Ian Ridpath’s Star TalesCHAPTER FOUR
Obsolete constellations
Non-astronomers are often puzzled by the concept of a disused constellation – surely, a constellation is either there or it isn’t. However, the patterns we see in the stars are purely a product of human imagination, so humans are free to amend the patterns as they choose – and astronomers did so during the heyday of celestial mapping in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The constellations described in this section are a selection of those that, for one reason or another, are no longer recognized by astronomers, although they will be found on old maps. I have described only those constellations that achieved at least some degree of currency, for constellations invented by one astronomer, either in an attempt to make his own name or to flatter his patrons, could be introduced at will and be completely ignored by everyone else. For example, in 1754 the English naturalist John Hill invented 13 new constellations, tucked into spaces between existing figures, representing various unappealing creatures including a toad (Bufo), a leech (Hirudo), a spider (Aranea), an earthworm (Lumbricus), and a slug (Limax). Hill was a noted satirist and he may have been attempting to perpetrate a joke on astronomers – a joke that never caught on.
Several constellations were introduced for mercenary reasons by astronomers wishing to immortalize their kings or governments, usually in the hope that such a gesture would advance their career, as it often did. In 1627 a German astronomer, Julius Schiller of Augsburg, attempted to populate the sky entirely with Biblical characters – for example, the familiar constellations of the zodiac were changed to represent the 12 apostles. These attempts to politicize and Christianize the sky were rejected by other astronomers.
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The following obsolete constellations are described and illustrated in Star Tales: Click on a sample entry of your choice.