Beginnings of astronomy

Constellations form before the human eye because we try to recognize patterns in everything we see. Constellations have therefore been handed down from all cultures in one form or another. Until the 16th century, 48 constellations in particular were known in Europe. These come from the accumulated knowledge of antiquity, collected by the Assyrians, Babylonians and Greeks. With the voyages of discovery in the 17th and 18th centuries, another 51 were added. It was not until 1928 that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) divided the sky into 88 areas, named after constellations. These areas are used to name stars and celestial bodies and thus to be able to find them more quickly in the sky. The star system Alpha Centauri, which is closest to the Sun, is the first named star (1st letter "alpha" in the Greek alphabet) in the constellation Centaurus (human-horse-hybrid creature from Greek mythology). These naming rules were intended to create order in the ever-lengthening star catalogs. Today, the number of catalogued stars increases with each large telescope. Modern star catalogs are databases in which stars with long catalog numbers and their coordinates and other properties such as color, apparent brightness and redshift are listed. Constellations play an important role today if you want to find your way around the starry sky quickly.

 

The signs of the zodiac

Twelve constellations have had a special function over time. The signs of the zodiac – Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Taurus and Virgo – are located near the ecliptic, the imaginary circle in the sky along which the planets also seem to move. Since the sun also appears to rise along this line in these constellations during the year, a connection could be made between the solar calendar and the 12 cycles of the lunar calendar. Together with the positions of the planets in front of the signs of the zodiac and the encounters of the planets with each other – conjunctions – the basis for astrology was created. Astrology deals with the fate of people under the influence of the planets and their relationships with each other, while astronomy as a science deals with the celestial bodies, their movements and their developments. The history of astrology begins in Mesopotamia in 1250 BC – there is a rainy season and a dry season, and the wind direction can also be determined depending on the season. Since certain constellations are visible in the night sky at the same time, depending on the season, people believed in a connection. In the fifth to fourth centuries BC, the Greeks and Egyptians decisively developed astrology. Mathematics and philosophy flowed in. This is where the horoscope as we know it today was created: After the heyday in ancient Greece, astrology and with it the horoscope experienced an eventful history over the centuries. Although people seek advice in the stars, it is often considered superstition. Advances in astronomy and the discoveries of Copernicus at the beginning of the 16th century finally took away the credibility of astrology: suddenly the sun no longer revolves around the earth and man is no longer the center of the universe. But the horoscope returns once again. The psychologist Carl Gustav Jung made sure of this in the 20th century. He incorporates esoteric and spiritual approaches into his psychoanalysis and turns the starry sky into a mirror of the human soul.

 

 

The zodiac signs:

Aquarius

(Aqr.)

Aquarius

Aries

(Ari.)

Aries

Cancer

(Cnc.)

Cancer

Capricornus

(Cap.)

Capricorn

Gemini

(Gem.)

Gemini

Leo

(Leo.)

Leo

Libra

(Lib.)

Libra

Pisces

(Psc.)

Pisces

Sagittarius

(Sgr.)

Sagittarius

Scorpius

(Sco.)

Skorpio

Taurus

(Tau.)

Taurus

Virgo

(Vir.)

Virgo

 

The Science of Astronomy

The history of astronomy encompasses the development of the scientific study of celestial bodies from prehistory to the present day. Astronomy arose as early as the Stone Age from the unity of sun and star observation and cultic worship of the stars. The Greek Hipparchus is considered the father of scientific astronomy and, together with Ptolemy (of Alexandria) and Aristarchus of Samos, is considered one of the greatest astronomers of antiquity. In addition to the sun, the moon and the six planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – it was recognized that the stars in the sky stand still. For centuries, it was believed that the stars were attached to a crystal sphere that surrounds the earth. Even the observations and measurements of the star positions by Tycho Brahe from 1580 did not bring any new insights. It was not until 1718, when telescopes had long been in use, that the astronomer Edmond Halley discovered that stars also move. In doing so, he paved the way for a large number of other scientific findings. Today we know that all celestial bodies are in motion. According to Isaac Newton's law of gravity, every massive body exerts a force of attraction – gravity – on other massive bodies, but this force decreases with the square of the distance. Through these influences, each celestial body is attracted and accelerated by other celestial bodies, as long as it does not collide with another celestial body.

 

Constellations of the northern Hemisphere:

Andromeda

(And.)

Princess in Chains

Aquila

(Aqi.)

Eagle

Ara

(Ara.)

Altar

Auriga

(Aur.)

Driver

Boötes

(Boo.)

Ox Driver / Bear Keeper

Canes Venatici

(CVn.)

Hunting Dogs

Canis Major

(CMa.)

Big Dog

Canis Minor

(CMi.)

Little Dog

Cassiopeia

(Cas.)

Queen Cassiopeia

Cepheus

(Cep.)

King Cepheus

Cetus

(Cet.)

Whale

Columba

(Col.)

Dove

Coma Berenices

(Com.)

Hair of Berenice

Corona Borealis

(CrB.)

Northern Crown

Corvus

(Crv.)

Raven

Crater

(Crt.)

Cup

Cygnus

(Cyg.)

Swan

Delphinus

(Del.)

Dolphin

Draco

(Dra.)

Dragon

Equuleus

(Equ.)

Foal

Eridanus

(Eri.)

River Eridanus

Hercules

(Her.)

Hercules

Hydra

(Hya.)

Water Snake

Lacerta

(Lac.)

Lizard

Leo Minor

(LMi.)

Little Lion

Lepus

(Lep.)

Hare

Lupus

(Lup.)

Wolf

Lynx

(Lyn.)

Lynx

Lyra

(Lyr.)

Lyre

Monoceros

(Mon.)

Unicorn

Ophiuchus

(Oph.)

Ophiuchus

Orion

(Ori.)

Celesital Hunter

Pegasus

(Peg.)

Winged Horse

Perseus

(Per.)

Hero Perseus

Serpens

(Ser.)

Snake

Triangulum

(Tri.)

Northern Triangle

Ursa Major

(UMa.)

Big Dipper

Ursa Minor

(UMi.)

Small Dipper

Vulpecula

(Vul.)

Little Fox

 

Model Description:

With the Planet Trail, we would like to convey to you the distances that open up between the celestial bodies of the solar system. In the model below, you can see the stars that together form the Big Dipper. Distances also play a major role in constellations. But even more so our line of sight. If you look in from the front, you can see the Big Dipper well. If you look in from the side, you can see what this constellation looks like if you didn't look at it from the Earth's point of view. The reticle also shows how far away the individual stars are from Earth in light years.

 

375 m to Uranus

266 m to Neptune