Speaker 1: Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast. Why I help
Speaker 1: you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host,
Speaker 1: Benjamin Boster, and today's episode is about constellations. A constellation
Speaker 1: is an area on the celestial sphere in which a
Speaker 1: group of visible stars forms of perceived pattern or outline,
Speaker 1: typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The
Speaker 1: first constellations were likely defined in prehistory. People use them
Speaker 1: to relate stories of their beliefs, experiences, creation, and mythology.
Speaker 1: Different cultures and countries invented their own constellations, some of
Speaker 1: which lasted into the early twentieth century before to day's
Speaker 1: constellations were internationally recognized. The recognition of constellations has changed
Speaker 1: significantly over time. Many changed in size or shape. Some
Speaker 1: became popular only to drop and to obscurity. Some were
Speaker 1: limited to a single culture or nation. Naming constellations also
Speaker 1: helped astronomers and navigators identify stars more easily. Twelve or
Speaker 1: thirteen ancient constellations belonged to the Zodiac, straddling the ecliptic,
Speaker 1: which the sun, moon, and planets ultraverse. The origins of
Speaker 1: the Zodiac remain historically uncertain. Its astrological divisions became prominent
Speaker 1: circa four hundred BC in Babylon or Chaldean astronomy. Constellations
Speaker 1: appear in Western culture via Greece, and are mentioned in
Speaker 1: the works of Hesiod, Eudoxus, and Aratus. The traditional forty
Speaker 1: eight constellations consisting of the zodiac and thirty six more
Speaker 1: now thirty eight following the division of Argonavus into three constellations,
Speaker 1: are listed by Ptolemy, a Greco Roman astronomer from Alexandria, Egypt,
Speaker 1: and his almagist. The formation of constellations was the subject
Speaker 1: of extensive mythology, most notably in the metamorphoses of the
Speaker 1: Latin poet Ovid Constellations in the far southern sky were
Speaker 1: added from the fifteenth century until the mid eighteenth century,
Speaker 1: when European explorers began traveling to the southern hemisphere. In
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty two, the International Astronomical Union IAU formerly accepted
Speaker 1: the modern list of eighty eight constellations, and in nineteen
Speaker 1: twenty eight adopted official constellation boundaries that together cover the
Speaker 1: entire celestial sphere. Any given point in a celestial coordinate
Speaker 1: system lies in one of the modern constellations. Some astronomical
Speaker 1: naming systems include the constellation, where a given celestial object
Speaker 1: is found to convey its approximate location in the sky.
Speaker 1: The flamsty designation of a star, for example, consists of
Speaker 1: a number and the genitive form of the constellation's name.
Speaker 1: Other star patterns or groups called asterisms, are not constellations
Speaker 1: under the formal definition, but are also used by observers
Speaker 1: to navigate the night sky. Asterisms may be several stars
Speaker 1: within a constellation, or they may share stars with more
Speaker 1: than one constellation. Examples of asterisms include the Teapot within
Speaker 1: the constellation Sagittarius or the Big Dipper in the constellation
Speaker 1: of Ursa Major. The word constellation comes from the Late
Speaker 1: Latin term constellatio, which can be translated as set up stars.
Speaker 1: It came into use in Middle English during the fourteenth century.
