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HandWiki. 88 Modern Constellations. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28404 (accessed on 15 November 2024).
HandWiki. 88 Modern Constellations. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/28404. Accessed November 15, 2024.
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88 Modern Constellations
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In contemporary astronomy, the sky is divided into 88 regions called constellations, generally based on the asterisms (which are also called "constellations") of Greek and Roman mythology. The number of 88, along with the contemporary scientific notion of "constellation", was conventioned in 1922 by the International Astronomical Union in order to establish a universal pattern for professional astronomers, who defined constellations from then on as regions of the sky separated by arcs of right ascensions and declinations and grouped by asterisms of their historically most important stars, which cover the entire celestial sphere. The constellations along the ecliptic are called the zodiac. The ancient Sumerians, and later the Greeks (as recorded by Ptolemy), established most of the northern constellations in international use today. When explorers mapped the stars of the southern skies, European and American astronomers proposed new constellations for that region, as well as ones to fill gaps between the traditional constellations. Not all of these proposals caught on, but in 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted the modern list of 88 constellations. After this, Eugène Joseph Delporte drew up precise boundaries for each constellation, so that every point in the sky belonged to exactly one constellation.

declinations astronomy iau

1. History

Some constellations are no longer recognized by the International Astronomical Union, but may appear in older star charts and other references. Most notable is Argo Navis, which was one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations.

2. Modern Constellations

The 88 constellations depict 42 animals, 29 inanimate objects and 17 humans or mythological characters.

2.1. Abbreviations

Each of the IAU constellations has an official 3 letter abbreviation. They are actually abbreviations of the genitive form of the constellation names, so some letters appearing in the abbreviation may come from the genitive form without appearing in the base name (as in Sge for Sagitta/Sagittae, to avoid confusion with Sagittarius, abbreviated Sgr).

The majority of the abbreviations are just the first three letters of the constellation, with the first character capitalised: Ori for Orion, Ara for Ara/Arae, Com for Coma Berenices. In cases where this would not unambiguously identify the constellation, or where the name and its genitive differ in the first three letters, other letters beyond the initial three are used: Aps for Apus/Apodis, CrA for Corona Australis, CrB for Corona Borealis, Crv for Corvus. (Crater is abbreviated Crt to prevent confusion with CrA.)

When letters are taken from the second word of a two-word name, the first letter from the second word is capitalised: CMa for Canis Major, CMi for Canis Minor.

The abbreviations are unambiguous, with two exceptions. Leo for the constellation Leo could be mistaken for Leo Minor (abbreviated LMi), and Tri for Triangulum could be mistaken for Triangulum Australe (abbreviated TrA).[1]

2.2. List

For help with the literary English pronunciations, see the pronunciation key. There is considerable diversity in how Latinate names are pronounced in English. For traditions closer to the original, see Latin spelling and pronunciation.

