As stars change positions in the night sky based on the seasons, so do the constellations, and interestingly enough, there are some constellations that are unique to the northern and southern hemisphere, known as circumpolar constellations. “The Constellations (South Pole; North Pole),” engraved by W.G Evans, under the direction of Elijah H. Burritt, shows a relatively early form of illustrations of the starry heavens, reflected in the constellations viewed from the northern and southern polar regions during each month. The constellations are presented in detail, with depictions of the figures represented by the stars. The charts are quartered by lines showing the solstitial and equinoctial colures.
The South Pole Constellations
The galactic quadrant encompassing February, March and April showcases a particular constellation, Robur Caroli, among others. Interesting fact: Robur Caroli, now obsolete, was created by Edmond Halley in 1678, commemorating the hiding place (oak tree) in which King Charles II of Great Britain hid after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
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Crux is more popularly known as the Southern Cross, and its brightest star is Acrux, a star system consisting of three stars.
August, September and October share a galactic quadrant and is home to the constellations Grus, Toucana, Pavo and Telescopium. Pavo was introduced by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius and made its star atlas debut in 1603.
November, December and January's galactic quadrant include the constellations Equuleus Pictorial, Solarium, Dorado, Hydrus, Horologium and The Phoenix. Did you know that Solarium is an obsolete constellation? Not a part of “modern” constellations, Solarium first appeared in Alexander Jamieson’s Celestial Atlas of 1822, an attempt to replace Nicolas Louis de Lacaille’s Rectilium
"Leda and the Constellation Cygnus." Department of Engineering, University of Michigan. 17 February 1999 http://windows.ivv.nasa.gov/mythology/cygnus.html.
yourself in Northern California. frozen shore of Tule Lake. Now regard what sort of shape. this constellation takes a look. It sits there like a jagged scar.
Ptoloemy first charted the constellation during the second century. According to christian mythology, draco the dragon was first known to have tempted Eve at the garden of Eden. The constellation draco the dragon takes an aera of one-thousand eighty three square degrees. Draco the dragon has five known stars that have planets around them. The brightest star in the constellation is Gamma Draconis, or Eitanin. The constellation was also called Tawarent in ancient Egypt. Draco the dragon contains some deep-sky objects. One is the cat's eye Nebula. The
If there is one great constellation, it is the constellation of Gemini. As a Zodiac Constellation, it is only visible during parts of the year. It's two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, give it the name of the Twins. Anyone born in the end of May until late June is said to have two faces: one of Pollux's and one of Castor's.
Nothaft, C. The Origins of the Christmas Date: Some Recent Trends in Historical Research. Church
Perseus, the twenty-forth largest constellation, is depicted as a man holding a sword in one hand and the head of Medusa in the other. Ptolemy discovered the constellation during the second century. Measuring 28 degrees in length, it lies in the Northern Hemisphere and can be seen best in December around nine o’clock P.M. It can also be seen in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer from latitudes north of negative thirty-five degrees. (Coder pp. 85 & 87, Fanshawe, Perseus Astronomer, Perseus Champion, Perseus Constellation)
My favorite constellation is Pegasus. Pegasus is a winged horse, and I love horses. Back in the Muggle world, I rode horses in competition, and I was watching at Hogwarts during the Goblet of Fire celebration in which the girls' academy was brought in a carriage pulled by several Pegasi. Pegasi are very influential in popular Muggle culture, in television shows such as "My Little Pony" which features Pegasi, unicorns, and normal horses. Winged horses are beautiful and pristine creatures, the ultimate show of perfection.
The constellation I have chosen for this essay is Scorpius because I am a Scorpius so I have a connection with this particular constellation. The constellation Scorpius itself lies between the constellations Libra and Sagittarius in the southern hemisphere near the center of the Milky Way. This constellation symbolizes a scorpion and has 18 main stars,the brightest of which is the star Antares. I have chosen this constellation because Scorpius is my zodiac and I have looked upon the Scorpius constellation and I have found it to be quite stunning.
...tthews, John. The summer solstice: celebrating the journey of the sun from May Day to
2, Alter Dinsmore, Cleminshaw H. Clarence, Philips G John. Pictorial Astronomy. United States: Sidney Feinberg, 1963.
The Orion Nebula contains one of the brightest star clusters in the night sky. With a magnitude of 4, this nebula is easily visible from the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. It is surprising, therefore, that this region was not documented until 1610 by a French lawyer named Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc. On March 4, 1769, Charles Messier inducted the Orion Nebula, M42, into his list of stellar objects. Then, in 1771, Messier released his list of objects for its first publication in Memoires de l’Academie.1
November is the eleventh month of the year in are current modern day Gregorian calendar, but it wasn't always the eleventh month but was actually the ninth month of the year in the Roman calendar which began with March. The original name, novem, even meant nine. It was moved to the eleventh month when King Numa Pompilius decided it should be moved like all the other months during his reforms which added January and February. The last and final month of the year is December, the twelfth month, was originally named decem meaning ten. It was even the tenth month of the Roman calendar. Much like the other months, the reform from the apparent ruler King Numa Pompilius reformed the calendar after adding the months of January and February around 700 BCE like later before. Thus, like the other months of the year this explains why this month does not match up with the mathematical prefix dodec like the geometric shape dodecagon. In conclusion, the order the of months were poorly put together by a king who just wanted to shove months in an order which suited the king and the Roman government with no particular logic. Thus, the Gregorian calendar will forever have a confusing, long
Waller, William H. The Milky Way: An Insider's Guide. Princeton, N.J: Princeton UP, 2013. 42+. Print.
Spring is found time this quadrant because spring is the rebirth and new beginnings of all things and of the year.
At midnight, Paul went outside and sat on the bench on the old, plank porch. Despite bundling himself in a heavy blanket, he shivered in the cold. The eastern sky before him was dotted with stars, scintillating above the quiet spread of desert. A few lonely clouds were drifting by.