IAU designated constellations: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Constellations, equirectangular plot.svg|thumb|500px|right|IAU designated constellations in equirectangular projection (epoch [[Epoch (astronomy)#Besselian years|B1875.0]])]] | [[File:Constellations, equirectangular plot.svg|thumb|500px|right|IAU designated constellations in equirectangular projection (epoch [[Epoch (astronomy)#Besselian years|B1875.0]])]] | ||
In contemporary [[astronomy]], 88 [[constellations]] are recognized by the [[International Astronomical Union]] (IAU).<ref name="international astronomical union">{{cite web |url=https:// | In contemporary [[astronomy]], 88 [[constellations]] are recognized by the [[International Astronomical Union]] (IAU).<ref name="international astronomical union">{{cite web |url=https://iauarchive.eso.org/public/themes/constellations/ |title=The Constellations |publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]] |access-date=17 June 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> Each constellation is a region of the [[sky]] bordered by arcs of [[right ascension]] and [[declination]], together covering the entire [[celestial sphere]]. Their boundaries were officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1928 and published in 1930.<ref name="international astronomical union-1930">{{cite book|author1=Eugène Delporte|author2=International Astronomical Union|title=Délimitation scientifique des constellations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v3XvAAAAMAAJ|year=1930|publisher=At the University press}}</ref> | ||
The ancient [[Mesopotamian]]s and later the [[Greek astronomy|Greeks]] established most of the northern constellations in international use today, listed by the Roman-Egyptian astronomer [[Ptolemy]]. The constellations along the [[ecliptic]] are called the [[zodiac]]. When explorers mapped the stars of the southern skies, European astronomers proposed new constellations for that region, as well as ones to fill gaps between the traditional constellations. Because of their Roman and European origins, every constellation has a Latin name. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union adopted three-letter abbreviations for 89 constellations, the modern list of 88 plus [[Argo Navis|Argo]]. After this, [[Eugène Joseph Delporte]] drew up boundaries for each of the 88 constellations so that every point in the sky belonged to one constellation.<ref name="international astronomical union" /><ref name="international astronomical union-1930" /> When astronomers say that an object lies in a particular constellation, they mean that it is positioned within these specified boundaries. | The ancient [[Mesopotamian]]s and later the [[Greek astronomy|Greeks]] established most of the northern constellations in international use today, listed by the Roman-Egyptian astronomer [[Ptolemy]]. The constellations along the [[ecliptic]] are called the [[zodiac]]. When explorers mapped the stars of the southern skies, European astronomers proposed new constellations for that region, as well as ones to fill gaps between the traditional constellations. Because of their Roman and European origins, every constellation has a Latin name. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union adopted three-letter abbreviations for 89 constellations, the modern list of 88 plus [[Argo Navis|Argo]]. After this, [[Eugène Joseph Delporte]] drew up boundaries for each of the 88 constellations so that every point in the sky belonged to one constellation.<ref name="international astronomical union" /><ref name="international astronomical union-1930" /> When astronomers say that an object lies in a particular constellation, they mean that it is positioned within these specified boundaries. | ||
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Each IAU constellation has an official three-letter abbreviation based on the [[genitive]] form of the constellation name. As the genitive is similar to the base name, the majority of the abbreviations are just the first three letters of the constellation name: ''Ori'' for ''Orion/Orionis'', ''Ara'' for ''Ara/Arae'', and ''Com'' for ''Coma Berenices/Comae Berenices''. In some cases, the abbreviation contains letters from the genitive not appearing in the base name (as in ''Hyi'' for ''Hydrus/Hydri'', to avoid confusion with ''Hydra'', abbreviated ''Hya''; and ''Sge'' for ''Sagitta/Sagittae'', to avoid confusion with ''Sagittarius'', abbreviated ''Sgr''). Some abbreviations use letters beyond the initial three to unambiguously identify the constellation (for example when the name and its genitive differ in the first three letters): ''Aps'' for ''Apus/Apodis'', ''CrA'' for ''Corona Australis'', ''CrB'' for ''Corona Borealis'', ''Crv'' for ''Corvus''. (''Crater'' is abbreviated ''Crt'' to prevent confusion with ''CrA''.) When letters are taken from the second word of a two-word name, the first letter from the second word is capitalised: ''CMa'' for ''Canis Major'', ''CMi'' for ''Canis Minor''. Two cases are ambiguous: ''Leo'' for the constellation ''Leo'' could be mistaken for ''Leo Minor'' (abbreviated ''LMi''), and ''Tri'' for ''Triangulum'' could be mistaken for ''Triangulum Australe'' (abbreviated ''TrA'').