Constellation Abbreviations Genitive Origin Meaning Brightest star
IAU[2] Other[3]
Andromeda
/ænˈdrɒmɪdə/[4]		 And Andr Andromedae
/ænˈdrɒmɪdiː/		 ancient (Ptolemy) Andromeda (The chained maiden or princess) Alpheratz
Antlia
/ˈæntliə/[4]		 Ant Antl Antliae
/ˈæntliiː/		 1763, Lacaille air pump α Antliae
Apus
/ˈeɪpəs/[5]		 Aps Apus Apodis
/ˈæpoʊdɪs/[5]		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman Bird-of-paradise/Exotic Bird/Extraordinary Bird α Apodis
Aquarius
/əˈkwɛəriəs/[4]		 Aqr Aqar Aquarii
/əˈkwɛəriaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) water-bearer Sadalsuud
Aquila
/ˈækwɪlə/[4]		 Aql Aqil Aquilae
/ˈækwɪliː/		 ancient (Ptolemy) eagle Altair
Ara
/ˈɛərə/[5]		 Ara Arae Arae
/ˈɛəriː/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) altar β Arae
Aries
/ˈɛər(i)iːz/[4][5]		 Ari Arie Arietis
/əˈraɪ.ɪtɪs/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) ram Hamal
Auriga
/ɔːˈraɪɡə/[4][5]		 Aur Auri Aurigae
/ɔːˈraɪdʒiː/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) charioteer Capella
Boötes
/boʊˈoʊtiːz/[4]		 Boo Boot Boötis
/boʊˈoʊtɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) herdsman Arcturus
Caelum
/ˈsiːləm/[5]		 Cae Cael Caeli
/ˈsiːlaɪ/[5]		 1763, Lacaille chisel or graving tool α Caeli
Camelopardalis
/kəˌmɛloʊˈpɑːrdəlɪs/[5]		 Cam Caml Camelopardalis
/kəˌmɛloʊˈpɑːrdəlɪs/[5]		 1613, Plancius[6] giraffe β Camelopardalis
Cancer
/ˈkænsər/[4]		 Cnc Canc Cancri
/ˈkæŋkraɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) crab Tarf[7]
Canes Venatici
/ˈkeɪniːz vɪˈnætɪsaɪ/[5]		 CVn CVen Canum Venaticorum
/ˈkeɪnəm vɪnætɪˈkɒrəm/		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius hunting dogs Cor Caroli
Canis Major
/ˈkeɪnɪs ˈmeɪdʒər/[5]		 CMa CMaj Canis Majoris
/ˈkeɪnɪs məˈdʒɒrɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) greater dog Sirius
Canis Minor
/ˈkeɪnɪs ˈmaɪnər/[5]		 CMi CMin Canis Minoris
/ˈkeɪnɪs mɪˈnɒrɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) lesser dog Procyon
Capricornus
/ˌkæprɪˈkɔːrnəs/[5]		 Cap Capr Capricorni
/ˌkæprɪˈkɔːrnaɪ/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) sea goat Deneb Algedi
Carina
/kəˈraɪnə/[4]		 Car Cari Carinae
/kəˈraɪniː/		 1763, Lacaille, split from Argo Navis keel Canopus
Cassiopeia
/ˌkæsioʊˈpiːə/[4][5]		 Cas Cass Cassiopeiae
/ˌkæsioʊˈpiːiː/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) Cassiopeia (mythological character) Schedar[7]
Centaurus
/sɛnˈtɔːrəs/[4]		 Cen Cent Centauri
/sɛnˈtɔːraɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) centaur Rigil Kentaurus[7]
Cepheus
/ˈsiːfiəs, -fjuːs/[5]		 Cep Ceph Cephei
/ˈsiːfiaɪ/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) Cepheus (mythological character) Alderamin
Cetus
/ˈsiːtəs/[5]		 Cet Ceti Ceti
/ˈsiːtaɪ/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) sea monster (later interpreted as a whale) Diphda[7]
Chamaeleon
/kəˈmiːliən/[4]		 Cha Cham Chamaeleontis
/kəˌmiːliˈɒntɪs/		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman chameleon α Chamaeleontis
Circinus
/ˈsɜːrsɪnəs/[4]		 Cir Circ Circini
/ˈsɜːrsɪnaɪ/		 1763, Lacaille compasses α Circini
Columba
/koʊˈlʌmbə/[4]		 Col Colm Columbae
/koʊˈlʌmbiː/		 1592, Plancius, split from Canis Major dove Phact
Coma Berenices
/ˈkoʊmə bɛrəˈnaɪsiːz/[5]		 Com Coma Comae Berenices
/ˈkoʊmiː bɛrəˈnaɪsiːz/[5]		 1603, Uranometria, split from Leo Berenice's hair β Comae Berenices
Corona Australis[8]
/koʊˈroʊnə ɔːˈstrælɪs, -ˈstreɪ-/[4][5]		 CrA CorA Coronae Australis
/koʊˈroʊniː ɔːˈstrælɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) southern crown Meridiana[7]
Corona Borealis
/koʊˈroʊnə ˌbɔːriˈælɪs, -ˈeɪlɪs/[4][5]		 CrB CorB Coronae Borealis
/koʊˈroʊniː bɔːriˈælɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) northern crown Alphecca
