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What Are Constellations? So just what are these constellations you keep hearing about? You may go outside some night and see all kinds of stars, and maybe you have even spotted the Big Dipper (northern hemisphere) or the Southern Cross (southern hemisphere), but what about Leo the Lion or Pisces the Fish? What are they?
Looking at the Constellations The first thing you need to know is that constellations are not real! The constellations are totally imaginary things that poets, farmers and astronomers have made up over the past 6,000 years (and probably even more!). The real purpose for the constellations is to help us tell which stars are which, nothing more. On a really dark night, you can see about 1000 to 1500 stars. Trying to tell which is which is hard. The constellations help by breaking up the sky into more managable bits. They are used as mnemonics, or memory aids. For example, if you spot three bright stars in a row in the winter evening, you might realize, "Oh! That's part of Orion!" Suddenly, the rest of the constellation falls into place and you can declare: "There's Betelgeuse in Orion's left shoulder and Rigel is his foot." And once you recognize Orion, you can remember that Orion's Hunting Dogs are always nearby. Then you might recognize the two bright stars in the upper and lower left of the photograph as Procyon in Canis Minor and Sirius in Canis Major, respectively
OK, so we know the constellations are helpful for remembering the stars, but why would people want to do that (besides astronomers, that is)? After all, I said at the beginning that farmers invented the constellations. Why did they do that? Was it for some religious purpose? Yes and no. Around the world, farmers know that for most crops, you plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. But in some regions, there is not much differentiation between the seasons. Since different constellations are visible at different times of the year, you can use them to tell what month it is. For example, Scorpios is only visible in the northern hemisphere's evening sky in the summer. Some historians suspect that many of the myths associated with the constellations were invented to help the farmers remember them. When they saw certain constellations, they would know it was time to begin the planting or the reaping.
This dependence on the sky became a strong part of many cultures. Perhaps there is something about the mystery of the night sky that makes people want to tell stories about the constellations. The picture at the left is an ornate star chart printed in 1835. Like the others, it shows the great hunter Orion. In this one, he is holding a lion's head instead of his traditional bow or shield. He has an eager look in his eye as he stalks Taurus, the Bull. Behind him, his faithful dog, Canis Major, is chasing Lepus, the Hare. Compare this picture to the photo near the top of the page. They are at about the same scale and they show the same stars. The constellations have changed over time. In our modern world, many of the constellations have been redefined so now every star in the sky is in exactly one constellation. In 1929, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted official constellation boundaries that defined the 88 official constellations that exist today.
Who discovered the first constellation? The constellations were invented, not discovered. The constellations are just distinctive and easy-to-remember patterns of stars. Most of the famous ones were invented before the beginning of recorded history. Orion, for example, has a history dating to before about 4000 BC.
History of Gemini Gemini is an astrological sign, which originated from the constellation Gemini, and is the third sign of the zodiac. Gemini is classed as a Positive or masculine, extrovert sign; its element is Air and its Quality is Mutable.[5] Traditionally in astrology Gemini is ruled by the planet [Mercury]. The sign opposite to Gemini is Sagittarius. Under the tropical zodiac, Gemini is occupied by the Sun from May 21 to June 21,
History of Scorpio Scorpio is the eighth astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Scorpius. In western astrology, this sign is no longer aligned with the constellation as a result of the precession of the equinoxes. In Astrology, Scorpio is considered a water sign, and is one of four fixed signs. [1] Individuals born when the Sun was in this sign are considered Scorpio individuals. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun is in Scorpio from October 23 to November 21[2][3][4], and under the sidereal zodiac, it is currently from November 16 through December 15.
In mythology Scorpio is often associated with Hades, Lord of the Underworld, who was known in Roman mythology as Pluto, and Orpheus from the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Scorpio is also associated with the Greco-Roman godsAres/Mars. The constellation is also associated with the scorpion that killed Orion. Being a water sign, Scorpio is considered highly emotional, passionate, intuitive and imaginative. Being a fixed sign it is determined, persevering, inflexible and self-confident. Traditionally, the planet Mars has been considered to be the ruler of Scorpio, and since its discovery, Pluto has been considered a modern ruler of this sign as well. Some modern astrologers consider Pluto to be a more appropriate rulership over the sign, citing the reason for Mars having initially ruled the sign being that Pluto had not yet been discovered.[5] As the eighth sign in the zodiac, Scorpio is associated with the astrological house number 8, which is associated with natural Scorpio matters - birth, death, transformation and deeply committed relationships of all kinds, and the occult and psychic matters.
