If you want to make more than a cursory examination of the heavens, it is necessary to classify the stars in some way and to find a means of referring to at least the brightest ones. All civilizations seem to have devised methods of doing this, usually by grouping the stars into patterns. In the past, these patterns were linked either to the gods, goddesses and legendary heroes of the particular culture or to characters associated directly with the more notable deities.
At such times, the study of the heavens could not most properly be described as astrology. The skies were scanned for indications of the fates of rulers and the blessings, or punishments meted out by the gods. At a time when stars and planets were thought to be comparatively close, and no ideas had been formulated about their physical nature, this was plausible.
(above) Sun, Moon and planets including the Earth appear to move through the zodiacal constellations as they circle the sky.
With our present knowledge of the planets, stars and constellations, as well as of other celestial events, such as the appearance of comets or new star (a nova, or supernova), these beliefs are no longer tenable. Even so, we have astrology to thank for its stimulus to observation of the skies; rulers wanted to know both the opinion of the gods and what the future held.
The constellations know today all have Latin names, although they do not derive from ancient Rome. They were recognized, for the most part by the Old Persian civilization centred on Babylon and date from the fifth century BC. Taurus (the Bull), Gemini (the Twins), Scorpio (the Scorpion), Sagittarius (the Archer), Capricornus (the Sea Goat), Aquila (the Eagle), Leo (the Lion), Lupus (the Wolf) and Corvus (the Raven) were all Babylonian constellations. But some that the Persians recognized were rearranged by the Greeks, their Panther, Goat and Bowl becoming our Cygnus (the Swan), Lyra (the Harp) and Auriga (the Charioteer).
(above) A chart of the circumpolar stars from Harmonia Macrocosmica by Andreas Cellarius, published in 1660, shows the brighter stars and the constellation figures.
More recent astronomers did not draw on the legend and rich imagery of these ancient civilizations when it came to naming some of the constellations of the southern skies. Telescopium (the Telescope) and Microscopium (the Microscope) are two examples displaying a more prosaic nomenclature.
