen centuries
iades , and consider a part of Taurus . In seem to have overlooked it. It is recog
addition , however , Procyon is mentioned , nized today as a full -fledged constella
and this may be considered to be recogni tion. Hipparchus added two constellations
tion of Canis Minor as a separate named by splitting Serpentarius into Ophiuchus
constellation . The star-groups are placed and Serpens and by using some of the stars
in three regions ; northern , zodiacal, and of Centaurus to form anew constellation ,
southern . The zodiac , or circle of ani Lupus, the Wolf.
mals",is that belt of the sky in which the
Sun , Moon ,and bright planets are always to Hipparchus may also have been the one
nbeisaeamchefaodul,onidstdhte.esrcorfiAbbyttehdeAthr,>aeatncudhosenal.sodtceaoltlTfeahdtetihoenrPelsenliaeawtxditehvsiecclhoylhuaamvrtneoe Pfatootsotrrleoinmnwtoeyrmofdeiu(nrccd.ea1dth5Eoe0pqmtueAud.leinuDps.r)taha.centdicwCTaohorlklriysonoaAwflietAhxCuoalsauntutdrdriniiaauansl,
been omitted,and Canis Minor has been put teration the work of Hipparchus, and thus
in place of Procyon. There remain two preserved it for us. But Ptolemy must have
4 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
made some original observations , for the BAYER'S TWELVE NEW SOUTHERN CONSTELLATIONS
brightnesses of the stars are now set down
absrigohftearcethratnai,nomr aagnliitutdtele, foarintaesrathlaitnt,lea AAvpiiss (intdheicaBee(B,inrodwoMfusPcaara,dtihsee,Fnlyow) Apus)
certain magnitude . Since Ptolemy omitted Chamaeleon (the Chameleon )
Coma Berenices , he listed a total of 48 Dorado (commonly known as the Swordfish )
ucsonhsatdelliantciloundsed,bhuatdonitesonfamtheemanwdhicshigAnriafti HGyrudsrus( th(ethelonWgat-nerec-ksendakeb,irdno,tthtoe Cberanceo)nfus
cance changed. Chelae had become Libra . ed with the classical Hydra , the
At Denderah in Egypt , a circular rep Indus (theWAamteerri-csaenrpeInndti)an )
Aretsefinrtsattiobnelioefvetdhetoheabveenosf hgaresatbeeanntfioquunidty. PPhisoceinsixVo(ltahnesm(ytthheicaFllyibnigrdF,isthhe, nPohwoensiixmp) ly
it is now known to date only from the be Volans
ginning of the Christian era,and to be, in Tucana (the bird with the strange beak ,the
aofllanproebaarlbieilirtypl,aqaue"c.oIrtrupisteda"vreerystosrtaratniogne TrianguluTmoucAauns)trale (the Southern Triangle
mixture of independently conceived Egyp
tian constellations and conventional Greek Jacob Bartsch (c.1599-1633 ), the son
ftihgeurcelasw.s oAfrSactuosrpihuasd, dbeustcrinibetdhisChceliarecuas cinon-lsatwelloaftioJonhsanninKepsplearce,s cirneattehde nthorrethe nneowt
lar Zodiac of Denderah this space is oc claimed by others . They were Camelopardus
acnudpiesdo bity ahapsairremoafinsecda,lesas, othre acobnaslatnecllea, ((tthhee CUanmicoerleno)paarndd CooolrrumGGbiiarraaNffffoeea))c,h,Mi o(nthoeceDroovse
tiniognoLfibtrhae.wIonrdthzoisdiatcra,nstahcetiocnirc, lteheomf eaann ostfatNeodaht,hnoawt IssimaapklyHCaoblruemcbhat ,).ofBSatrrtascshsbuarlgso,
nimotalsa"l,ihvaisngbeethninvgio.lated , for a balance is hsaoduthcrpeoalaterdcaapno; thiterwascoRnhsotmeblulast(iolenngtihnentehde
by Lacaille to Reticulum Rhomboidalis , and
More than fourteen centuries passed , now shortened to Reticulum , the Net) . In
after Ptolemy , before any new constella 1679, Augustine RRooyyeerr created Crux Aus
tions were added . That any more were add tralís ( the Southern Cross, now Crux ),
ed at all may seem surprising , but it must which had been figured on earlier maps as
be understood that the boundaries of the a Cross,but had not yet been detached from
constellations had never been defined ; the Centaurus, whose hind legs it had formed .
