EAN: 9783319227948

SPRINGER PRAXIS BOOKS THE LOST CONSTELLATIONS...

Casual stargazers are familiar with many classical figures and asterisms composed of bright
stars (e.g.  Orion and the Plough)  but this book reveals not just the constellations of today
but those of yesteryear. The history of the human identification of constellations among the
stars is explored through the stories of some influential celestial cartographers whose works
determined whether new inventions survived. The history of how the modern set of 88
constellations was defined by the professional astronomy community is recounted  explaining how
the constellations described in the book became permanently extinct. Dr. Barentine addresses
why some figures were tried and discarded  and also directs observers to how those figures can
still be picked out on a clear night if one knows where to look. These lost constellations are
described in great detail using historical references  enabling observers to rediscover them on
their own surveys of the sky. Treatment of the obsolete constellations as extant features of
the night sky adds a new dimension to stargazing that merges history with the accessibility and
immediacy of the night sky.

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