Speaker 1: The Ancient Greek word for constellation is astron These terms
Speaker 1: historically referred to any recognizable pattern of stars whose appearance
Speaker 1: was associated with mythological characters or creatures, earth bound animals,
Speaker 1: or objects. Over time, among European astronomers, the constellations became
Speaker 1: clearly defined and widely recognized in the twentieth century, the
Speaker 1: International Astronomical Union recognized eighty eight constellations, each of which
Speaker 1: has a Latin name. A constellation or star that never
Speaker 1: sets below the life horizon when viewed from a particular
Speaker 1: latitude on Earth, is termed circumpolar. From the north pole
Speaker 1: or south pole, all constellations south or north of the
Speaker 1: celestial equator are circumpolar. Depending on the definition, Equatorial constellations
Speaker 1: may include those that lie between declinations forty five degrees
Speaker 1: north and forty five degrees south, or those that pass
Speaker 1: through the declination range of the ecliptic or zodiac, ranging
Speaker 1: between twenty three point five degrees north and twenty three
Speaker 1: point five degrees south. Stars and constellations can appear near
Speaker 1: each other in the sky, but they usually lie at
Speaker 1: a variety of distance away from the Earth. Since each
Speaker 1: star has its own independent motion, all constellations will change
Speaker 1: slowly over time. After tens to hundreds of thousands of years,
Speaker 1: familiar outlines will become unrecognizable. Astronomers can predict the past
Speaker 1: or future constellation outlines by measuring common proper motions of
Speaker 1: individual stars by accurate astrometry and their radio velocities by
Speaker 1: astronomical spectroscopy. The eighty eight constellations recognized by the IAU,
Speaker 1: as well as those by cultures throughout history, are imagined
Speaker 1: figures and shapes derived from patterns of stars in the
Speaker 1: observable sky. Many officially recognized constellations are based on the
Speaker 1: imaginations of ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean mythologies. Some of
Speaker 1: these stories seem to relate to the appearance of the constellations,
Speaker 1: e g. The assassination of Orion by Scorpius their constellations
Speaker 1: appearing at opposite times of year. Constellation positions change throughout
Speaker 1: the year due to night on Earth occurring at gradually
Speaker 1: different portions of its orbit around the Sun. As Earth
Speaker 1: rotates towards the east, the celestial sphere appears to rotate west,
Speaker 1: with stars circling counterclockwise around the Northern pole Star and
Speaker 1: clockwise around the Southern Pole Star. Because of Earth's twenty
Speaker 1: three point five degree axial tilt, the zodiac is distributed
Speaker 1: equally across hemispheres along the ecliptic, approximating a great circle.
Speaker 1: Zodiacal constellations of the northern sky or Pisces, Ares, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer,
Speaker 1: and Leo in the southern sky are Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus,
Speaker 1: and Aquarius. The ecliptic appears overhead from latitudes of twenty
Speaker 1: three point five degrees north to twenty three point five
Speaker 1: degrees south. In both hemispheres, the Zodiac appears low during
Speaker 1: summer and high during winter, while due to the Earth
Speaker 1: tilled it descends nightly during spring and ascends in autumn.
Speaker 1: Due to the solar system sixty degree tilled. The galactic
Speaker 1: plane of the Milky Way is inclined sixty degrees from
Speaker 1: the ecliptic between Taurus and Gemini north and Scorpius and
Speaker 1: Sagittarius south, and near the galactic center can be found.
Speaker 1: The galaxy appears to pass through Aqula near the celestial
Speaker 1: equator and northern constellations Signus, Cassiopia, Perseus, Ariga, and Orion
Speaker 1: near Beetlejuice, as well as monoceras near the celestial equator
Speaker 1: and southern constellations Pupus, Vela, Cariina, Crux, Centaurus, Triangula, Mastrilla,
Speaker 1: and Ara Polaris. Being the north Star is the approximate
Speaker 1: center of the northern celestial hemisphere. It is part of
Speaker 1: Ursa Minor, constituting the end of the Little Dippers handle
Speaker 1: from latitudes of around thirty five degrees north. In January,
Speaker 1: Ursa Major containing the Big Dipper appears to the northeast,
Speaker 1: Whilecasiopeiae is the northwest. To the west are Pi Seas
Speaker 1: above the horizon and Aries to the southwest. Cetus is
Speaker 1: near the horizon up high and to the south are
Speaker 1: Orion and Taurus. To the southeast above the horizon is
Speaker 1: Canus major, appearing above and to the east of Orion
Speaker 1: is Gemini. Also in the Ea east and progressively closer
Speaker 1: to the horizon are Cancer and Leo. In addition to
Speaker 1: tous Perseus and Ariga appear overhead from the same latitude.
Speaker 1: In July, Cassiopeia low in the sky, and Sephius appear
Speaker 1: to the northeast. Ursa Major is now in the northwest.