spaces between the named areas contained a Our total , with these additions, stands at
few faint stars from which new constella 66 constellations .
tions could yet be formed . Then , too , the
Greeks could not see the many stars below The Polish astronomer Hevelius of the
their southern horizon , surrounding the city of Danzig published (posthumously ,
south celestial pole, and the great age of 1690 ) seven new groups , all in the north .
exploration had to come before these stars They are as follows :
could be observed and grouped in constel
lations , to complete the partition of the Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs)
whole celestial sphere. Lacerta (the Lizard )
Leo Minor (the Lion Cub)
It was in Bayer's "Oranometria that Lynx (the Lynx)
these southern stars were first shown and Sextans Oraniae (the Sextant of Orania ,nov
grouped into new constellations . From the simply Sextans)
Dutch navigator Pieter Dirchsz Keyser (or Scutum Sobieskii (the Shield of Sobieski,
Petrus Theodori, as it was Latinized ), who now simply Scutum )
died in 1596 , Bayer obtained a descfriipltlion Vulpecula et Anser (the Fox and Goose, now
of the sky which enabled him to in. simply Vulpecula )
most of this southern part of the sphere
wleiathstnepwarctioanllsytellsaptiilolends ,ovseomreintoof wthheichpaartt humouTshlyen, N17ic6h9)olainstrLooduuicsedde13Lancewaillceo(npsotsetl
of the sky mom to the ancients but as lations in the southern heavens , and these
yet unclained by any of the old classical are given at the top of the next page .
constellations . The twelve ner groups are Lacaille took the stars of Pyxis fromArgo
given at the top of the next column . Navis , one of the ancient constellations ,
and tried further to introduce a new con
Bayer oommiitttteedd Coma Berenices , which stellation Malus (the last of Argo Navis ),
had been revived by Tycho Brahe a year be but this did not survive. But because of
fbcoluurtdeepdtrhaeictt.picuabwllliiytchaatiolPlntolaloetfmeryth'seast"rU4o8rnaoncmoomenressttreialiln"a, Atihtrgeoing,rtemoaotderstnhizreeaesotrnfoenwtohmegreooruslpdshacwvoehnossteeplalnarattmiitoeionsnaeordef
tions, Coma Berenices , and the 12 new ones Carina (the Keel), Puppis (the Stern ), and
introduced by Bayer, the total became 61. Vela (the Sail). Argo Navis is no more .
HISTORY AND DEVELOPIENT OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
LACAILLE'S NEW SOUTHERN CONSTELLATIONS The total number of constellations is
now 88, and so it is likely to remain , for
Apparatus sculptoris (the Sculptor's Work there is now no room for any more . In old
shop, now simply Sculptor ) atlases, the constellation boundaries were
Fornax chemica (the chemist's Furnace, now drawn with an exceedingly great degree of
simply Fornax ) freedom ; from one author to another there
Horologium (the clock ) were large differences . In 1928 , a commis
Caela sculptoris (the Sculptor's Chisels, sion of the International Astronomical Un
now simply Caelum ) ion decided on definite boundaries for all
Equuleus pictoris (the Painter's Easel,now the 88 constellations ,and astronomers will
simply Pictor) certainly adhere to these from now on. The
Antlia pneumatica (the Air -pump,now simply complete modern list is given at the bot
Octans (the Octant AofntHliaad)ley) ttohmat othfethcoisnsptaegllea.tionAnisastesereisnk pionodrliyca,teisf
Circinus (the Compasses) at all, from the United States .
Norma or Quadra Euclidis (the Carpenter's
Square , now simply Norma) Today the ancient figures are almost
Telescopium (the Telescope) forgotten ; the constellations are consid
Microscopium (the Kicroscope ) ered to be quite arbitrary areas of the
Mons Mensae ( the Table Mountain , now sim sky , for the purpose of convenience only.