Mythology In mythology Aquarius is often associated with the mythological figure of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, from the Greek myth of the Trojan War.[citation needed] Aquarius is also associated with the Greco-Roman god Uranus/Caelus and sometimes the god Cronus/Saturn.[citation needed] In Grecian mythology, Aquarius is the constellation that was once Ganymede, cupbearer of the gods.[citation needed] The astrological symbol for Aquarius is said to represent waves or ripples of water. Aquarius is an astrological sign which originated from the constellation Aquarius, and is the eleventh sign of the zodiac. Aquarius is a positive or masculine, extrovert sign; its element is air and its quality is fixed.[9] Traditionally in astrology Aquarius is ruled by the planet Saturn, and, since its discovery, by the planet Uranus. Its opposite sign is Leo. Under the tropical zodiac, Aquarius is occupied by the Sun from January 20 to February 18.[1] Under the sidereal zodiac, Aquarius is occupied currently from February 13 to March 14.[2][3] In House (astrology) the 11th House is the house the Aquarian rules, and dates occupied for the House is occupied on May 21 to June 5.
Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (February 19, 1473 — May 24, 1543) was the first astronomer to formulate a scientifically based heliocentriccosmology that displaced the Earth from the center of the universe. His epochal book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), is often regarded as the starting point of modern astronomy and the defining epiphany that began the Scientific Revolution. Although Greek, Indian and Muslimsavants had published heliocentric hypotheses centuries before Copernicus, his publication of a scientific theory of heliocentric, demonstrating that the motions of celestial objects can be explained without putting the Earth at rest in the center of the universe, stimulated further scientific investigations, and became a landmark in the history of modern science that is known as the Copernican Revolution. Among the great polymaths of the Renaissance, Copernicus was a mathematician, astronomer, physician, classical scholar, translator, Catholic cleric, jurist, governor, military leader, diplomat and economist. Amid his extensive responsibilities, astronomy figured as little more than an avocation — yet it was in that field that he made his mark upon the world.
In 1514 Copernicus made available to friends his Commentariolus (Little Commentary), a short hand-written text describing his ideas about the heliocentric hypothesis. Thereafter he continued gathering data for a more detailed work. The astronomer Copernicus: Conversation with God.[7] Painting by Jan Matejko. In 1533, Johann Albrecht Widmannstetter delivered in Rome a series of lectures outlining Copernicus's theory. The lectures were heard with interest by Pope Clement VII and several Catholic cardinals. On 1 November1536, Archbishop of CapuaNicholas Schönberg wrote a letter to Copernicus from Rome: Some years ago word reached me concerning your proficiency, of which everybody constantly spoke. At that time I began to have a very high regard for you... For I had learned that you had not merely mastered the discoveries of the ancient astronomers uncommonly well but had also formulated a new cosmology. In it you maintain that the earth moves; that the sun occupies the lowest, and thus the central, place in the universe... Therefore with the utmost earnestness I entreat you, most learned sir, unless I inconvenience you, to communicate this discovery of yours to scholars, and at the earliest possible moment to send me your writings on the sphere of the universe together with the tables and whatever else you have that is relevant to this subject ...[8] By then Copernicus's work was nearing its definitive form, and rumors about his theory had reached educated people all over Europe. Despite urgings from many quarters, Copernicus delayed with the publication of his book, perhaps from fear of criticism — a fear delicately expressed in the subsequent Dedication of his masterpiece to Pope Paul III. Scholars disagree on whether Copernicus's concern was limited to physical and philosophical objections from other natural philosophers, or whether he was also concerned about religious objections from theologians.[9]
Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630) was a Germanmathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and a key figure in the 17th century astronomical revolution. He is best known for his eponymouslaws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astronomy. Before Kepler, planets' paths were computed by combinations of the circular motions of the celestial orbs. After Kepler, astronomers gradually shifted their attention from orbs to orbits — paths that could be represented mathematically as an ellipse.[1][2][3] Kepler's laws also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation. During his career, Kepler was a mathematics teacher at a seminary school in Graz, Austria, an assistant to astronomer Tycho Brahe, the court mathematician to Emperor Rudolf II, a mathematics teacher in Linz, Austria, and an adviser to General Wallenstein. He also did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an improved version of the refracting telescope (the Keplerian Telescope), and helped to legitimize the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei.
By Tausif & Madhusudhan.