<ref>{{cite journal|bibcode=1922PA.....30..469R|title=The New International Symbols for the Constellations|journal=Popular Astronomy|volume=30|pages=469|last1=Russell|first1=Henry Norris|year=1922}}</ref> | Each IAU constellation has an official three-letter abbreviation based on the [[genitive]] form of the constellation name. As the genitive is similar to the base name, the majority of the abbreviations are just the first three letters of the constellation name: ''Ori'' for ''Orion/Orionis'', ''Ara'' for ''Ara/Arae'', and ''Com'' for ''Coma Berenices/Comae Berenices''. In some cases, the abbreviation contains letters from the genitive not appearing in the base name (as in ''Hyi'' for ''Hydrus/Hydri'', to avoid confusion with ''Hydra'', abbreviated ''Hya''; and ''Sge'' for ''Sagitta/Sagittae'', to avoid confusion with ''Sagittarius'', abbreviated ''Sgr''). Some abbreviations use letters beyond the initial three to unambiguously identify the constellation (for example when the name and its genitive differ in the first three letters): ''Aps'' for ''Apus/Apodis'', ''CrA'' for ''Corona Australis'', ''CrB'' for ''Corona Borealis'', ''Crv'' for ''Corvus''. (''Crater'' is abbreviated ''Crt'' to prevent confusion with ''CrA''.) When letters are taken from the second word of a two-word name, the first letter from the second word is capitalised: ''CMa'' for ''Canis Major'', ''CMi'' for ''Canis Minor''. Two cases are ambiguous: ''Leo'' for the constellation ''Leo'' could be mistaken for ''Leo Minor'' (abbreviated ''LMi''), and ''Tri'' for ''Triangulum'' could be mistaken for ''Triangulum Australe'' (abbreviated ''TrA'').<ref>{{cite journal|bibcode=1922PA.....30..469R|title=The New International Symbols for the Constellations|journal=Popular Astronomy|volume=30|pages=469|last1=Russell|first1=Henry Norris|year=1922}}</ref> | ||
In addition to the three-letter abbreviations used today, the IAU also introduced four-letter abbreviations in 1932. The four-letter abbreviations were repealed in 1955 and are now obsolete, but were included in the NASA Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use (NASA SP-7) published in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations1.html |title=Constellations |publisher=[[Ian Ridpath]] |access-date=30 January 2023 | In addition to the three-letter abbreviations used today, the IAU also introduced four-letter abbreviations in 1932. The four-letter abbreviations were repealed in 1955 and are now obsolete, but were included in the NASA Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use (NASA SP-7) published in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations1.html |title=Constellations |publisher=[[Ian Ridpath]] |access-date=30 January 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> These are labeled "NASA" in the table below and are included here for reference only. | ||
=== List === | === List === | ||
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! colspan="2" | Brightest star | ! colspan="2" | Brightest star | ||
|- | |- | ||
! IAU<ref>{{cite web |url=https:// | ! IAU<ref>{{cite web |url=https://iauarchive.eso.org/public/themes/constellations/ |title=The Constellations |publisher=[[International Astronomical Union]] |access-date=17 June 2025|url-status=live }}</ref> !! NASA<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061012073641/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/hqlibrary/aerospacedictionary/aerodictall/tables/table5.html NASA Dictionary of terms for Aerospace Use – table V, Constellations]</ref> | ||
!Name | !Name | ||
![[Apparent magnitude|Vis. mag.]] | ![[Apparent magnitude|Vis. mag.]] | ||
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|2.65 | |2.65 | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Coma Berenices]] <br />{{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|m|ə|_|b|ɛr|ə|ˈ|n|aɪ|s|iː|z}}<ref name="random house dictionary" /> || Com || Coma || Comae Berenices <br />{{nowrap|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|m|iː|_|b|ɛr|ə|ˈ|n|aɪ|s|iː|z}}<ref name="random house dictionary" />}} || 1536, Caspar Vopel,<ref>{{cite web|title=Comae Berenices|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/comaberenices.html|access-date=23 November 2020 | | [[Coma Berenices]] <br />{{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|m|ə|_|b|ɛr|ə|ˈ|n|aɪ|s|iː|z}}<ref name="random house dictionary" /> || Com || Coma || Comae Berenices <br />{{nowrap|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|m|iː|_|b|ɛr|ə|ˈ|n|aɪ|s|iː|z}}<ref name="random house dictionary" />}} || 1536, Caspar Vopel,<ref>{{cite web|title=Comae Berenices|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/comaberenices.html|access-date=23 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> split from Leo || [[Berenice II|Berenice]]'s hair || [[Beta Comae Berenices|β Comae Berenices]] | ||
|4.26 | |4.26 | ||
|- | |- | ||
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== External links == | == External links == | ||
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations1.html The Constellations 1] – [[Ian Ridpath]]'s | * [http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations1.html The Constellations 1] – [[Ian Ridpath]]'s history of IAU constellations. | ||
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/contents.html Ian Ridpath's Star Tales: Constellation Mythology and History] – [[Ian Ridpath]]'s ''Star Tales''. | * [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/contents.html Ian Ridpath's Star Tales: Constellation Mythology and History] – [[Ian Ridpath]]'s ''Star Tales''. | ||
* [http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/Cat?cat=VI/49 VizieR] – [[Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg|CDS]]'s archive of constellation boundaries. The text file constbnd.dat gives the 1875.0 coordinates of the vertices of the constellation regions, together with the constellations adjacent to each boundary segment. | * [http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/Cat?cat=VI/49 VizieR] – [[Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg|CDS]]'s archive of constellation boundaries. The text file constbnd.dat gives the 1875.0 coordinates of the vertices of the constellation regions, together with the constellations adjacent to each boundary segment. | ||
