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The Constellations
The Constellations
There were originally 48 ancient constellations. The naming of the constellations began in the Middle East many centuries ago, but all societies named constellations, and the origins are mostly shrouded in time.
The ancient Greeks added stories and verses, and the ancient Romans gave the constellations Latin names. The ancient constellations are made up of only the brightest stars in the sky. Astronomers later broke the constellation Argo into three parts, so there are now 50 ancient constellations.
It was during the early part of the twentieth century, and astronomers of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted another 38 modern constellations. (This is the same group who recently decided that Pluto is not a planet.)
The members of the IAU drew rectangular borders around all of the 88 constellations. There are informal constellations, or "asterisms" -- like Ursa Major holding the "Big Dipper" -- that young people who are interested in astronomy first learn to identify.
The names of the 88 constellations:
1. Andromeda
2. Antlia
3. Apus
4. Aquarius
5. Aquila
6. Ara
7. Aries
8. Auriga
9. Boötes
10. Caelum
11. Camelopardalis
12. Cancer
13. Canes Venatici
14. Canis Major
15. Canis Minor
16. Capricornus
17. Carina
18. Cassiopeia
19. Centaurus
20. Cepheus
21. Cetus
22. Chamaeleon
23. Circinus
24. Columba
25. Coma Berenices
26. Corona Austrina
27. Corona Borealis
| 28. Corvus
29. Crater
30. Crux
31. Cygnus
32. Delphinus
33. Dorado
34. Draco
35. Equuleus
36. Eridanus
37. Fornax
38. Gemini
39. Grus
40. Hercules
41. Horologium
42. Hydra
43. Hydrus
44. Indus
45. Lacerta
46. Leo
47. Leo Minor
48. Lepus
49. Libra
50. Lupus
51. Lynx
52. Lyra
53. Mensa
54. Microscopium
| 55. Monoceros
56. Musca
57. Norma
58. Octans
59. Ophiuchus
60. Orion
61. Pavo
62. Pegasus
63. Perseus
64. Phoenix
65. Pictor
66. Pisces
67. Piscis Austrinus
68. Puppis
69. Pyxis
70. Reticulum
71. Sagitta
72. Sagittarius
73. Scorpius
74. Sculptor
75. Scutum
76. Serpens
77. Sextans
78. Taurus
79. Telescopium
80. Triangulum
81. Triangulum Australe
82. Tucana
83. Ursa Major
84. Ursa Minor
85. Vela
86. Virgo
87. Volans
88. Vulpecula
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A few of the constellations do actually resemble what they are supposed to represent, but most of them don't. The purpose of the names for constellations is not usually to name them for what they portray, but rather to honor or represent.
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The Planet Venus
The Planet Venus
Back in 1686, a French scholar by the name of Bernard de Fontenelle, wrote, "I can tell from here...what the inhabitants of Venus are like; they resemble the Moors of Granada; a small black people, burned by the sun, full of wit and fire, always in love, writing verse, fond of music, arranging festivals, dances, and tournaments every day."
Nice try, Bernard, but you had it all wrong. Back in those days, it was generally accepted that Venus was much like Earth. Venus is about the size of Earth, but that's pretty much where all resemblance ends.
Almost all of the planets in our solar system travel around the sun in a counterclockwise direction…all of them except Venus and Uranus, that is. Venus (as well as Uranus) travels clockwise. All of the planets except Venus and Uranus rotate on their axis in a counterclockwise direction. Venus and Uranus rotate clockwise.
Venus also rotates really slowly, too. A "day" on Venus would equal about 243 Earth days. Venus is covered by a thick layer of clouds that make studying the surface very difficult. In the last 30 years, however, astronomers have learned how to "see" through the thick cloud cover.
In 1962, Mariner 2 was the first spacecraft to go by Venus. Since then, there have been 20 more missions. The first hard landing on Venus was done by Venera 4 in 1967. The first soft landing was done by Venera 7 in 1970.
In 1989, the Magellan spacecraft probe was launched. Magellan rotated around Venus from 1990 to 1995. It then burned up in the atmosphere of Venus. Magellan bounced radar signals off the surface of Venus and transmitted the data back to Earth. |
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Planting by the Moon
Ah, the moon! The moon has been studied by astronomers (both professional and amateur) for centuries. We even reached out and touched it when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon 1969. The moon has been the subject of songs, movies, and poetry, and probably always will be. Astronomers have always been utterly fascinated by the moon, and mankind has been fascinated by how it affects the earth and earthlings since time began.
We do know without a doubt that the moon regulates the ocean tides. It is also a certainty that sleeping with moonlight on your head will not turn you into a werewolf or drive you insane. Some beliefs about the moon have been proven true while others have been proven not true.
Farmers have planted according to the moon for centuries, and more and more farmers are returning to those moon-planting axioms every year. Why? Because they work. Planting root vegetables when the moon is "waning" will produce more root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets, etc. Planting vegetables when the moon is increasing will produce more vegetables that produce above ground (beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.).
Planting and gardening by the moon gets even more specific. For example, it is better to turn soil when the moon is in the last quarter. The moon tells farmers and gardeners when it is to their advantage to plant, as well as when it is to their advantage to pull weeds or turn soil.
There are many who doubt the validity of planting by the moon, but consider that the moon does have an effect on humans (you can get a lot of debate about that statement). We don't fully understand everything we know about those effects yet. You can ask any policeman, clergyman, doctor, or nurse and they will tell you that during a full moon, there are more crimes committed, more suicides, and more babies born.
Related Topics: Astronomy Clubs,
The Constellations, Galaxies
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