|
Planting by the Moon
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
|
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.
See Also:
Nicolaus Copernicus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Astrology Beliefs
The Planet Jupiter
The planet Jupiter is was named by the Romans after their god Jupiter, who was also sometimes called Jove. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system by far. It is more than twice as large as all of the other planets combined.
Jupiter might well have become a star when it was born, had it been larger. There is very little (if any) solid matter on Jupiter. If there is any at all, it is hidden deeply inside the planet. Jupiter is made up entirely (as far as we know now) of gases and liquids.
The very composition of Jupiter means that its parts do not rotate at the same speed, but rotation is fast. Jupiter makes one complete revolution in a little less than 10 hours. This very fast rotation plus the makeup of gases and liquids are what causes the bulge at the equator of Jupiter.
Jupiter has an internal heat source. We are sure of this because it actually emits more radiation than it gets from the sun.
There are four large moons and dozens of small moons that rotate around Jupiter, making it a kind of small solar system unto itself.
One of the more outstanding features about Jupiter is the never-ending hurricane called "The Giant Red Spot" in the southern hemisphere. This disturbance has been going on for the last 400 years that we know of. It never abates…probably because it never passes over land (there isn't any) like hurricanes on earth do.
An explanation for the color of the clouds on Jupiter still eludes astronomers. With the conditions that exist, clouds should be colorless, but they are anything but colorless, and they change color over time. We still have a lot to learn! |
|
More articles:
The Future of Travel: Aquatic to Cosmic Destinations
Mercury (planet) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hubble Finds 67 New Gravitationally Lensed Galaxies
What Do You Know About Astronomy (Test Your Knowledge... | Target.com
Neptune - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Binoculars for Astronomy
Sir Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren once said, "In things to be seen at once, much variety makes confusion, another vice of beauty. In things that are not seen at once, and have no respect one to another, great variety is commendable, provided this variety transgress not the rules of optics and
geometry." For those of you who do not know, Christopher Wren was an English architect and mathematician who became Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford in 1661. He is most famous for the buildings that he designed after the Great Fire of London.
Wren was interested in many things, and over his lifetime, he made many contributions to scientific knowledge and in many different ways. For example, he constructed a transparent beehive for the purpose of scientific observation; he studied the moon and experimented on terrestrial magnetism; and he also performed the first successful injection of a substance into a dog's bloodstream.
Along with Sir Paul Neile, Wren constructed a 35-foot telescope. During this timeframe, Wren also studied and improved the microscope and the telescope.
Wren was fascinated by the planet, Saturn. He began his observations of Saturn about 1652 with the intention of explaining the rings. Wren developed a hypothesis which he wrote in De Corpore Saturni. Before his work could be published however, Christian Huygens (a Dutch astronomer) presented his theory of the rings of Saturn. Wren immediately recognized the fact that Huygens' was a better hypothesis than his own, so De Corpore Saturni was never published.
Wren constructed a beautifully detailed model of the moon and gave it to the king. Although Sir Christopher Wren eventually turned his attention to architecture, he remained fascinated by astronomy all of his life.
Related Topics: The Planet Neptune,
Astronomy Clubs, The First Seven Astronauts
|