June 15. For most people, it's an ordinary day. But for amateur astronomers, science fiction fans, and poets, it's an occasion to look at the night sky and draw something new on it. The Day of Inventing New Constellations is an unofficial but very inspiring holiday. It calls on us to move away from the strict maps of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and let our imagination run wild. After all, ancient Greeks, Arabs, and Chinese also looked at the stars and saw heroes, animals, and objects in them. Today, we can do the same. Let's figure out how constellations are born, whether we can invent our own, and why it's needed.
The first constellations were invented by the Sumerians and Babylonians 4000 years ago. The Greeks, and then the Romans, systematized them. Ptolemy compiled a catalog of 48 constellations (Ursa Major, Orion, Cygnus, etc.) in the 2nd century AD. During the Age of Great Geographical Discoveries, Europeans saw the southern sky, and new constellations appeared: Peacock, Toucan, Southern Cross, Keel. In the 16th-18th centuries, astronomers (Bayer, Hevelius, Lacaille) filled in the gaps, adding dozens of constellations. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union approved the final list of 88 constellations, establishing strict boundaries. Since then, no new constellations have been officially added. But unofficially? No one is stopping us from letting our imagination run wild.
Constellations are a way to organize the chaos of stars. For ancient people, they were a map to navigate the sea and desert. For priests, a repository of myths. For astrologers, a tool for predictions. Today, constellations help astronomers find objects (for example, "a galaxy in the constellation Andromeda"). But an ordinary person sees random points in the stars. By inventing constellations, we restore our connection with the cosmos, make it familiar and understandable. It's like clouds: one sees a dragon, another an elephant. On the Day of Inventing New Constellations, you can turn off the planetarium app and turn on your imagination.
Step 1: wait for a clear night, isolate yourself from city lights. Step 2: choose a section of the sky where the stars seem boring to you. Step 3: look not intensely, but unfocused, like on Rorschach tests. Step 4: when you notice an outline (an animal, an object, a hero), outline it mentally with lines. Step 5: give it a name. For example, "Puss in Boots," "Bucket of Water," "Vacuum Cleaner." Step 6: draw a map. Step 7: share your discovery with friends. Your constellation won't become scientific, but it will be yours.
In the history of astronomy, there have been proposed constellations that did not enter the official list. For example, "Great Dog" was, and "Little Dog" is. "Hounds" were added, and "Arcturus" is. Some rejected: "Byt Poniatowski" (in honor of the King of Poland), "Hercules"? no. "Fly" (in the southern hemisphere) is. There were attempts to introduce "Cameleon," "Lynx," "Painter." In honor of scientific instruments: "Pump," "Compass," "Octant." But there are also jokes: in the 18th century, the German astronomer Hevelius proposed "Hull," "Sails," "Compass" (parts of one ship). Some suggested naming a constellation after themselves, but the IAU rejected.
Official constellation names are given in Latin (usually in the genitive case). Unofficial ones can be named however you like: in Russian, English, a fictional language. The main thing is that the name reflects the essence. If you see the outline of a coffee pot, call it "Coffee Pot." If you see Batman's profile, call it "Batman." You can name it after a close person, a pet, a favorite literary hero. On the Day of Inventing New Constellations, no one evaluates strictness.
Scientists are conservative. The list of 88 constellations is convenient for cataloging stars, galaxies, nebulae. Adding new constellations would disrupt the system, require a review of boundaries. Moreover, many "gaps" between constellations are already filled with faint stars. But the IAU does not prohibit amateurs from building their own patterns. The main thing is not to confuse them with scientific ones. On the Day of Inventing New Constellations, you can be unscientific without fear.
Astrologers use zodiacal constellations (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc.) for predictions. But astronomers emphasize: these constellations are conditional areas, not real clusters of stars. Moreover, due to the precession of the Earth's axis, the dates of the Sun entering constellations have shifted. But on the Day of Inventing New Constellations, you can invent your own zodiac. For example, "Notebook Constellation," "Pizza Constellation."
On the night of June 15, go out on the balcony or to the park (if there are no clouds). Take a red flashlight (to avoid blinding your night vision) with you. Tilt your head back. Try to see new shapes in the stars. Draw them in a notebook. If the sky is cloudy, use a planetarium app (Stellarium, Star Walk) and draw on the screen. Invent names. Share the result on social media with the hashtag #NewConstellation. Invite friends to a "star party." No need to argue.
This is a manifestation of pareidolia - the brain's ability to complete images from chaotic stimuli. The same mechanism makes us see faces in clouds, animals in tree roots. Pareidolia is an evolutionary mechanism that helped our ancestors quickly recognize a predator in the underbrush. Today, it makes the starry sky accessible to art. The Day of Inventing New Constellations is a festival of imagination.
On June 15, when the day ends, look at the sky. Don't look for Ursa Major, find your own. Draw it mentally, name it, tell about it. And then the stars will become closer.
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