To look at the stars and dream is not a new phenomenon: it is from old traditions that come primarily from the stories of the constellations.
The Intuitive Nature of the Star Constellations and its Hidden Creatures
The stars we are given. The constellations we make. That is to say, stars exist in the cosmos, but constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell.
~ Rebecca Solnit
Constellations and The Celestial Animals
The Intuitive Nature of the Star Constellations and its Hidden Creatures
The stars we are given. The constellations we make. That is to say, stars exist in the cosmos, but constellations are the imaginary lines we draw between them, the readings we give the sky, the stories we tell.
~ Rebecca Solnit
The Celestial Wonderment
The starry sky was perhaps man’s first speculative activity according to inscriptions and stone constructions that date back up to 30,000 years ago. From this remote past, the sky was observed with astonishment, admiration, and reverence, and it even provoked a deep feeling of worship. Ignorance of the causes of astronomical phenomena was a source of fear. The stars were divine, and the sacred sky was a place of transcendent wonderment besides being the home to the gods.
Astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist since it contains a sort of psychological experience which we call projected – this means that we find the psychological facts as it were in the constellations. This originally gave rise to the idea that these factors derive from the stars, whereas they are merely in a relation of synchronicity with them. I admit that this is a very curious fact which throws a peculiar light on the structure of the human mind.
~ Carl Jung
What Are Constellations?
A constellation is a well-defined area of the night sky that contains a set of seemingly close stars. This does not mean that the stars that compose the makeup of a constellation are, in fact, close to each other, but visually, they may seem close.
As the stars of the night sky are at astronomical distances from Earth, they appear to be fixed on the celestial sphere – but in fact, they are not.
The constellations probably emerged in the same way that children today discover images in the clouds. It is certain that this systematization of the sky, the “discovery” of the constellations, was significant for the development and evolution of the human species.
Curiosity: our Sun is the only visible star that does not belong to any constellation.
In spaces bounded by constellations, it is common to observe other celestial bodies such as distant, nebula clusters – which are also galaxies, or even planets. This is a way to quickly find objects in the night sky.
What are the Origins of the Constellations?
Since the beginning of exploring Earth, a lot of importance has been given to celestial objects designed in the night sky. Throughout history, many cultures have given names and myths to the patterns created by visible stars, giving rise to what we now call constellations.
Archaeological studies suggest that some of the earliest records of visible star clusters may date back more than 17,000 years.
There are currently 88 official constellations in the night sky, recognized by the International Astronomical Union (UAI) since 1930. Of these, 42 of them have animal names. However, only about half of the 88 constellations are attributed to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and to the Assyrians. 48 of the current constellations have been recorded in Ptolemy’s writings (90-168 AD); before these references, their exact origins are unknown.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, European astronomers and celestial cartographers who explored the southern hemisphere added constellations to those already described by Ptolemy.
Some of these explorers were the German astronomer Johannes Hevelius, the Dutch Frederick de Houtman, Pieter Dirksz Keyser, and Gerard Mercator, the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, the Belgian Petrus Plancius and the Italian navigator Americo Vespucci.
To look at the stars and dream is not a new phenomenon, and it is from old traditions that come primarily from the stories of these 88 divisions of the sky, known as constellations. There is a touch of eternity about looking at the night sky and trying to draw patterns with stars.
The first calendars were born from the observation of the stars and the imaginary organization of the sky in constellations. Because of its evolution and movement during the year, the fixed stars were instrumental in producing time scale measurements. Their measurement, together with observations of the positions of the Sun and Moon and the planets, created conditions for dividing the year not only in seasons but also in months.
Constellations or Asterisms?
The collective unconscious appears to consist of mythological motifs or primordial images, for which reason the myths of all nations are its real exponents. In fact, the whole of mythology could be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious. We can see this most clearly if we look at the heavenly constellations, whose originally chaotic forms are organized through the projection of images. This explains the influence of the stars, as asserted by astrologers. These influences are nothing but unconscious introspective perceptions of the collective unconscious.
~ Carl Jung
Originally, constellations were defined only by the patterns and shapes formed by the stars. However, there were still gaps or empty spaces, with no constellations in the night sky, so more were created.
As more stars were discovered, in the 20th-century, astronomers decided that it would be easier to officially delineate them, creating defined margins between constellations.
