Science, history and culture History of astronomy and science
The Genesis of the Constellations
David Barrado Navascués Centre for Astrobiology
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About the lecture
The celestial sphere is currently divided into 88 constellations. They are apparent groupings of stars drawn on the celestial sphere, in an intellectual exercise closely tied to culture. Each civilisation has recreated the constellations according to its beliefs, although those accepted by the International Astronomical Union are based mainly on the Age of Discovery and the Greco-Roman tradition. However, there are connections and influences from Phoenicia, on the eastern Mediterranean coast, and from Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq. The study of Hellenic literature and Babylonian clay tablets shows how the constellations of the northern hemisphere were created: an evocative story of cultural fusion in which storytelling and rational thought came together to place mythological figures in the northern skies.
Text of the official description published by IAA-CSIC on YouTube.