Pyxis nautica p(lytheMeMnsaar)iner's Compass , now Abys wneamcainnglothceatestataeciitnywhfaicihrlyitacicsurafoteunlyd
simply Pyxis ) and describing its location within the
THE MODERN LIST OF CONSTELLATIONS
Andromeda . Princess of Aethiopia Lacerta The Lizard
* Antlia The Air -pump Leo The Lion
* Apus The Bird of Paradise Leo Minor The Lion Cub
Aquarius The Water -Bearer Lepus . The Hare
Aquila • The Eagle Libra The Beam Balance
*Ara .. . The Altar Lupus The Wolf
Aries The Ram Lynx . The Lynx
Auriga The Charioteer Lyra . The Lyre
*BCaoeoltuems The ScTuhleptoBre'asr -CDhriivseerl *MMeicnrsoascopium The. TThaebleMicMroouscnotapien
Camelopardus The Giraffe Monoceros The Unicorn
Fly
Cancer The Crab *Musca The
Canes Venatici The Hunting Dogs *Norma The Carpenter's Square
Canis Major The Greater Dog *Octans The Octant
Canis Minor The Lesser Dog Ophiuchus The Serpent-Holder
Capricornus . The Sea -Goat Orion The Great Hunter
* Carina TheKeel (of Argo Navis) *Pavo . The Peacock
Cassiopeia Queen of Aethiopia Pegasus The Winged Horse
* Centaurus O The Centaur Perseus The Hero
Cepheus . King of Aethiopia *Phoenix The Phoenix
Cetus The Sea -Monster *Pictor The Painter's Easel
*Chamaeleon The Chameleon Pisces The Fishes
*Circinus The compasses Piscis Austrinus . The Southern Fish
Columba , The Dove (of Noah ) Puppis . The Stern (of Argo Navis)
Coma Berenices Berenice's Hair Pyxis The Compass -Box (of Argo)
*CCoorroonnaa BAoursetrailnisa TThhee NSoourtthheerrnn CCrroowwnn *RSeatgicitutlaum TheTheArrNoewt
Corvus • The Crow (or Raven) Sagittarius . The Archer
*CCrruaxter The Sou•the•rnTheCroCsusp #SSccourlppituosr •.. The SculptoTrh'se WScoorkrpshioonp
Cygnus The Swan Scutum . • The Shield (of Jan Sobieski)
Delphinus • The Dolphin Serpens The Serpent
#Dorado The Swordfish Sextans The Sextant
Draco The Dragon Taurus . . The Bull
EEqriudualenuuss ThTeheRFivoearl *TTreialensgcuolpuimum .ThTeheTTelreiascnogplee
* Fornax The Laboratory Furnace * Triangulum Australe ..The Southern Triangle
Gemini The Twins * Tucana • The Toucan
Grus . The Crane Ursa Major . The Greater Bear
Hercules Hercules Ursa Minor . The Lesser Bear
*Horologium The Clock *Vela . The Sail (of Argo Navis)
Hydra .. The Water -Serpent Virgo • The Maiden
*Hydrus . The Water - Snake * Volans The Flying Fish
*Indus . The American Indian Vulpecula The Fox
6 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
state, so we can designate a star by de- but the Arabs preserved Ptolemy's work and
scribing its position within a constella- added a little to the progress of the sub
tion ,or by adding something descriptive of Ject. Particularly were they active in the
its color or brightness . naming of individual stars. Most of the
names are of Arabic origin , usually very
In Bayer's "Uranometria" (1603), Greek bad corruptions of the original descrip
vleidttuearlsswtaerrse inuseedachtocodnesstieglnlaattieonth.e Ainsdai-n mtioosntso.f Btheeteselgenuazmees isthearegooadreexsaemvperleal. vFaorr
ecaxatemdpleas,thIebts-atalr-Jawuhzaich, tthhee A" rAarmbs-phiatdofintdhie- vlaisteionsus. cOonnclyernsicnhgolatrhse oprfonAuranbciicatiocnans aodf
Central One",and whose name had later been the uncorrupted names ; someday we may be
corrupted to Betelgeuze , was designated as able to decide on the pronunciations of
sataOrrioRnigise,l,oirnmtahlephasamoef Ocorinonste."llaTthioenb,rigwhast tshteelloatthieorns .naEmveens ,fothrerteheispunroelyagLreaetminentconas
called Orionis (beta of Orion ). In this to pronunciation . In the body of the text
scheme ,' the Latin genitive or possessive describing each map , many star names are
form of the constellation name might be given, in addition to several included in
considered the "family name of the star, the maps themselves .
