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"The
Lost Constellations of European Celestial Cartography"
Denise Behrens
Undergraduate Student
California State University, Long Beach
ABSTRACT:
The purpose of this study is to examine the "lost"
constellations found on some European celestial maps. Before the adoption
of 88 standardized constellations in the early 20th century, European
celestial maps were often characterized by numerous additions of new and
sometimes unusual constellations. While some of these constellations have
remained in use until the present day, others have not been so fortunate.
The result of this is that there have been dozens of relatively unknown
constellations that have traversed some of the most famous celestial maps
in history, yet are barely remembered today. Therefore, this paper will
discuss the origins and short tenures of these forgotten constellations.
It will discover which
of these constellations have survived the test of time, while others have
vanished from today's star maps. Finally, it will postulate possible
reasons for the demise of these constellations, despite the adoption of
some of their contemporaries.
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