Obsolete Constellation Checklist

 

Alternate Constellation Observing Program Coordinator:

Brad Young
212 E. 16th St.
Tulsa OK USA 74119
(918) 629 9160

This checklist is required for the Silver Level certification.

Information is plentiful on the internet regarding obsolete constellations.  A good staring point is Wikipedia.

Select 40 of these constellations and sketch them, providing the information required on the form provided or your own form, with the same info included:

 

Obsolete Constellation

Meaning

Source

Completed

1

Battery of Volta

Battery

 

 

2

Linum Piscium

Line of Fishes

 

 

3

Testudo

Tortoise

 

 

4

Deltaton

Triangle

 

 

5

Triangulum Minus

Small Triangle

 

 

6

Lilium

Fleur de Lis

 

 

7

Psalterium Georgii

George’s Harp

 

 

8

Sciurus Volans

Flying Squirrel

 

 

9

Hippocampus

Sea Horse

 

 

10

Sceptrum Brandenburgicum

Scepter of Brandenburg

 

 

11

Capra and Haedi

Goat and Kids

 

 

12

Limax

Slug

 

 

13

Hirudo

Leech

 

 

14

Custos Messium

Harvester

 

 

15

Tartandus

Reindeer

 

 

16

Uranoscopus

Stargazing Fish

 

 

17

Cancer Minor

Small Crab

 

 

18

Gallus

Rooster

 

 

19

Officina Typographica

Printshop

 

 

20

Lumbricus

Earthworm

 

 

21

Asselli and Praesepe

The Asses

 

 

22

Felis

Felix the Cat

 

 

23

Lochium Funis

Log Line

 

 

24

Jordanus

River Jordan

 

 

25

Rosa

Rose

 

 

26

Asterion and Chara

Hunting Dogs

 

 

27

Bufo

Toad

 

 

28

Aranea

Spider

 

 

29

Mons Maenalus

Mountain

 

 

30

Noctua

Owl

 

 

31

Scarabaeus

Rhinoceros Beetle

 

 

32

Quadrans Muralis

Mural Quadrant

 

 

33

Sagitta Australis

Southern Arrow

 

 

34

Cerberus

Hound of Hell

 

 

35

Gryphites

Shellfish

 

 

36

Patella

Limpet

 

 

37

Ramus Pomifer

Apple Tree Branch

 

 

38

Taurus Poniatovii

Poniatowski’s Bull

 

 

39

Antinous

Antinous

 

 

40

Pinna Marina

Mussel

 

 

41

Anguilla

Eel

 

 

42

Leo Palatinus

Lion of Palatinus

 

 

43

Pomum Imperiale

Leopold’s Orb

 

 

44

Dentalium

Tooth Shell

 

 

45

Globus Aerostaticus

Hot Air Balloon

 

 

46

Tigris

Tigris River

 

 

47

Frederici Honores

Frederick’s Honors

 

 

48

Manis

Pangolin

 

 

All these obsolete constellations have sources in the public domain describing or mapping the stars included. They either consist of stars not included in the official constellations (termed the amorphous areas by the Greeks), or overlap them, but portray something else.

Be sure and include an attributed copy of your source for the groups you select to observe. An example is shown below.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custos_Messium

Or, if you use a text description when images are not available:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=n_ReAAAAcAAJ&pg=PT309#v=onepage&q&f=false

LIMAX, the naked Snail. A constellation offered to the astronomical world, and composed of certain conspicuous unformed stars near the foot of Orion, and under the Eridanus. It is a constellation of small extent, and contains only a few stars; …The conspicuous stars, of which the constellation Limax is composed, are nine...There is one at the extremity of the head, one at the hinder part of it near the out-line, and these are both large and bright ones. A little distant from these, near the opposite out-line, toward the hinder part of the head, are two small stars placed near one another, after these is a vacant space in the figure, till toward the lower part of the body, where there is in the outline a single large and conspicuous star; a little lower than this, and at the opposite out-line, stand three in a cluster together in the last, which is also a tolerably large and bright one, is at the tip of the tail

Note: if your geographical location inhibits the visibility of enough constellations (40) on this list to meet the requirements (e.g. Southern Hemisphere observer) please contact the coordinator.

 

Return to the main page for the Alternate Constellation Observing Program.

 

Alternate Constellation Observing Program Coordinator:

Brad Young
212 E. 16th St.
Tulsa OK USA 74119
(918) 629 9160