Pictures in the Sky

This late 18th century star map depicts the area of the sky which, in Western astronomy, has been normally associated with the constellation of Leo the Lion. Can you see any pattern suggesting a lion? Or do you see something else? Constellations are just products of human imagination and culture. Some have acquired a seal of scientific authority, but not only can they be represented in varied ways, the different patterns to be found among the stars are endless.

This star map from an astronomy book published in early 19th-century Japan depicts constellations originating in China. Chinese constellations had a direct connection with varied aspects of daily life in the Chinese empire, ranging from the Emperor and his court to something as mundane as a toilet. They were adopted in other areas of Eastern Asia, as exemplified by this Japanese book.  

The maritime undertakings that took off by the late 15th century allowed Europeans to see areas of the southern skies that were not visible from their homeland. The southern constellations shown in this star map were created in the late 16th century on the basis of observations made by the Dutch navigators P. Kayser and F. de Houtman. The colonialist mentality of the period is evinced by the inclusion of Indus (the Indian) and animals perceived as exotic such as Apus (the Bird of Paradise) and Tucana (the Tucan).

Several European astronomers sought to leave their mark in the heavens by filling the gaps between well-established constellations with new creations. Such was the case of Johannes Hevelius (1611-1687), who added ten new constellations, many of which are still used today. They included Scutum (the Shield, a tribute to his patron the king John III Sobieski of Poland), Sextans (the Sextant, a reference to Hevelius’s own instruments), and several animals. This illustration depicts Hevelius presenting his constellations to an assembly of historic astronomers presided over by Urania, the Muse of Astronomy.  

In the 18th-century the British writer John Hill, a satirist who also authored books on natural history, expanded on the list of Western animal constellations with contributions of dubious taste such as Hirudo (the Leech), Limax (the Slug), and Lumbricus (the Earthworm, shown here between Cancer the Crab and Gemini the Twins). Unsurprisingly, Hill’s constellations were overall ignored, but his message was clear: anyone can see anything in the stars, and astronomers themselves took that a little too far sometimes. 

In 2016, an alleged new constellation, shown here, made news. A group of Belgian astronomers from the MIRA Public Observatory had created it in homage to the recently deceased David Bowie. But it was actually just an asterism, or star pattern, meant to celebrate the artist.There was no pretense of having it recognized by the International Astronomical Union, which is not likely to review its standard list of 88 constellations anytime soon. Above all, the story reminds us that, despite how constellations are scientifically defined, the night sky remains open to everyone’s imagination - something that “Starman” Bowie himself would certainly have appreciated.