Latest revision as of 11:06, 17 June 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates
In contemporary astronomy, 88 constellations are recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).[1] Each constellation is a region of the sky bordered by arcs of right ascension and declination, together covering the entire celestial sphere. Their boundaries were officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1928 and published in 1930.[2]
The ancient Mesopotamians and later the Greeks established most of the northern constellations in international use today, listed by the Roman-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy. The constellations along the ecliptic are called the zodiac. When explorers mapped the stars of the southern skies, European astronomers proposed new constellations for that region, as well as ones to fill gaps between the traditional constellations. Because of their Roman and European origins, every constellation has a Latin name. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union adopted three-letter abbreviations for 89 constellations, the modern list of 88 plus Argo. After this, Eugène Joseph Delporte drew up boundaries for each of the 88 constellations so that every point in the sky belonged to one constellation.[1][2] When astronomers say that an object lies in a particular constellation, they mean that it is positioned within these specified boundaries.
History
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Some constellations are no longer recognized by the IAU, but may appear in older star charts and other references. Most notable is Argo Navis, which was one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations. In the 1750s the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille divided this into three separate constellations: Carina, Puppis, and Vela.[3]
Modern constellations
The 88 constellations depict 42 animals, 29 inanimate objects, and 17 humans or mythological characters.
Abbreviations
Each IAU constellation has an official three-letter abbreviation based on the genitive form of the constellation name. As the genitive is similar to the base name, the majority of the abbreviations are just the first three letters of the constellation name: Ori for Orion/Orionis, Ara for Ara/Arae, and Com for Coma Berenices/Comae Berenices. In some cases, the abbreviation contains letters from the genitive not appearing in the base name (as in Hyi for Hydrus/Hydri, to avoid confusion with Hydra, abbreviated Hya; and Sge for Sagitta/Sagittae, to avoid confusion with Sagittarius, abbreviated Sgr). Some abbreviations use letters beyond the initial three to unambiguously identify the constellation (for example when the name and its genitive differ in the first three letters): Aps for Apus/Apodis, CrA for Corona Australis, CrB for Corona Borealis, Crv for Corvus. (Crater is abbreviated Crt to prevent confusion with CrA.) When letters are taken from the second word of a two-word name, the first letter from the second word is capitalised: CMa for Canis Major, CMi for Canis Minor. Two cases are ambiguous: Leo for the constellation Leo could be mistaken for Leo Minor (abbreviated LMi), and Tri for Triangulum could be mistaken for Triangulum Australe (abbreviated TrA).[4]
In addition to the three-letter abbreviations used today, the IAU also introduced four-letter abbreviations in 1932. The four-letter abbreviations were repealed in 1955 and are now obsolete, but were included in the NASA Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use (NASA SP-7) published in 1965.[5] These are labeled "NASA" in the table below and are included here for reference only.
List
For help with the literary English pronunciations, see the pronunciation key. There is considerable diversity in how Latinate names are pronounced in English. For traditions closer to the original, see Latin spelling and pronunciation.
Asterisms
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Various other unofficial patterns exist alongside the constellations. These are known as "asterisms". Some are part of one larger constellation while others consists of stars in two adjoining constellations. Examples include the Big Dipper/Plough in Ursa Major; the Teapot in Sagittarius; the Square of Pegasus in Pegasus and Andromeda; and the False Cross in Carina and Vela.
See also
- Lists of astronomical objects
- List of constellations by area
- Biblical names of stars
- Lists of stars by constellation
- Constellation family
- Galactic quadrant
Notes
References
External links
- The Constellations 1 – Ian Ridpath's history of IAU constellations.
- Ian Ridpath's Star Tales: Constellation Mythology and History – Ian Ridpath's Star Tales.
- VizieR – CDS's archive of constellation boundaries. The text file constbnd.dat gives the 1875.0 coordinates of the vertices of the constellation regions, together with the constellations adjacent to each boundary segment.
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ NASA Dictionary of terms for Aerospace Use – table V, Constellations
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf OED, 2nd edition
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg Random House Dictionary
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Serpens may be divided into Serpens Cauda (serpent's tail) and Serpens Caput (serpent's head), but these disjoint areas are considered part of the same constellation by the IAU.