Speaker 1: Botes is high up in the west, Virgo is to
Speaker 1: the west, with Libra southwest and Scorpius south Sagittarius and
Speaker 1: Capricorn are southeast. Signus containing the northern Cross, is to
Speaker 1: the east. Hercules is high in the sky along with Coronaborealis.
Speaker 1: January constellations include Pictor and Reticulum near Hydras and Mensa, respectively.
Speaker 1: In july Ara, adjacent to Triangula, Mostralla and Scorpius can
Speaker 1: be seen. Constellations near the pole star include Cameleon, APIs
Speaker 1: and Triangula Mostralla near Centaurus Pavo, Hydras and Mensa. Sigma
Speaker 1: O Tantus is the closest star approximating a southern pole star,
Speaker 1: but is faint in the night sky. Thus, the Pole
Speaker 1: can be triangulated using the constellation Crux, as well as
Speaker 1: the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri about thirty degrees clockwise
Speaker 1: from Crux of the constellation Centaurus arching over Crux. It
Speaker 1: has been suggested that the seventeen thousand year old cave
Speaker 1: paintings in Lasco, southern France depict star constellations such as Taurus,
Speaker 1: Orion's Belt and the Pleiades. However, this view is not
Speaker 1: generally accepted among scientists. Inscribed stones and clay riding tablets
Speaker 1: from Mesopotamia in modern Iraq dating to three thousand b C.
Speaker 1: Provide the earliest generally accepted evidence for human kind's identification
Speaker 1: of constellations. It seems that the bulk of the Mesopotamian
Speaker 1: constellations were created within a relatively short interval from around
Speaker 1: thirteen hundred to one thousand b C. Mesopotamian constellations appear
Speaker 1: later in many of the classical Greek constellations. The oldest
Speaker 1: Babylonian catalogs of stars and constellations date back to the
Speaker 1: beginning of the Middle Bronze Age, most notably the Three
Speaker 1: Stars Each texts and the Molopan, an expanded and revised
Speaker 1: version based on more accurate observation from around one thousand PC. However,
Speaker 1: the numerous Sumerian names in these catalogs suggest that they
Speaker 1: built on older but otherwise unattested Sumerian traditions of the
Speaker 1: Early Bronze Age. The Classic Zodiac is a revision of
Speaker 1: Neo Babylonian constellations from the sixth century BC. The Greeks
Speaker 1: adopted the Babylonia constellations in the fourth century BC. Twenty
Speaker 1: eight Ptolemaic constellations or from the ancient Near East. Another
Speaker 1: ten have the same stars but different names. Biblical scholar E. W.
Speaker 1: Bullinger interpreted some of the creatures mentioned in the Books
Speaker 1: of Ezekiel and Revelation as the middle signs of the
Speaker 1: four quarters of the zodiac, with the lion as Leo,
Speaker 1: the bull as Taurus, the man representing Aquarius, and the
Speaker 1: eagles standing in for Scorpio. The Biblical Book of Job
Speaker 1: also makes reference to a number of constellations, including Ayish
Speaker 1: beer chessel fool kaima heap rendered as Arcturus O'Ryan and
Speaker 1: Pleiades by the King James version, but Aeyish the Beier
Speaker 1: actually corresponding to ursa major. The term mazarrath, translated as
Speaker 1: a garland of crowns is ahoppax legamenum in Job thirty
Speaker 1: eight thirty two, and it might refer to the zodiacal constellations.
