Tracing modern constellations

Ian Ridpath: Star Tales
(originally published in 1988,
revised editions since then,
Ian’s website)
The tales of the modern constellations:
who invented them in the Early Modern Age and what legends did Ovid and the ancients tell?
In alphabetical order each of the constellations is described in an own chapter.
Hoffmann: Wie der Löwe an den Himmel kam
(published 2021 in German only but the images speak their own language.)
The book explains the history of all 88 constellations, constellation by constellation, dedicating 2 to 4 pages for each of them. It is grouping them by the seasons of visibility and demonstrating that many of the constellations are not understandable individually but only with regard to their neighbours.
As an extension of Ridpath’s book, this book also compares the Babylonian constellations at the given area of the sky demonstrating that there are many deviations.

Today, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has defined these 88 constellations (and 89 constellation names).
IAU-Name | Abbr. | English | Original Name | source | Babylonian | German translation | page in Hoffmann’s Book | ||||
1 | Andromeda | And | Princess | Andromeda (Ancient Syria) | antiquity | Anunitu | Prinzessin Andromeda | 114 | |||
2 | Antlia | Ant | Air Pump | la Machina Pneumatique | Lacaille (French) | – | Luftpumpe | 190 | |||
3 | Apus | Aps | Bird of Paradise | de Paradijs Voghel | Dutch | – | Paradiesvogel | 76 | |||
4 | Aquarius | Aqr | Water Pourer | – | Babylonian | The Great One = God Ea/ Enki | Wassermann | 93 | |||
5 | Aquila | Aql | Eagle | – | Babylonian | Eagle and Corpse | Adler | 86 | |||
6 | Ara | Ara | Altar | Greek | Altar | 62 | |||||
Carina | Car | Ship’s Keel | le Corps | Lacaille | Schiffskiel | 172 | |||||
7 | Argo | Arg | Ship | Puppis | Pup | Ship’s Stern | Pouppe | Lacaille | Achterschiff | ||
Pyxis | Pyx | Mariner’s Compass | le Boussole | Lacaille | Kompass | ||||||
Vela | Vel | Ship’s Sail | la Voilure | Lacaille | Segel | ||||||
8 | Aries | Ari | Ram | Babylonian | Hired Man | Widder | 130 | ||||
9 | Auriga | Aur | Charioteer | Greek (Athens) | The Crook (a weapon) | Fuhrmann | 168 | ||||
10 | Boötes | Boo | Herdsman | Ploughman | Greco-Babylonian transformation | Shupa/ God Enlil | Schäfer, Wächter, Ochsentreiber | 44 | |||
11 | Caelum | Cae | Engraving Tool | les Burins | Lacaille (French) | Grabstichel | 193 | ||||
12 | Camelopardalis | Cam | Giraffe | Plancius | Giraffe | 141 | |||||
13 | Cancer | Cnc | Crab | Babylonian | Crab, Seat of God Anu | Krebs | 178 | ||||
14 | Canes Venatici | CVn | Hunting Dogs | Hevelius | Jagdhunde | 38 | |||||
15 | Canis Major | CMa | Great Dog | Greek | Arrow | Großer Hund | 160 | ||||
16 | Canis Minor | CMi | Little Dog | Prokyon | Greek | Kleiner Hund | 163 | ||||
17 | Capricornus | Cap | Sea Goat | Babylonian | Goat-Fish | Steinbock / Ziegenfisch | 96 | ||||
18 | Cassiopeia | Cas | Queen | Kassiepeia | Greek | Plough | Königin Cassiopeia | 118 | |||
19, 20 | Centaurus + Lupus | Cen Lup | Centaur, Wolf | Greek Babylonian | – – ? – – Rabid Dog | Kentaur Wolf | 68 | ||||
21 | Cepheus | Cep | King | Kepheus | Greek | König Kepheus | 120 | ||||
22 | Cetus | Cet | Sea Monster | Greek | Giant Swallow | Seeungeheuer Ketos | 125 | ||||
23 | Chamaeleon | Cha | Chameleon | het Chameljoen | Dutch | Chamäleon | 78 | ||||
24 | Circinus | Cir | Drawing Compass | le Compass | Lacaille (French) | Zirkel | 73 | ||||
25 | Columba | Col | Dove | Plancius | Taube | 176 | |||||
26 | Coma Berenikes | Com | Berenice’s Hair | Greco-Egyptian (Konon) | Spadix of Date Palm | Haar der Berenike | 186 | ||||
27 | Corona Australis | CrA | Southern Crown | Roman (1st c. CE) | Südliche Krone | 100 | |||||
28 | Corona Borealis | CrB | Northern Crown | antiquity | Asterism of Dignity | Nördliche Krone | 46 | ||||
29 | Crater | Crt | Cup (a crater) | Krater | Greco-Akkadian | Krater | 56 | ||||
30 | Crux | Cru | (Southern) Cross | [to Cen] | Christian-Italian, 14th to 16th Jh. | Kreuz | 71 | ||||
31 | Cygnus | Cyg | Swan | Bird | Greek | a demon with a gaping mouth | Schwan | 84 | |||
32 | Delphinus | Del | Dolphin | Greek | Delphin | 91 | |||||
33 | Dorado | Dor | Dorado or Dolphinfish | den Dorado | Dutch | Goldmakrele (Dorade) | 196 | ||||