and a particular Greek letter the "given
name." In general , the Greek letterswere A BRIEF BIBLIOGRAPHY
assigned in the order of the brightnesses
of the stars in the constellation :a is the Those who have their appetites whet
brightest , B second brightest , y the third ted by this elementary book of maps may
and so on. In some instances , however , ex- care to go on to a more advanced atlas, in
citepctiaonnsbearseeennotltiehsdatt,inatghned oirndersomise othfethmeosree wanhdichFlammasntyeemdoredesstiganrsat,ioasnsw,elwl ialsl tbheeshBoawyner.
or less random of Ptolemy . In the Those by Schurig -Gotze and by Norton are
catalogue compiled by that writer from the good ones. Two other books,"Field Book of
work of Hipparchus and others ,the stars in the Skies" and "Field Book of the Stars" ,
each constellation are grouped into class- can be recommended for their treatments of
es of brightnesses , with no particular ar- individual constellations .
rangement in each class. A few of Bayer's
inversions of letters and brightnesses are Sky and Telescope", a monthly maga
undoubtedly instances of real changes of zine published for amateurs ,at the Harvard
brightness since his day . College Observatory , Cambridge, Massachu
setts , is authoritative ,easy-to-read
In Flamsteed's atlas of 1729,the des- Journal. Another , somewhat more advanced ,
ignations of the stars are numbers. A star is #Popular Astronomy ", published at Good
which is westernmost in a given constella- sell Observatory , Northfield , Minnesota,
tisionnexist dmeossitgnwaetestderlnyumbiser nuim;betrhe2;onfeinwahilclhy For reading in the fields of astrono
the easternmost star in the constellation my other than constellations , the young or
bears the highest number . For example, thiet old beginner may enjoy "Our Starland", by
star Betelgeuze is 58 Orionis , because C. C. Wylie . A well-read adult will prob
lies well toward the east in the constel- ably profit more from reading one of the
lation, while Rigel , near the western edge "Harvard Books on Astronomy " ; some titles
of Orion, is 19 Orionis . This scheme , as are "Earth , Moon and Planets" ,"Between the
well as that of Bayer ,finds general accep- Planets ", "story of Variable Stars", "The
tance and use today ; in addition, we still Milky Way ", and there are others in the
use some of the Arabic proper names . series , published by Blakiston's . For more
formal presentations of the whole subject,
The gap of more than fourteen centur- the introductory textbooks by R.A.Baker
bieyslibtettwleeenactPivtoilteymyin aansdtroBnaoymeyr winasEmuraorpkeed, aanldlyJofhonr Cse.Driuonucsanreaardeerrsec.ommended >, especi
HOW TO USE THE MAPS
Only a glance at the maps on the fol- tion has been eliminated ; the star groups
lowing pageswill suffice to indicate how have the same shapes in the sky and on the
t"oLoouskeingtheEmas.t",Theetc.w,ordsserve"LootokinogrieNnotrthth"e, bmeagpisn.ner Modstefesautchthcehmasretlsvedsesbigynedpefromrittitnhge
NmEfaaoacpsritstnh".gIsfnhsohoyroutoulhduld,bloehboeokwriregivegheahrtstt, s,itsdhitdeeheeupuwwp;oorr.ddissf ""LyLooouookkiainnrgeg ncftsohohizreammerut,cscthhwo,enmitdsshhitsooewtnloltianhrtgthteiieoonnmazsealtplnhsitait.nhhteoTaaondstokvlyyathnmcoaeeinnnyeccawesnuchncotihrercerkuncs,ooltwagaosrrr
By arranging each chart more or less half the sky as half a circular disk, with
in the form of a Maltese Cross,bad distor- the zenith at the top,have been circulated