constellations are groupings of stars connected by imaginary lines used to represent objects, animals, mythological creatures or gods. The concept of constellations emerged during prehistory, when people used them to describe their beliefs or mythology, therefore, different civilizations throughout history have adopted their own constellations.
The constellations also played an important role during navigations, as they were used as guidance, in addition, the word constellation comes from the Latin constellation, whose meaning is grouping of stars.
See too:What are stars?
The constellations traditionally recognized in the West are the 48 that were adopted by the Greeks, due to the work of the astronomer. ClaudioPtolemy, in the important treatise Almagesto, one of the most important milestones in the studies of Astronomy.
Since then, additions have been made and some constellations have changed in size, until at the beginning of the 20th century, in 1922, the International Astronomical Union
(UAI) established the astronomical concept of what constellations are and, finally, recognized and made official the nomenclature of 88 constellations for the purposes of scientific study.From 1922 onwards, the astronomical concept of the constellation became more than a mere grouping of stars, according to the Wow, the constellations are the 88 geometric divisions of the celestial vault.
The sky map above depicts the shape of the 88 existing constellations.
In order to fully understand the concept of constellation, it is necessary to emphasize its great importance for the Astrology. Astrology is a pseudoscience as it lacks scientific proof for its predictions.
According to this body of knowledge, the positions of the Sun and other stars at the moment a person is born are responsible for their personality traits and social relationships. Astrology is also used to guide people to make important decisions or as an auxiliary tool for those seeking self-knowledge.
Lookalso:history of astronomy
main constellations
For Astronomy, the main constellations are those that were cataloged in the year 1922: the 88 constellations, of which 48 come from studies of ClaudioPtolemy and the other 40 that were observed between the 17th and 18th centuries.
Among the large number of existing constellations, we can highlight those that are used to define the zodiac. The zodiac is the area of the sky close to the ecliptic (plane on which the Sun makes its apparent orbit in relation to the Earth), that is, it is the apparent path along which the Sun travels during a period of one year.
On this path, the Sun passes in front of 12 constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. However, in the Sun's apparent path, it also passes over the constellation Ophiuccus (Serpentarium), which it is not recognized by astrologers, as the Sun's passage through it is brief, approximately 19 days.
In addition to the zodiac constellations, we can list several important constellations, check out:
Big Dipper: One of the most famous constellations in the northern celestial hemisphere, it is also known in other parts of the world as The Plow;
Ursa Minor: It is a constellation similar in shape to Ursa Major, but reduced;
Orion: The constellation Orion is on the celestial equator, it is formed by very bright stars like Betelgeuse;
Cassiopeia: In Greek mythology Cassiopeia was an Ethiopian queen who had compared her beauty to the beauty of the Nereids and was therefore punished;
Canis Major: It is a constellation of the southern celestial hemisphere, its brightest star Sirius: the brightest star in the night sky;
Pegasus: This constellation was named after the Greek myth of the winged horse;
andromeda: Andromeda was the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia, according to Greek mythology;
Here there: The eagle is a constellation of the celestial equator, this constellation represents the eagle that carried the rays of Zeus in Greek mythology.
Lookalso:What is eclipse?
Zodiac Constellations | signs
The division of the path on which the Sun apparently moves relative to the Earth into twelve equal parts was created by the astronomersBabylonians between 1000 a. C and 500 a. C, so that each of these parts lasted the equivalent of 30 days. These parts of the Sun's path were assigned signs, so the Babylonians were responsible for creating the first celestial coordinate system.
During the formulation of the zodiac, Babylonian astronomers did not divide the sky exactly where a constellation began or ended. If they had done this, the divisions of the months would not be homogeneous, moreover, they decided to omit the existence of a large constellation of the solar ecliptic, the constellation of the serpent, called the Ophiucus.
If smaller groupings of stars were considered, the number of eligible zodiacal constellations would reach 21. Furthermore, from the time of the definition of the zodiac until today, the plane of Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun was changed and therefore the constellations visible with the movement of the Sun are no longer the same as that era.
Modern astrology attributes the signs to the moment of birth of people, according to it, the position of the stars may be related to characteristicspersonal. Check out which constellations of the zodiac are and the dates the Sun was above them, at the time of defining the zodiac:
Aries: From March 21st to April 20th
Bull: Between April 21st and May 20th
Twins: From May 21st to June 21st
Cancer: Between June 22nd to July 22nd
Lion: Between July 23rd to August 22nd
Virgin: Between August 23rd to September 22nd
Lb: Between September 23rd to October 22nd
Scorpion: Between October 23rd and November 21st
Sagittarius: Between November 22nd and December 21st
Capricorn: Between December 22nd and January 19th
Aquarium: Between January 20th and February 18th
Fishes: Between February 19th and March 20th
The constellations of the zodiac were created by the Babylonians.
classification of constellations
Constellations are classified according to their position in the celestial vault. Check out the different types of constellations:
boreals: These are the constellations located in the northern celestial hemisphere, such as Ursa Major, Cassiopeia and Andromeda;
Australs: They are those located in the southern celestial hemisphere, such as Centaur and Peacock;
Zodiacs: Located along the ecliptic of the Sun: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces;
Equatorials: These are the constellations arranged on the celestial equator such as the Lesser Dog, the Greater Dog and the Eagle.
Lookalso: Amazing Trivia about the Solar System
By Me. Rafael Helerbrock