Corvus
/ˈkɔːrvəs/[4]		 Crv Corv Corvi
/ˈkɔːrvaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) crow Gienah
Crater
/ˈkreɪtər/[4]		 Crt Crat Crateris
/krəˈtɪərɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) cup δ Crateris
Crux
/ˈkrʌks/[4]		 Cru Cruc Crucis
/ˈkruːsɪs/		 1603, Uranometria, split from Centaurus southern cross Acrux
Cygnus
/ˈsɪɡnəs/[4]		 Cyg Cygn Cygni
/ˈsɪɡnaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) swan or Northern Cross Deneb
Delphinus
/dɛlˈfaɪnəs/[4]		 Del Dlph Delphini
/dɛlˈfaɪnaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) dolphin Rotanev
Dorado
/dəˈrɑːdoʊ/[9]		 Dor Dora Doradus
/dəˈreɪdəs/		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman dolphinfish α Doradus
Draco
/ˈdreɪkoʊ/[5]		 Dra Drac Draconis
/drəˈkoʊnɪs/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) dragon Eltanin[7]
Equuleus
/ɪˈkwuːliəs/[5]		 Equ Equl Equulei
/ɪˈkwuːliaɪ/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) pony Kitalpha
Eridanus
/ɪˈrɪdənəs/[5]		 Eri Erid Eridani
/ɪˈrɪdənaɪ/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) river Eridanus (mythology) Achernar
Fornax
/ˈfɔːrnæks/		 For Forn Fornacis
/fɔːrˈneɪsɪs/		 1763, Lacaille chemical furnace Dalim[7]
Gemini
/ˈdʒɛmɪnaɪ/[4]		 Gem Gemi Geminorum
/ˌdʒɛmɪˈnɒrəm/		 ancient (Ptolemy) twins Pollux
Grus
/ˈɡrʌs/[5]		 Gru Grus Gruis
/ˈɡruːɪs/[5]		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman Crane Alnair
Hercules
/ˈhɜːrkjʊliːz/[5]		 Her Herc Herculis
/ˈhɜːrkjʊlɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) Hercules (mythological character) Kornephoros
Horologium
/ˌhɒrəˈlɒdʒiəm, -ˈloʊ-/[4][5]		 Hor Horo Horologii
/ˌhɒrəˈloʊdʒiaɪ/		 1763, Lacaille pendulum clock α Horologii
Hydra
/ˈhaɪdrə/[4]		 Hya Hyda Hydrae
/ˈhaɪdriː/		 ancient (Ptolemy) Hydra (mythological creature) Alphard
Hydrus
/ˈhaɪdrəs/[4]		 Hyi Hydi Hydri
/ˈhaɪdraɪ/		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman lesser water snake β Hydri
Indus
/ˈɪndəs/[4]		 Ind Indi Indi
/ˈɪndaɪ/		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman Indian (of unspecified type) α Indi
Lacerta
/ləˈsɜːrtə/[4]		 Lac Lacr Lacertae
/ləˈsɜːrtiː/		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius lizard α Lacertae
Leo
/ˈliːoʊ/[4]		 Leo Leon Leonis
/liːˈoʊnɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) lion Regulus
Leo Minor
/ˈliːoʊ ˈmaɪnər/[4]		 LMi LMin Leonis Minoris
/liːˈoʊnɪs mɪˈnɒrɪs/		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius lesser lion Praecipua
Lepus
/ˈliːpəs/[5]		 Lep Leps Leporis
/ˈlɛpərɪs/[4][5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) hare Arneb
Libra
/ˈlaɪbrə, ˈliː-/[4]		 Lib Libr Librae
/ˈlaɪbriː/		 ancient (Ptolemy) balance Zubeneschamali[7]
Lupus
/ˈljuːpəs/[4]		 Lup Lupi Lupi
/ˈljuːpaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) wolf α Lupi
Lynx
/ˈlɪŋks/[4]		 Lyn Lync Lyncis
/ˈlɪnsɪs/		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius lynx α Lyncis
Lyra
/ˈlaɪrə/[4]		 Lyr Lyra Lyrae
/ˈlaɪriː/		 ancient (Ptolemy) lyre / harp Vega
Mensa
/ˈmɛnsə/[4]		 Men Mens Mensae
/ˈmɛnsiː/		 1763, Lacaille Table Mountain (South Africa) α Mensae
Microscopium
/ˌmaɪkroʊˈskoʊpiəm/		 Mic Micr Microscopii
/ˌmaɪkroʊˈskoʊpiaɪ/		 1763, Lacaille microscope γ Microscopii
Monoceros
/məˈnɒsɪrəs/[4][5]		 Mon Mono Monocerotis
/ˌmɒnəsɪˈroʊtɪs/		 1613, Plancius unicorn β Monocerotis
Musca
/ˈmʌskə/[5]		 Mus Musc Muscae
/ˈmʌsiː/[4][5]		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman fly α Muscae
Norma
/ˈnɔːrmə/[4]		 Nor Norm Normae
/ˈnɔːrmiː/[4]		 1763, Lacaille carpenter's level γ2 Normae
Octans
/ˈɒktænz/[5]		 Oct Octn Octantis
/ɒkˈtæntɪs/[5]		 1763, Lacaille octant (instrument) ν Octantis
Ophiuchus
/ˌɒfiˈjuːkəs/[4]		 Oph Ophi Ophiuchi
/ˌɒfiˈjuːkaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) serpent-bearer Rasalhague
Orion
/oʊˈraɪən/[4]		 Ori Orio Orionis
/oʊˈraɪənɪs, ˌɒriˈoʊnɪs/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) Orion (mythological character) Rigel
Pavo
/ˈpeɪvoʊ/[4][5]		 Pav Pavo Pavonis
/pəˈvoʊnɪs/[5]		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman peacock Peacock
Pegasus
/ˈpɛɡəsəs/[4]		 Peg Pegs Pegasi
/ˈpɛɡəsaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) Pegasus (mythological winged horse) Enif
Perseus
/ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/[5]		 Per Pers Persei
/ˈpɜːrsiaɪ/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) Perseus (mythological character) Mirfak
Phoenix
/ˈfiːnɪks/[4]		 Phe Phoe Phoenicis
/fɪˈnaɪsɪs/		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman phoenix Ankaa
Pictor
/ˈpɪktər/[5]		 Pic Pict Pictoris
/pɪkˈtɔːrɪs/[5]		 1763, Lacaille easel α Pictoris
Pisces
/ˈpaɪsiːz, ˈpɪ-/[4][5]		 Psc Pisc Piscium
/ˈpɪʃiəm/[5]		 ancient (Ptolemy) fishes Alpherg
Piscis Austrinus
/ˈpaɪsɪs ɔːˈstraɪnəs/		 PsA PscA Piscis Austrini
/ˈpaɪsɪs ɔːˈstraɪnaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) southern fish Fomalhaut
Puppis
/ˈpʌpɪs/[5]		 Pup Pupp Puppis
/ˈpʌpɪs/[5]		 1763, Lacaille, split from Argo Navis poop deck Naos
Pyxis
/ˈpɪksɪs/[4]		 Pyx Pyxi Pyxidis
/ˈpɪksɪdɪs/		 1763, Lacaille mariner's compass α Pyxidis
Reticulum
/rɪˈtɪkjʊləm/[4]		 Ret Reti Reticuli
/rɪˈtɪkjʊlaɪ/		 1763, Lacaille eyepiece graticule α Reticuli
Sagitta
/səˈdʒɪtə/[4]		 Sge Sgte Sagittae
/səˈdʒɪtiː/		 ancient (Ptolemy) arrow γ Sagittae
Sagittarius
/sædʒɪˈtɛəriəs/[4]		 Sgr Sgtr Sagittarii
/ˌsædʒəˈtɛəriaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) archer Kaus Australis
Scorpius
/ˈskɔːrpiəs/[4]		 Sco Scor Scorpii
/ˈskɔːrpiaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) scorpion Antares
Sculptor
/ˈskʌlptər/[4]		 Scl Scul Sculptoris
/skəlpˈtɒrɪs/		 1763, Lacaille sculptor α Sculptoris
Scutum
/ˈskjuːtəm/[4]		 Sct Scut Scuti
/ˈskjuːtaɪ/		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius shield (of Sobieski) α Scuti
Serpens[10]
/ˈsɜːrpɛnz/		 Ser Serp Serpentis
/sərˈpɛntɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) snake Unukalhai
Sextans
/ˈsɛkstənz/[5]		 Sex Sext Sextantis
/sɛksˈtæntɪs/[5]		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius sextant α Sextantis
Taurus
/ˈtɔːrəs/[4]		 Tau Taur Tauri
/ˈtɔːraɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) bull Aldebaran
Telescopium
/ˌtɛlɪˈskɒpiəm/		 Tel Tele Telescopii
/ˌtɛlɪˈskɒpiaɪ/		 1763, Lacaille telescope α Telescopii
Triangulum
/traɪˈæŋɡjʊləm/		 Tri Tria Trianguli
/traɪˈæŋɡjʊlaɪ/		 ancient (Ptolemy) triangle β Trianguli
Triangulum Australe
/traɪˈæŋɡjʊləm ɔːˈstræliː, -ˈstreɪ-/		 TrA TrAu Trianguli Australis
/traɪˈæŋɡjʊlaɪ ɔːˈstrælɪs/		 1603 Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman southern triangle Atria
Tucana
/tjuːˈkeɪnə/		 Tuc Tucn Tucanae
/tjuːˈkeɪniː/		 1603 Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman toucan α Tucanae
Ursa Major
/ˌɜːrsə ˈmeɪdʒər/[4]		 UMa UMaj Ursae Majoris
/ˌɜːrsiː məˈdʒɒrɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) great bear Alioth
Ursa Minor
/ˌɜːrsə ˈmaɪnər/[4]		 UMi UMin Ursae Minoris
/ˌɜːrsiː mɪˈnɒrɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) lesser bear Polaris
Vela
/ˈviːlə/[4]		 Vel Velr Velorum
/vɪˈlɔːrəm/		 1763, Lacaille, split from Argo Navis sails γ2 Velorum
Virgo
/ˈvɜːrɡoʊ/[4]		 Vir Virg Virginis
/ˈvɜːrdʒɪnɪs/		 ancient (Ptolemy) virgin or maiden Spica
Volans
/ˈvoʊlænz/[5]		 Vol Voln Volantis
/voʊˈlæntɪs/[5]		 1603, Uranometria, created by Keyser and de Houtman flying fish β Volantis
Vulpecula
/vʌlˈpɛkjʊlə/[4]		 Vul Vulp Vulpeculae
/vʌlˈpɛkjʊliː/		 1690, Firmamentum Sobiescianum, Hevelius fox Anser