34 | Draco | Dra | Dragon | Snake | Greek | Drache | 40 | ||||
35 | Equuleus | Equ | Little Horse | Roman (Ptolemaios) | Fohlen/ Füllen | 140 | |||||
36 | Eridanus | Eri | River | River | Greek | Fluss Eridanus | 170 | ||||
37 | Fornax | For | Furnace | le Fourneau | Lacaille (French) | Chemischer Ofen | 146 | ||||
38 | Gemini | Gem | Twins | Lugalirra and Meslamtaea | Babylonian | Great Twins | Zwillinge | 166 | |||
39 | Grus | Gru | Crane | den Reygher | Dutch | Kranich | 105 | ||||
40 | Hercules | Her | Hercules | the Kneeler | Greek | Herkules | 42 | ||||
41 | Horologium | Hor | Pendulum Clock | l’Horloge | Lacaille (French) | Pendeluhr | 144 | ||||
42, 43 | Corvus, Hydra | Crv Hya | Crow, Water Snake | – | Babylonian | Rabe, Wasserschlange | 52 | ||||
44 | Hydrus | Hyi | Small Water Snake | de Waterslang | Dutch | Kleine Wasser- schlange | 148 | ||||
45 | Indus | Ind | Indian | de Indiaen | Dutch | Eingeborener | 106 | ||||
46 | Lacerta | Lac | Lizard | Hevelius (Polish) | Eidechse | 143 | |||||
47 | Leo | Leo | Lion | Babylonian | a demon (griffin?, winged? lion) | Löwe | 182 | ||||
48 | Leo Minor | LMi | Lesser Lion | Hevelius (Polish) | Kleiner Löwe | 185 | |||||
49 | Lepus | Lep | Hare | Greek | Rooster | Hase | 164 | ||||
50 | Libra | Lib | Scales | Babylonian | Waage | 60 | |||||
51 | Lynx | Lyn | Lynx | Hevelius (Polish) | Luchs | 189 | |||||
52 | Lyra | Lyr | Lyre | Greek | Goddess Gula | Lyra/ Leier | 82 | ||||
53 | Mensa | Men | Table Mountain | la Montagne de la Table | Lacaille (French) | Tafelgebirge | 192 | ||||
54 | Microscopium | Mic | Microscope | Lacaille (French) | Mikroskop | 109 | |||||
55 | Monoceros | Mon | Unicorn | Plancius | Einhorn | 177 | |||||
56 | Musca | Mus | Fly | de Vlieghe | Dutch | Fliege | 72 | ||||
57 | Norma | Nor | Set Square | l’Equerre et la Règle | Lacaille (French) | Maß | 74 | ||||
58 | Octans | Oct | Octant | l’Octans de Réflecion | Lacaille (French) | Oktant | 111 | ||||
59, 60 | Ophiuchus, Serpens | Oph Ser | Serpent Bearer, Serpent | antiquity Greek | God Zababa | Schlangenträger Schlange | 64 | ||||
61 | Orion | Ori | Hunter | antiquity | Heavenly Shepherd | Orion | 156 | ||||
62 | Pavo | Pav | Peacock | Dutch | de Pauw | Pfau | 107 | ||||
63 | Pegasus | Peg | Winged Horse | Horse (Greek) | antiquity | field measure “one Iku”, Seat of God Ea | Pegasus | 138 | |||
64 | Perseus | Per | Hero | antiquity | Old Man | Perseus | 122 | ||||
65 | Phoenix | Phe | Phoenix | de Voghel Fenicx | Dutch | Phönix | 150 | ||||
66 | Pictor | Pic | Painter’s Easel | le Chévalet et la Palette | Lacaille (French) | Malerstaffelei | 152 | ||||
67 | Pisces | Psc | Fishes | antiquity | Tails of the Giant Swallow | Fische | 127 | ||||
68 | Piscis Austrinus | PsA | Southern Fish | Babylonian | Südlicher Fisch | 98 | |||||
69 | Reticulum | Ret | Net (an instrument) | Réticule Rhomboïde | Lacaille (French) | Netz | 195 | ||||
70 | Sagitta | Sge | Arrow | Greek | Pfeil | 89 | |||||
71 | Sagittarius | Sgr | Archer | Babylonian | God Pabilsang | Schütze | 102 | ||||
72 | Scorpius | Sco | Scorpion | Babylonian | Skorpion | 58 | |||||
73 | Sculptor | Scl | Sculptor | l’Atelier du Sculpteur | Lacaille (French) | Bildhauer | 153 | ||||
74 | Scutum | Sct | Shield | Scutum Sobiescianum | Hevelius (Polish) | Schild | 104 | ||||
75 | Sextans | Sex | Sextant | Hevelius | Sextant | 188 | |||||
76 | Taurus | Tau | Bull | Babylonian | Heavenly Bull | Stier | 134 | ||||
77 | Telescopium | Tel | Telescope | le Télescope | Lacaille (French) | Teleskop | 110 | ||||
78 | Triangulum | Tri | Triangle | Delta | Greek | Dreieck | 133 | ||||
79 | Triangulum Australe | TrA | Southern Triangle | den Zuyder Trianghel | Dutch | Südliches Dreieck | 75 | ||||
80 | Tucana | Tuc | Toucan | den Indiaenschen Exster, op Indies Lang ghenaemt | Dutch | Tukan | 108 | ||||
81 | Ursa Major | UMa | Great Bear | Greek | Chariot or Wagon (for goods, not war) | Große Bärin | 34 | ||||
82 | Ursa Minor | UMi | Little Bear | Greek | Chariot or Wagon (for Goods) | Kleine Bärin | 36 | ||||
83 | Virgo | Vir | Maiden | Babylonian | Furrow + Ear of Grain | Jungfrau/ Mädchen | 48 | ||||
84 | Volans | Vol | Flying Fish | de Vliegende Visch | Dutch | Fliegender Fisch | 79 | ||||
85 | Vulpecula | Vul | Fox | Vulpecula et Anser | Hevelius | Füchslein | 90 |