Astronomy and Constellations Explained
During ancient times, cultures used to identify celestial objects with their gods and spirits. They believed that movements of these objects were related to natural phenomena such as rain, drought, and the tides. The study of these objects was considered divine and the first “astronomers” were the priests. Astronomy was also used to keep track of the time, to orient ancient cities and even to predict the future.
Before the telescope and similar tools were invented, the study of the celestial objects was conducted by standing on tall buildings or high ground and using the naked eye. Early astronomy consisted of mapping the positions of the stars and the planets helping form the widespread idea during that time that the earth is the center of the universe with the celestial subjects like the sun, the moon, and the stars revolving around it.
Astronomy was also important in navigation. Prior to the invention of the compass, categorizing the night sky into patterns as we all now call as constellations were important in land and naval navigation. Constellations were also used in spiritual purposes. The Ancient Greeks, for example, believed that a heavenly constellation rules the heavens for the period in which their position on the eastern horizon before dawn was replaced by the rising sun. They also believed that the constellations were creatures awarded by their gods by placing them among the stars for deeds they have done.
In informal definition, a constellation is a group of celestial bodies, like stars, which forms a pattern in the sky. Modern Astronomers still make use of the term, although the present system focuses more on constellations as grid-like segments of the celestial sphere rather than as patterns. A star-pattern that is not officially classified as a constellation is called an asterism. The bid dipper is one famous example of an asterism which is considered part of the larger constellation Ursa Major.
Understanding of constellation systems differ among cultures. The Western constellations especially those in the night sky of the northern hemisphere is based on constellations described by the Ancient Greeks. The first ancient Greek works which dealt with the constellations were books of star myths. Chinese constellations are different from the Western constellations due to the fact that the development of the ancient Chinese astronomy did not depend on the western astronomy. One noticeable difference is that the
Chinese has the 28 “xiu” (which literally translates to “mansions”) while the western has 12 zodiac constellations. India, the 12 zodiac constellations are called raasis. These constellations correspond directly to the twelve western star signs and these are divided into 27 “nakshatras”, or lunar houses.
During these modern times, people from all over the world still continue to participate stargazing and finding constellations for their personal enjoyment.
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