- Attachments :
- Today there are 88 named Constellations in the night sky. We tend to learn the ones in the Northern Hemisphere. A new set of Constellations pass through the night sky every few months. 100% of the celestial sphere is covered with Constellations having defined borders and no gaps. The Zodiac is the path the Sun and Moon take through the Constellations. There are 12 Zodiac Constellations, one for each month.
- The naming of Constellations and stars began 6,000 years ago, 3,900 B.C. in Iraq, Akkadians named the path of the Sun and Moon as the “ Furrow of Heaven”. Taurus became a Constellation in 4525 B.C.
- 1400 B.C. the Chinese named a star and inscribed it on oracle bones.
- 1200 B.C. The Babylonians named three stars in three zones of the sky wher the Sun spent 3 consecutive months each year.
- 780 B.C. Homer wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey. He named star patterns in this writing to include the Pleiades ( a star cluster not a Constellation), Ursa Major the Bear, Orion the Hunter, Bootes ,the Ploughman, Hyades and others
- 600 B.C. Thales of Miletus, Greece, defined Ursa Minor the Bear Cub.
- 433 B.C. and even earlier the Chinese had divided the Zodiac into 4 symbols, and subdivided each into seven Mansions:
---------------------- The Azure Dragon
--------------------- The Black Tortoise
--------------------- The White Tiger
--------------------- The Vermilion Bird
- 350 B.C. The Greeks refer to the path of the Sun through the Constellations as the “Circle of Animals”.
- 330 B.C. The Greek Eudoxus created the celestial globe of stars into Constellations.
- 270 B.C. The Greek Aratus authored Phaenomena which included 44 star figures.
- 150 B.C. the Greek Ptolemy authored Almagest which was about mathematics and astronomy of 48 star patterns.
- 350 A.D. The term Constellations is defined in Latin as he “ stars the influence the Earth”.
- 1090 The Chinese Su Song produced 5 woodcut charts of the Constellations.
- 1503 The Italian Vespucii names the Constellations Crux and Triangulum Australe.
- 1515 First printed star maps in Europe with 12 northern Zodiac Constellation and 15 southern Constellations.
- 1551 Dutch mapmaker puts Coma Berenices on his celestial map.
- 1592 Flemish mapmaker puts Columba the Dove Constellation on the celestial map.
- 1597 Dutch navigator creates 11 southern Constellations Apus, Chamaeleon, Dorado, Grus, Hydrus, Indus, Musca, Pavo, Phoenis, Tucana, and Volans.
- 1603 German mapemaker published the first star atlas and laves the brightest stars with Greek letters.
- 1690 German astronomer ads Canes Venatid, Lacerta, Leo Minor, Lynx, Scutum, Sextans, Vulpecula Constellations to the star atlas.
- 1756 French astronomer names 15 Constellations after Scientific equipment: Antlia, Caelum, Circunus, Fornax, Horologium, Mensa, Microscoplum, Norma, Octans, Pictor, Pyxis, Reticulum, Sculptor, Telescopium.
- 1764 French mapmaker adds Constellation Argo Navis, Carina the Keel, Puppis the Stein, Vela the Sail.
- 1922 American astronomer publishes 3 letter abbreviations for each of the Constellations.
- 1928 Belgian astronomer offers official boundaries for all 88 Constellations.
- 1930 Printed version of boundaries of 88 Constellations first appears.
- Today, The Constellations and their stars are visible on every clear night sky. Astronomy books and magazines define what is visible for each month of the year. The brightest stars in the Constellations are named. The positions of the planets, which is the Greek word for “ wanderer”, is defined for each month as they pass through the Zodiac Constellations. Here is a sample of the Constellations and stars for each season:
------------------ WINTER
-------------------------------- Gemini the Twins, Castor and Pollux
-------------------------------- Orion the Hunter, Betelgeuse and Rigel
------------------------------- Taurus the Bull, Aldebaran
------------------------------- Auriga the Charioteer, Capella
------------------ SPRING
------------------------------- Virgo the Virgin, Spica
------------------------------- Leo the Lion, Denebola, Regulus
------------------------------ Bootes the Bear Driver, Arcturus
----------------- SUMMER
------------------------------- Scorpius the Scorpion, Antares
------------------------------- Sagittarius the Archer ( the Teapot ), the center of the Milky Way and the Blackhole.
------------------------------ Capricornus the Sea Goat, ( the Triangle )
------------------ FALL
------------------------------ Aquaries the Water-Bearer
------------------------------ Pisces the Fishes ( The “ V” )
----------------------------- Perseus the Hero, Algo
--------------------- CIRCUMPOLAR IN THE NORTHERN SKY
------------------------------ Ursa Major the Great Bear, the Big Dipper
----------------------------- Ursa Minor the Bear Cub, Polaris the North Star.
---------------------------- Cassiopea the Queen of Ehtiopia, ( the giant “W”)
- Now that you know the Constellations in the Zodiac you can find the planets as they orbit the Sun. Star maps and magazines provide monthly maps of the positions of each of the planets. Jupiter with its 4 moons, the Moon, Saturn, Mercury, Venus are great sights with binoculars or a backyard telescope. On April 15, 2012, Saturn is be in the Constellation Virgo the Virgin near the star Spica. Mars will be in the Constellation Leo the Lion near the star Regulus. Have fun.
---------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
RSVP, please reply with a number to rate this review: #1- learned something new. #2 - Didn’t read it. #3- very interesting. #4- Send another review #___ from the index. #5- Keep em coming. #6- I forwarded copies to some friends. #7- Don‘t send me these anymore! #8- I am forwarding you some questions? Index is available with email and with requested reviews at http://jdetrick.blogspot.com/ Please send feedback, corrections, or recommended improvements to: jamesdetrick@comcast.net.
or, use: “Jim Detrick” www.facebook.com, or , www.twitter.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment