Former constellations

Former constellations are constellations that are no longer recognized by the International Astronomical Union for various reasons. Many of these constellations existed for long periods of time, even centuries in many cases, which means they still have a large historical value and can be found on older star charts.

Noteworthy former constellations

Argo Navis

Argo Navis is the only constellation from Ptolemy's original list of 48 constellations that is no longer officially recognized. Due to its large size, it was split into four constellations by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille: Carina (the keel), Puppis (the poop deck), Pyxis (the compass), and Vela (the sails). This new version was introduced in the star catalog Coelum Australe Stelliferum in 1763, which was published after de Lacaille's death.

Quadrans Muralis

Quadrans Muralis was originally created in 1795, but has since been divided between the constellations Boötes and Draco. The Quadrantids meteor shower is still named after the former constellation.

Remnant nomenclature

53 Eridani retains the name Sceptrum from the former constellation Sceptrum Brandenburgicum.
Cor Caroli star retains its name from the former constellation Cor Caroli Regis Martyris, invented in 1673 by Charles Scarborough to honor King Charles I of England.
Alpha Vulpeculae is named Anser because of obsolete constellation Anser ('the goose'), introduced by Johannes Hevelius in 1687. It was part of constellation Vulpecula cum Anser.

List of former constellations

Name	Pronunciation	Meaning	Date created	Created by
Anguilla	æŋˈɡwɪlə	Eel	1754	John Hill
Antinous	ænˈtɪnoʊ.əs	Antinous	132	Emperor Hadrian^[1]
Anser	ˈ	Goose (Alpha Vulpeculae in Vulpecula cum Anser)	1687	Johannes Hevelius
Apis	ˈeipɨs	Bee (renamed to Musca Australis and then simply to Musca)	1598	Petrus Plancius
Aranea	əˈreɪniə	Long-Legged Spider	1754	John Hill
Argo Navis	ˈɑrɡoʊˈneɪvɨs	The Ship Argo (now divided into Carina, Puppis, Pyxis, and Vela)	2nd century	Claudius Ptolemy
Asselli and Praesepe	ˈ	Dionysus's Asses (Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis) and Manger (Beehive Cluster)	3rd century BC	Aratus^[2]^[3]
Asterion and Chara	ˈ	Northern and Southern Dogs in Canes Venatici	1690	Johannes Hevelius
Battery of Volta	ˈ	Battery	1807	Thomas Young
Bufo	ˈbjuːfoʊ	Toad	1754	John Hill
Cancer Minor	ˈkænsərˈmaɪnər	Lesser Crab	1613	Petrus Plancius
Capra and Haedi	ˈ	Goat Amalthea (stars surrounding Capella) and the Kids (Haedus I and Haedus II)	3rd century BC	Aratus^[4]
Caput Medusae	ˈ	Medusa's Head (known as Caput Algol in 16th century)	2nd century	Hipparchus
Cerberus	ˈsɜrbərəs	Cerberus (guardian dog of Hades)	1690	Johannes Hevelius
Cor Caroli Regis Martyris	ˈ	Charles's Heart	1673	Charles Scarborough
Corona Firmiana	ˈ	Corona Borealis renamed to honor Count Leopold Anton von Firmian	1730	Corbinianus Thomas
Custos Messium	ˈkʌstɒsˈmɛʃiəm	Keeper of harvests	1775	Jérôme Lalande^[5]
Deltoton	ˈ	Delta (obsolete name for Triangulum Boreale)	1540	Petrus Apianus^[6]
Dentalium	dɛnˈteɪliəm	Tooth Shell	1754	John Hill
Felis	ˈfiːlɨs	Cat	1799	Jérôme Lalande
Frederici Honores	frɛdəˈraɪsaɪ hɒˈnɔəriːz	Frederick's Honors	1787	Johann Elert Bode^[7]
Gallus	ˈɡæləs	Rooster	1613	Petrus Plancius
Gladii Electorales Saxonici	ˈ	Crossed Swords of the Electorate of Saxony	1684	Gottfried Kirch
Globus Aerostaticus	ˈɡloʊbəs ɛərəˈstætɨkəs	Hot air balloon	1798	Jérôme Lalande^[8]
Gryphites	ɡrɪˈfaɪtiːz	Gryphaea shellfish	1754	John Hill
Hippocampus	hɪpəˈkæmpəs	Sea Horse	1754	John Hill
Hirudo	hɪˈruːdoʊ	Leech	1754	John Hill
Jordanus	dʒɔrˈdeɪnəs	River Jordan	1613	Petrus Plancius
Leo Palatinus	ˈ	Lion to honor the Elector Palatine Charles Theodore and his wife Elisabeth Auguste	1785	Karl-Joseph König
Lochium Funis	ˈlɒkiəm ˈfjuːnɨs	Log line (renamed to Linea Nautica in 1888 by Eliza A. Bowen^[9])	1801	Johann Elert Bode^[10]
Lilium	ˈlɪliəm	Fleur de Lys / Lily flower	1679	Augustin Royer/P. Anthelme
Limax	ˈlaɪmæks	Slug	1754	John Hill
Linum Piscium	ˈ	The line connecting the fish (renamed from Linum Austrinum and Linum Boreum by Bode in 1801; known as Lineola too)	1590	Thomas Hood
Lumbricus	lʌmˈbraɪkəs	Earthworm	1754	John Hill
Machina Electrica	ˈmækɨnə ɨˈlɛktrɨkə	Electricity generator	1800	Johann Elert Bode^[11]
Malus	ˈmeɪləs	Mast	1844	John Herschel
Manis	ˈmeɪnəs	Pangolin	1754	John Hill
Marmor Sculptile	ˈ	Bust of Columbus	1810	William Croswell
Mons Maenalus	ˈmɒnz ˈmɛnələs	Mount Mainalo	1690	Johannes Hevelius^[12]
Musca Borealis	ˈmʌskə bɔəriˈeɪlɨs	Northern Fly	1690	Johannes Hevelius
Noctua	ˈnɒktʃuːə	Owl	1822	Alexander Jamieson
Nubecula Major and Nubecula Minor	ˈ	Magellanic Clouds	1603	Johann Bayer
Officina Typographica	ˌɒfɨˈsaɪnə taɪpəˈɡræfɨkə	Printshop	1801	Johann Elert Bode^[13]
Patella	pəˈtɛlə	Limpet	1754	John Hill
Phoenicopterus	ˌfɛnəˈkɒptərəs	Flamingo (an obsolete name for Grus)	early 17th century^[14]
Pinna Marina	ˈpɪnə məˈraɪnə	Mussel	1754	John Hill
Piscis Notus	ˈ	Southern Fish (obsolete name for Piscis Austrinus)	3rd century BC	Aratus
Polophylax	pəˈlɒfɨlæks	Guardian of the Pole	1592	Petrus Plancius
Pomum Imperiale	ˈ	Leopold's orb	1688	Gottfried Kirch
Phaethon	ˈ	Phaethon	Middle Ages	Aratus/Hyginus
Pluteum	ˈ	Parapet (obsolete for Pictor)	1881	Richard Andree
Psalterium Georgii	sælˈtɪəriəm ˈdʒɔrdʒiaɪ	George's Psaltery (renamed to Harp Georgii by Lalande)	1781	Maximilian Hell^[15]
Quadrans Muralis	ˈkweɪdrænz mjʊˈreɪlɨs	Mural Quadrant	1795	Jérôme Lalande^[16]
Quadratum	ˈ	Rhombus (obsolete name for Reticulum Rhomboidalis)	1706	Carel Allard
Ramus Pomifer	ˈreɪməs ˈpɒmɨfər	Apple-bearing Branch	1690	Johannes Hevelius^[17]
Robur Carolinum	ˈroʊbər kærəˈlaɪnəm	Charles' Oak	1679	Edmund Halley^[18]
Rosa	ˈ	Rose	1536	Petrus Apianus
Sagitta Australis	ˈ	Southern Arrow	1613	Petrus Plancius
Scarabaeus	skærəˈbiːəs	Rhinoceros Beetle	1754	John Hill
Sceptrum Brandenburgicum	ˈsɛptrəm brændənˈbɜrdʒɨkəm	Scepter of Brandenburg	1688	Gottfried Kirch^[19]
Sceptrum et Manus Iustitiae	ˈsɛptrəm ɛt ˈmeɪnəs dʒəˈstɪʃɨiː	Scepter and Hand of Justice	1679	Augustin Royer
Sciurus Volans	ˈ	Flying Squirrel	1810	William Croswell
Sextants Uraniae	ˈ	Urania's Sextant (obsolete name for Sextans)	1690	Johannes Hevelius
Siren, Ceneus and Lang	ˈ	Siren, Lapith Caeneus and Toucan	early 17th-century^[20]	Unknown/Willem Jansz Blaeu
Solarium	səˈlɛəriəm	Sundial	1822	Alexander Jamieson
Sudarium Veronicae	ˈ	Sudarium of Veronica	1643	Antoine Marie Schyrle de Rheita^[21]
Tarandus vel Rangifer	təˈrændəs vɛl ˈrændʒɨfər	Reindeer	1736	Pierre Charles Lemonnier^[22]
Taurus Poniatovii	ˈtɔːrəs pɒniəˈtoʊviaɪ	Poniatowski's Bull	1777	Martin Poczobut^[23]
Tarabellum and Vexillum	ˈ	Drill and flag-like Standard	12th century	Michael Scot^[24]
Telescopium Herschelii	tɛlɨˈskoʊpiəm hərˈʃiːliaɪ	Herschel's Telescope (renamed from Tubus Herschelii Major by Bode in 1801)	1781	Maximilian Hell^[25]
Tubus Herschelii Minor	ˈ	Herschel's Reflector	1781	Maximilian Hell
Testudo	tɛsˈtjuːdoʊ	Tortoise	1754	John Hill
Tigris	ˈtaɪɡrɨs	Tigris River	1613	Petrus Plancius
Triangulus Antarcticus	ˈ	Obsolete name for Triangulum Australe	1589	Peter Plancius
Triangulum Major	ˈ	Greater Triangle (obsolete name for Triangulum)	1690	Johannes Hevelius
Triangulum Minor	traɪˈæŋɡjʊləm ˈmaɪnər	Lesser Triangle	1690	Johannes Hevelius^[26]
Turdus Solitarius	ˈtɜrdəs sɒlɨˈtɛəriəs	Solitary Thrush (renamed to Mocking Bird and then to Noctua)	1776	Pierre Charles Lemonnier^[27]
Uranoscopus	jʊərəˈnɒskəpəs	Star-Gazer fish	1754	John Hill
Urna	ˈ	Urn of Aquarius	1596	Zacharias Bornmann
Vespa	ˈvɛspə	Wasp (an obsolete name for Musca)	1624	Jakob Bartsch^[28]
Triangula, Triangulum, Catuli, Corona, Corolla, Piscis, Camelus, Vulpes, Equus, Delphin, Ursa Minor, Canis, Felis, Leaena and Cervus	ˈ	Obsolete names for Triangulum Boreale, Triangulum Australe, Canes Venatici, Corona Borealis, Corona Australis, Piscis Australis, Cameleopardalis, Vulpecula et Anser, Equuleus, Delphinus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Leo Minor and Monoceros	1873	Richard Proctor^[29]

