Of the 88 constellations officially recognized, over half, known as Ptolemy's “Ancient 48”, are based on mythology of Greece and Mesopotamia, some of which can be traced back almost 4000 years. In contrast, the remaining “Modern 40” are mostly not visible from the Mediterranean and Europe and represent a bizarre collection indeed.

The most southerly stars that can be seen are at a declination of 90º - the observer’s latitude. For example, from Tuckahoe at 39º north latitude, stars below 51º south remain below the horizon. But not forever: precession, the Earth’s 26,000-year axial wobble, slowly shifts constellations north and south. As recently as 300 B.C., the Southern Cross was visible to Delaware's Lenni Lanape native americans, and if you’re willing to wait until the year 3400, the bright star Achenar (currently at declination 57º south) will just be visible from Tuckahoe. But at present, roughly 30 southern constellations cannot be seen from here.

Dutch navigators were the first Europeans to populate the southern sky, and many of their constellations were beautifully illustrated in Johann Bayer’s Uranometria in 1603. But royality and nationalistic symbols have, for better or worse, not survived, and neither have the biblical figures of Julius Schiller. For the most part the southern sky as we know it was filled in with tools, navigation aids, exotic birds and animals around the middle of the 18th century.  By 1922, the International Astronomical Union had settled on the rectangular boundaries drawn in moderns celestial charts.

No doubt the most famous of these constellations is the Southern Cross. While it has the smallest area, it is the only constellation to appear on two nations' flags. Crux is centered on the most spectacular region of the Milky Way, and nearby are all the brightest and nearest nighttime stars. Birds flock in the southern sky. Grus is a crane, Tucana is a toucan, Pavo is a peacock, and Columba a dove. Phoenix culminates at midnight in the southern spring, but have you ever heard of Apus (bird of paradise)?

Tools of all sorts abound: there is a telescope of course (Telescopium), along with a microscope (Microscopium) and a clock (Horologium). Associated hardware includes a eyepiece reticle (Reticulum), a furnace (Fornax), carpenter's level (Norma), and an altar (Ara). And for the artist, a chisel or engraving tool (Caelum), drawing compass (Circinus),  triangle (Triangulum Australe), the painter's easel (Pictor) and the sculptor's workshop (Sculptor).  But what were they thinking when they included the fanciful Antlia, the Air Pump?

Jason’s ship, the Argo Navis, has been rendered in various pieces:  Puppis (stern), Vela (sails), Carina (keel),  Pyxis (compass), along with mariner’s Octans (or octant, a smaller version of a sextant). Not surprisingly there are aquatic creatures: Dorado (goldfish or swordfish), Volans (flying fish) and Hydrus (sea serpent or water snake). And not to leave any out: Chamaeleon (the small lizard), and Musca (fly). Geographically, Eridanus is an ancient mythological river, while Mensa is South Africa’s Table Mountain, and Indus is the Native American. Centaurus (half man, half horse) doesn’t fit with any of the above but it’s also a must-see southern constellation.

So just what is your admission to this southern sideshow? You could fly south (after all, spring has just begun in that hemisphere) or you can attend the club’s monthly meetings. For the regular “constellation of the month” feature over the next year, we will review the southern constellations. Volunteers are needed to make this adventure successful: do you have a favorite star, deep sky object or just want to get to know a new part of the sky? Step forward---the rewards are there. Imagine sky appearing to rotate in the opposite direction with the center of the Milky Way galaxy passing directly overhead. Can you find our closest neighbor galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds? Since there's no southern pole star to guide you, you’ll need to know the constellations. Please join us at the monthly meeting on each first Tuesday in Smyrna.

Get your own monthly southern sky chart at Skymaps.com. A good online resource is the Hawaiian Astronomical Society's constellation page. James B. Kaler's The ever-changing sky: a guide to the celestial sphere (1996, Cambridge) is a useful overview, and Hartung's Astronomical objects for southern telescopes (second edition, revised by D. Malin and D.J. Frew, 1995, Cambridge, and from which the background of Hevelius's Argo Navis was scanned) should be of particular interest to southern star gazers.This document was last revised on 4 October 2003. Text and images copyright © 2003 by Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.