3. Asterisms

Various other unofficial patterns exist alongside the constellations. These are known as "asterisms". Examples include the Big Dipper/Plough and the Northern Cross. Some ancient asterisms, for example Coma Berenices, Serpens, and portions of Argo Navis, are now officially constellations.

References

  1. Russell, Henry Norris (1922). "The New International Symbols for the Constellations". Popular Astronomy 30: 469. Bibcode: 1922PA.....30..469R.  http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1922PA.....30..469R
  2. "The Constellations". International Astronomical Union. http://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/. Retrieved 9 December 2015. 
  3. NASA Dictionary of terms for Aerospace Use - table V, Constellations http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/aerospacedictionary/aerodictall/tables/table5.html
  4. OED, 2nd edition
  5. Random House Dictionary
  6. The constellations Camelopardalis, Columba, and Monoceros, formed by Petrus Plancius in 1592 and in 1613, are often erroneously attributed to Jacob Bartsch and Augustin Royer
  7. "Naming Stars". IAU.org. https://www.iau.org/public/themes/naming_stars/. Retrieved 30 July 2018. 
  8. Corona Australis is sometimes called "Corona Austrina" /ɔːˈstriːnə/ (genitive: Coronae Austrinae)
  9. "Definition of dorado". Collins English Dictionary. http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dorado. Retrieved 28 November 2012. 
  10. Serpens may be divided into Serpens Cauda (serpent's tail) and Serpens Caput (serpent's head)
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