Speaker 1: There is only limited information on ancient Greek constellations, with
Speaker 1: some fragmentary evidence being found in the works and days
Speaker 1: of the Greek Poehesiod, who mentioned the heavenly bodies. Greek
Speaker 1: astronomy essentially adopted the older Babylonian system in the Hellenistic era,
Speaker 1: first introduced to Greece by Eudoxus of Nidis in the
Speaker 1: fourth century BC. The original work of Eudoxus is lost,
Speaker 1: but it survives as a versification by Aratus dating to
Speaker 1: the third century BC. The most complete existing works dealing
Speaker 1: with the mystical origins of the constellations are by the
Speaker 1: Hellenistic writer termed pseudo Erasthenes and an early Roman writer
Speaker 1: styled Pseudo Hygienus. The basis of Western astronomy as taught
Speaker 1: during late Antiquity and until the early Modern period is
Speaker 1: the Omagus by Ptolemy, written in the second century in
Speaker 1: the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Native Egyptian tradition of anthropomorphic figures represented
Speaker 1: the planets, stars, and various constellations. Some of these were
Speaker 1: combined with Greek and Babylonian astronomical systems, culminating in the
Speaker 1: zodiac of Dendra, the oldest known depiction of the zodiac,
Speaker 1: showing all the now familiar constellations, along with some original
Speaker 1: Egyptian constellations deacons, and planet It remains unclear when this occurred,
Speaker 1: but most were placed during the Roman period between second
Speaker 1: to four centuries a d. Ptolemy's amagist remained the standard
Speaker 1: definition of constellations in the medieval period, both in Europe
Speaker 1: and in Islamic astronomy. Ancient China had a long tradition
Speaker 1: of observing celestial phenomena. Non specific Chinese star names later
Speaker 1: categorized in the twenty eight mansions have been found on
Speaker 1: oracle bones from Anyang dating back to the middle Shong dynasty.
Speaker 1: Chinese constellations are among the most significant observations of the
Speaker 1: Chinese sky, dating back to the fifth century b c e.
Speaker 1: The Chinese system developed independently from the Greco Roman system,
Speaker 1: although there may have been earlier mutual influence suggested by
Speaker 1: parallels to ancient Babylonian astronomy. Three schools of classical Chinese
Speaker 1: astronomy in the Han period are attributed to astronomers of
Speaker 1: the earlier Warring States period. The constellations of the three
Speaker 1: schools were conflated into a single system by Chen z Wo,
Speaker 1: an astronomer of the third century the Three Kingdoms period.
Speaker 1: Chenswoo's work has been lost, but information on his system
Speaker 1: of constellation survives in Tang dynasty records, notably by A.
Speaker 1: Gautama Sida in his nine Caesar's Canon, an Indo Chinese
Speaker 1: resident of Chang'an. The oldest extant Chinese star chart dates
Speaker 1: to that period and was preserved as part of the
Speaker 1: Dunhuang manuscripts. Native Chinese astronomy flourished during the Song dynasty
Speaker 1: and during the Yuan dynasty and the subsequent Ming Dynasty
Speaker 1: became increasingly influenced by other Eastern and Western astronomers of
Speaker 1: the medieval era. As maps were prepared during this period
Speaker 1: on more scientific lines, they were considered as more reliable.
Speaker 1: A well known map from the Song period is a
Speaker 1: Suzio astronomical chart, which was prepared with carvings of stars
Speaker 1: on the planisphere of the Chinese sky on a stone plate.
Speaker 1: It is done accurately based on observations and it shows
Speaker 1: the one thousand fifty four supernovae and tarus. Influenced by
Speaker 1: European astronomy during the late Ming Dynasty, charts depicted more
Speaker 1: stars but retained the traditional constellations. Newly observed stars were
Speaker 1: incorporated as supplementary to old constellations in the southern sky,
Speaker 1: which did not depict the traditional stars recorded by ancient
Speaker 1: Chinese astronomers. Further improvements were made during the later part
Speaker 1: of the Ming dynasty by Siou Kwang and Johann Adam
Speaker 1: Schalfon bel the German Jesuit, and were recorded in Chungjen
Speaker 1: Lishue Callindrical Treatise of Chungxen period sixteen twenty eight. Traditional
Speaker 1: Chinese star maps incorporated twenty three new constellations with one
Speaker 1: hundred and twenty five stars of the southern hemisphere of
Speaker 1: the sky, based on the knowledge of Western star charts.
Speaker 1: With this improvement, the Chinese sky was integrated with world astronomy. Historically,
Speaker 1: the origins of the constellations of the northern and southern
Speaker 1: skies are distinctly different. Most northern constellations state to antiquity,
Speaker 1: with names based mostly on classical Greek legends. Evidence of
Speaker 1: these constellations has survived in the form of star charts,
Speaker 1: whose oldest representation appears on a statue known as the
Speaker 1: Farnese Atlas, based perhaps on the star catalog of the
Speaker 1: Greek astronomer Hipparchus. Southern constellations are more modern inventions, sometimes
Speaker 1: as substitutes for ancient constellations. Some southern constellations had long
Speaker 1: names that were shortened to more usable forms, e g.