Notes

^ Allen 1963, p. 40.
^ http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3APopular_Science_Monthly_Volume_30.djvu/774
^ http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/cancer.htm
^ http://www.theoi.com/Ther/AixAmaltheia.html
^ Allen 1963, p. 191.
^ http://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute.htm
^ Allen 1963, p. 221.
^ Allen 1963, p. 237.
^ http://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute3.htm
^ Allen 1963, p. 65.
^ Allen 1963, p. 289.
^ Allen 1963, p. 290.
^ Allen 1963, p. 297.
^ Obsolete Constellations: Phoenicopterus
^ Allen 1963, p. 347.
^ Allen 1963, p. 348.
^ Allen 1963, p. 242.
^ Allen 1963, p. 349.
^ Allen 1963, p. 360.
^ http://www.atlascoelestis.com/Leiden%20sconosciuto%20XVII%20secolo.htm
^ http://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute1.htm
^ Allen 1963, p. 377.
^ Allen 1963, p. 413.
^ http://www.atlascoelestis.com/Scot%20base.htm
^ Allen 1963, p. 414.
^ Allen 1963, p. 417.
^ Allen 1963, p. 418.
^ Allen 1963, p. 292.
^ http://www.atlascoelestis.com/Proctor%20base%20nuove.htm

References

Allen, Richard Hinckley (1963). Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning New York: Dover. (Original work published 1899)
Nick Kanas. Star Maps: History, Artistry, and Cartography. Springer; 5 June 2012. ISBN 978-1-4614-0917-5.

External links

[1] Allen 1963, p. 40.

[2] ttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3APopular_Science_Monthly_Volume_30.djvu/774

[3] ttp://www.ianridpath.com/startales/cancer.htm

[4] ttp://www.theoi.com/Ther/AixAmaltheia.html

[5] Allen 1963, p. 191.

[6] ttp://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute.htm

[7] Allen 1963, p. 221.

[8] Allen 1963, p. 237.

[9] ttp://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute3.htm

[10] Allen 1963, p. 65.

[11] Allen 1963, p. 289.

[12] Allen 1963, p. 290.

[13] Allen 1963, p. 297.

[14] Obsolete Constellations: Phoenicopterus

[15] Allen 1963, p. 347.

[16] Allen 1963, p. 348.

[17] Allen 1963, p. 242.

[18] Allen 1963, p. 349.

[19] Allen 1963, p. 360.

[20] ttp://www.atlascoelestis.com/Leiden%20sconosciuto%20XVII%20secolo.htm

[21] ttp://astrocultura.uai.it/mitologia/antiche/costellazioniperdute1.htm

[22] Allen 1963, p. 377.

[23] Allen 1963, p. 413.

[24] ttp://www.atlascoelestis.com/Scot%20base.htm

[25] Allen 1963, p. 414.

[26] Allen 1963, p. 417.

[27] Allen 1963, p. 418.

[28] Allen 1963, p. 292.

[29] ttp://www.atlascoelestis.com/Proctor%20base%20nuove.htm

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v t e Obsolete constellations (including Ptolemy's Argo Navis)
Anguilla Anser Antinous Apes Aranea Argo Navis Asterion Bufo Cancer Minor Cerberus Chara Custos Messium Felis Honores Friderici/Gloria Frederici Gallus Globus Aerostaticus Hippocampus Hirudo Jordanus Leo Palatinus Lilium Limax Lochium Funis Lumbricus Machina Electrica Malus Manis Mons Maenalus Musca Borealis Noctua Officina Typographica Patella Phaethon Polophylax Psalterium Georgianum/Harpa Georgii Quadrans Muralis Ramus Pomifer Robur Carolinum Rosa Scarabaeus Sceptrum Brandenburgicum Sceptrum et Manus Iustitiae Solarium Tarandus/Rangifer Taurus Poniatovii Telescopium Herschelii Testudo Tigris Triangulum Minus Turdus Solitarius Vespa
obsolete constellation names
Apis Phoenicopterus Serpentarius Xiphias Vultur cadens Vultur volans