Equuleus Constellation 1482
by US Naval Observatory Library
Title
Equuleus Constellation 1482
Artist
US Naval Observatory Library
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Equuleus is a constellation. Its name is Latin for, little horse, a foal. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains among the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It is the second smallest of the modern constellations (after Crux), spanning only 72 square degrees. It is also very faint, having no stars brighter than the fourth magnitude. Poeticon astronomicon is a star atlas whose authorship is disputed. The work was originally attributed to the Roman historian Gaius Julius Hyginus (64 BC - AD 17). The book lists most of the constellations in the same order as Ptolemy's Almagest (2nd century AD) which has led many to believe that a more recent Hyginus created the text. The Poeticon astronomicon was not formally published until 1482, by Erhard Ratdolt. He commissioned a series of woodcuts, but the relative positions of the stars bear little resemblance to the descriptions given by Hyginus in the text or the actual positions of the stars in the sky.
Uploaded
August 14th, 2014
Embed
Share
Comments
There are no comments for Equuleus Constellation 1482. Click here to post the first comment.