Speaker 1: Musca Australis became simply Musca. Some of the early constellations
Speaker 1: were never universally adopted. Stars were often grouped into constellations
Speaker 1: differently by different observers, and the arbitrary constellation boundaries often
Speaker 1: led to confusion as to which constellation a celestial object
Speaker 1: belonged before astronomer's delineated precise boundaries. Starting in the nineteenth century,
Speaker 1: constellations generally appeared as ill defined regions of the sky.
Speaker 1: To day, they now follow officially accepted designated lines of
Speaker 1: right ascension and declination based on those defined by Benjamin
Speaker 1: Gould and Equinox B one eight seven five Dodd zero
Speaker 1: in his Star catalog ur A Armetria Argentina. The sixteen
Speaker 1: o three Star Atlas ur Anometria of Johann Bayer assign
Speaker 1: stars to individual constellations and formalize the division by assigning
Speaker 1: a series of Greek and Latin letters to the stars
Speaker 1: within each constellation. These are known today as Bayer designations.
Speaker 1: Subsequent star atlases led to the development of today's accepted
Speaker 1: modern constellations. Several modern proposals have not survived. The French
Speaker 1: astronomers Pierre le Monnier and Joseph Lalone, for example, proposed
Speaker 1: constellations that were once popular but have since been dropped.
Speaker 1: The northern constellation quadrans Muralas survived into the nineteenth century,
Speaker 1: but is now divided between Beauhodes and Draco. In nineteen
Speaker 1: twenty two, Henry Norris Russell produced a list of eighty
Speaker 1: eight constellations with three letter abbreviations for them. However, these
Speaker 1: instellations did not have clear borders between them. In nineteen
Speaker 1: twenty eight, the IAU formerly accepted the eighty eight modern
Speaker 1: constellations with contiguous boundaries along vertical and horizontal lines of
Speaker 1: right ascension and declination developed by Eugene da Porte, that
Speaker 1: together cover the entire celestial sphere. This list was finally
Speaker 1: published in nineteen thirty. Where possible, these modern constellations usually
Speaker 1: share the names of their Greco Roman predecessors, such as Orion, Leo,
Speaker 1: or Scorpius. The aim of this system is area mapping,
Speaker 1: i e. The division of the celestial sphere into contiguous fields.
Speaker 1: Of the eighty eight modern constellations, thirty six lie predominantly
Speaker 1: in the northern sky, and the other fifty two predominantly
Speaker 1: in the southern. The boundaries developed by deport used data
Speaker 1: that originated back to Epic B one eight seven five zero,
Speaker 1: which was when Benjamin A. Gould first made his proposal
Speaker 1: to designate boundaries for the celestial sphere, a suggestion on
Speaker 1: which Telport based his work. The consequence of this early
Speaker 1: date is that, because of the procession of the equinoxes,
Speaker 1: the borders on a modern star map such as Epic
Speaker 1: J two thousand are already somewhat skewed and no longer
Speaker 1: perfectly vertical or horizontal. This effect will increase over the
Speaker 1: years and centuries to come. The constellations have no official symbols,
Speaker 1: though those of the Ecliptic may take the signs of
Speaker 1: the zodiac. Symbols for the other modern constellations, as well
Speaker 1: as older ones that still occur in modern nomenclature, have
Speaker 1: occasionally been published. The Great Rift, a series of dark
Speaker 1: patches in the Milky Way, is most visible in the
Speaker 1: southern sky. Members of the Inca civilization identified various dark
Speaker 1: areas or dark nebulae in the Milky Way as animals,
Speaker 1: and associated their appearance with the seasonal rains. Australian aboriginal
Speaker 1: astronomy also describes dark cloud constellations, the most famous being
Speaker 1: the Emu in the sky, whose head is formed from
Speaker 1: the coulsac, a dark nebula instead of the stars. At