What is a constellation? When you hear the word constellation you might picture
patterns of dots that are painted across the black sky. Some may think of mythical
heroes and creatures that have been placed in the sky by ancient gods
because of their legendary accomplishments. However in modern
astronomy a constellation refers to a particular region of the sky in which
groups of stars appear to be grouped together. These regions of the sky look
more like border lines of countries instead of ancient beings. However many
people can easily recognize these ancient figures like Orion the Hunter or
Scorpius the Scorpion. Constellations have been reconfigured in some ways over
modern times but in essence the ancient patterns can still be recognized today.
The stories and shapes of constellations will vary depending on who is looking at
them. For example Ursa Major which contains the asterism called the Big
Dipper has also been known to be called the Great Bear or perhaps you see this
version of the bear or maybe you just see a plow instead. Remember that the
story and shape of each constellation will vary depending upon each culture
and what each individual sees.
Most ancient civilizations like the Babylonians the Greeks the Romans and
the Native Americans lived in the northern hemisphere so they were only
able to label stars that were visible in the northern latitudes. Greco-Egyptian
astronomer Ptolemy identified and catalogued more than a thousand stars
and 48 different constellations. Once European explorers started navigating
their way through the southern hemisphere in the 16th century stars in
the southern skies began to be identified and catalogued. These southern
constellations are known as the modern constellations and they show far less
imagination than their northern counterparts. These southern patterns
were named after friends patrons and inventions of the time. For example the
constellation Antlia represents the air pump. It was named in the 17th
century after physicist Robert Boyle who invented the compressed air pump. The
names of the southern constellations seemed to have a lot less ingenuity when
comparing it to the glorious northern constellations. To eliminate confusion
the International Astronomical Union gathered together in 1929 to solidify
the boundaries of the constellations. Today 88 constellations are universally
recognized. Remember constellations are rectangular slices of the sky that holds
stars within that boundary. So why learn about the sky there is much value in
learning about the stars. It gives us a connection to the past but it also paves
the way for the future as younger generations learn and pass on their
knowledge. Hopefully more people will become inspired to venture beyond the
earth and learn about these vast regions of space that have been viewed for
thousands of years. In the past few decades with the development of advanced
technology humans have increasingly become disconnected
from these ancient stories and patterns in the sky.
Not to mention that light pollution from modern civilization has blocked out many
of these magnificent celestial objects.
Let's review what we know. First constellations are rectangular regions
of the sky that contain patterns and shapes of stars. These stars look like
they're grouped together but in reality there lies much distance between each
individual star. A total of 88 constellations are recognized in modern
times. The folklore and myths surrounding the constellations varies from culture
to culture. Constellations are a way to connect globally by sharing the stories
and myths that have been passed down through generations.