Why are there constellations?

Why are there twelve constellations in the world?

Constellation originated in Babylon, one of the four ancient civilizations. The Babylonians divided the sky into many regions and called them "constellations", but at that time constellations were of little use and were rarely found and named.

The constellation 12 on the ecliptic was originally used to measure time, not to express people's character as it is now. Around 1000 BC, 30 constellations have been proposed. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River flow into the Persian Gulf from northwest to southeast, so it is also called the "two river basin" area.

After the culture of the two river basins spread to ancient Greece, it promoted the cultural development of ancient Greece. Ancient Greek astronomers supplemented and developed the Babylonian constellation and compiled the ancient Greek constellation table. In the 2nd century A.D., Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer, synthesized the astronomical achievements at that time and sorted out 48 constellations.

Connect the main bright stars in the constellation with imaginary lines, imagine them as images of animals or characters, and give them appropriate names in combination with fairy tales. This is the origin of the constellation name. Most of the 48 constellations in Greek mythology live in the northern sky and north and south of the equator.

Extended data

The development of the twelve constellations

In the 2nd century A.D., Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer, synthesized the astronomical achievements at that time and sorted out 48 constellations. After the Middle Ages, European capitalism rose and needed to expand outward, and the navigation industry was greatly developed.

Ships sailing at sea need navigation at any time, and stars are the best street lamps. Among the stars, this constellation has a special shape and is the easiest to observe. Therefore, constellations have aroused widespread concern.

When Magellan sailed around the world in the16th century, he not only used constellations to navigate and orient, but also studied constellations. 1922, the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union divided the sky into 88 constellations, and their names basically followed the historical names.

1928, the international astronomical union officially announced the names of 88 constellations. These 88 constellations are divided into three celestial regions, 29 in the northern hemisphere, 47 in the southern hemisphere, and 12 near the ecliptic, and the commonly mentioned constellation is 12 on the ecliptic.

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