Thus, an easily visible and recognizable pattern formed by stars (usually very bright) is given the name of an asterism and not a constellation. These can be within a constellation or be composed of stars from various constellations.
A well-known asterism is the deeper, which is in the constellation Ursa Major. The big deeper asterism is used to easily identify the Ursa Major constellation in the night sky.
Another example is the asterism known as the “Three Sisters,” or “The Three Marys,” or the “Three Kings” they are the three stars on Orion’s belt (Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka). The Orion constellation is often represented by an asterism composed of 20 stars, which resembles – with some creativity – a man with a raised arm and a bow in his hand.
Oh, Constellations of the early night
That sparkled brighter as the twilight died,
And made the darkness glorious! I have seen
Your rays grow dim upon the horizon’s edge
And sink behind the mountains. I have seen
The great Orion, with his jeweled belt,
That large-limbed warrior of the skies, go down
Into the gloom. Beside him sank a crowd
Of shining ones.
~ William C. Bryant
Why Were These Names Given?
Constellation names are often older than the constellations themselves.
Within each of these pieces of sky, it is possible to observe a group of stars (near or far between them and the Earth) that contain one or more asterism that was initially considered to be the constellation.
Although they are no longer defined by their standards, the constellations have kept their names. Besides, the 48 constellations recorded by Ptolemy – have undergone some changes, and numerous constellations have been proposed.
If the constellations had been named in the twentieth century, I suppose we would see bicycles and refrigerators in the sky.
~ Carl Sagan
What Animals are Hidden Archetypes in the Constellations?
Constellation names are essentially animal names, including mythical animals, inanimate objects, and human characters, sometimes mythological figures, and even gods.
As we said before, from the 88 recognized constellations, 42 owe their name to an animal. These animals are real or mythological, as is the case with Apus – the bird of paradise, the Phoenix and the Capricorn – half goat, half fish – and altogether there are 42.
There are foxes, dogs, whales, various fish, snakes, bears, various birds, horses, lizards… there was once a cat!
However, the constellations do not illustrate its name. There may be asterisms within the constellations that, with some imagination, resemble the animal or figure behind the name. An example is the constellation Aquila (the Eagle), whose brightest stars form something like an eagle.
In the northern hemisphere, we have 36 visible constellations (due to the Earth’s rotation), and 21 of them are constellations with animal names.
The Northern Hemisphere’s Animal Asterisms and Constellations:
- Aries – The Ram, old (Ptolemy).
- Pisces – The Pisces, old (Ptolemy).
- Taurus – The Bull, old (Ptolemy).
- Camelopardalis – the Giraffe, 1613 (Petrus Plancius).
- Cancer – The Crab, old (Ptolemy).
- Canis Minor – The Small Dog, old (Ptolemy).
- Leo – The Lion, old (Ptolemy).
- Leo Minor – The Little Lion, 1690 (Hevelius).
- Lynx – The Lynx, 1690 (Hevelius).
- Monoceros – The Unicorn, 1613, (Petrus Plancius).
- Ursa Major – Big Bear, old (Ptolemy).
- Canes Venatici – The Hunting Dogs, 1690 (Hevelius)
- Draco – The Dragon, old (Ptolemy).
- Serpens – The Serpent, ancient (Ptolemy).
- Ursa Minor – Small Bear, old (Ptolemy).
- Aquila – The Eagle, old (Ptolemy).
- Cygnus – The Swan, old (Ptolemy).
- Delphinus – the Dolphin, old (Ptolemy).
- Equuleus – The Little Horse, old (Ptolemy).
- Lacerta – The Lizard, 1690 (Hevelius).
- Pegasus – The ancient Pegasus (Ptolemy).
- Vulpecula – The Fox, 1690 (Hevelius).
In space, there are countless constellations, suns, and planets; we see only the suns because they give light; the planets remain invisible, for they are small and dark. There are also numberless earths circling around their own suns.
~ Giordano Bruno
The Stellar Codes invite you to get to know the animals, real or mythological, that are hidden on these in the constellations and to unveil their symbols and archetypes.
To him, the stars seemed like so many musical notes affixed to the sky, just waiting for somebody to unfasten them. Someday the sky would be emptied, but by then the earth would be a constellation of musical scores
~ Machado de Assis
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