ANDROMEDA – THE CHAINED MAIDEN

Genitive: Andromedae

Andromeda is one of the Greek constellations. It was named after Andromeda, the daughter of
Cassiopeia and Cepheus in Greek mythology, who was chained and left for the sea monster
Cetus to eat, and then saved by Perseus.

Andromeda was sacrificed to Cetus to appease the gods and stop the monster from ravaging her
land. Cetus was sent by the god Poseidon after Cassiopeia had boasted that she was more
beautiful than the nymphs.

APUS – THE BIRD OF PARADISE

Genitive: Apodis

Apus represents a bird of paradise. The constellation’s name means “no feet” in Greek, referring
to a western misconception of a bird-of-paradise as one not having feet. The constellation was
created and named by the Dutch astronomer and cartographer Petrus Plancius in the late 16th
century.

AQUARIUS – THE WATER BEARER

Genitive: Aquarii

Aquarius is one of the 44 Greek constellations. It is usually associated with Ganymede, the cup-
carrier to the Olympian gods.

In the myth, Ganymede was the son of King Tros, known for giving Troy its name. Ganymede was
the most beautiful boy alive and Zeus was so infatuated with him that he took the form of an
eagle and abducted the boy.

In some versions of the myth, Zeus sent an eagle, represented by the constellation Aquila, to
fetch Ganymede and bring him to Olympus.

AQUILA – THE EAGLE

Genitive: Aquilae

Aquila constellation is sometimes associated with the eagle that held Zeus’ thunderbolts in
Greek mythology and other times with the eagle that abducted Ganymede and brought him to
Olympus.

ARIES – THE RAM

Genitive: Arietis

Aries is identified as a winged ram with a Golden Fleece, sent by the nymph Nephele to save her
son Phrixus after his father, King Athamas of Boeotia, had been given a false prophecy that he
had to sacrifice his son to ward off famine.

Phrixus and his sister Helle climbed on the ram and were carried toward Colchis on the shore of
the Black Sea. Helle lost her grip and fell into the Dardanelles on the way.

The Greeks named the channel separating Europe and Asia the Hellerospont in her memory. The
Golden Fleece was later the object of the Argonauts’ quest to Colchis

AURIGA – THE CHARIOTEER

Genitive: Aurigae

Auriga, the Charioteer, was said to have been placed in the sky by Zeus himself in honour of its
inventor, Erichthonius of Athens. Erichthonius was the son of the god Hephaestus and he was
raised by Athena, who taught him many skills. He was the first person to harness four horses to a
chariot and is credited as the inventor of the the quadriga, the four-horse chariot. His chariot
was said to have been made in the image of the Sun god’s chariot.

CAMELOPARDALIS – THE GIRAFFE

Genitive: Camelopardalis

The Latin word camelopardalis means “the giraffe,” and is a combination of the Greek words for
the camel and the leopard. The Greeks came up with the name because the giraffe reminded
them of the camel because of its long neck, and had spots like a leopard.

CANCER – THE CRAB

Genitive: Cancri

Cancer represents Karkinos, a crab sent by Hera to distract Heracles when he was fighting the
Lemean Hydra as part of his Twelve Labours. Heracles kicked the crab so hard that it flew all the
way into the sky, where it became a constellation. In a different version of the myth, Heracles
crushed the crab underfoot and Hera placed it into the sky.

CANES VENATICI – THE HUNTING DOGS

Genitive: Canum Venaticorum

The constellation Canes Venatici was created by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the
17th century. It represents two hunting dogs led by Boötes, the Herdsman, following the Great
Bear (Ursa Major).
CANIS MAJOR – THE BIG DOG

Genitive: Canis Majoris

Canis Minor is one of the Greek constellations. It represents the bigger dog following the
mythical hunter Orion in pursuit of a hare, represented by Lepus constellation. The constellation
is also sometimes associated with Laelaps, the fastest dog in the world, given to Europa by Zeus
as a present.

CANIS MINOR – THE SMALL DOG

Genitive: Canis Minoris

Canis Minor represents the smaller dog following Orion. The constellation is also sometimes
associated with Maera, the dog that belonged to Icarius, the unlucky wine-maker who was killed
by his friends and is represented by Boötes constellation. The dog was said to have jumped off a
cliff out of grief after Icarius was killed.

CAPRICORNUS – THE SEA GOAT

Genitive: Capricorni

Capricornus is one of the ancient constellations first catalogued by Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
The constellation’s name means “the goat.” Capricornus is usually taken to represent the Greek
forest deity Pan, who had the horns and legs of a goat. It is also sometimes identified as
Amalthea, the goat that suckled the infant Zeus.

CASSIOPEIA – THE QUEEN

Genitive: Cassiopeiae

Cassiopeia constellation represents the boastful queen Cassiopeia, wife of Cepheus and mother
of Andromeda in Greek mythology. Cassiopeia claimed that she was more beautiful than the
Nereids, and the nymphs asked the sea god Poseidon to punish the queen for her vanity.
Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus to ravage the queen’s land. King Cepheus asked an oracle
for help and was told that he had to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to appease Poseidon. The
king and queen left their daughter chained to a rock, but Andromeda was saved from the
monster by Perseus. Cassiopeia and Cepheus were placed into the sky by Poseidon. It is said that
Cassiopeia spends six months every year upside down in the sky as punishment for her
boastfulness.

CARINA – THE KEEL OF THE ARGO NAVIS

Genitive: Carinae

Carina was one of the three constellations that formed Argo Navis, a large constellation that
represented the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed to Colchis to get the Golden
Fleece.

Carina represents the keel of the ship. Argo Navis constellation was divided into smaller
constellations – Carina (the keel), Puppis (the stern) and Vela (the sails) by Nicolas Louis de
Lacaille in the 18th century.

CENTAURUS – THE CENTAUR

Genitive: Centauri

Centaurus constellation represents the half-man, half-horse hybrid creature from Greek
mythology. It is usually associated with Chiron, the wise centaur who mentored Heracles,
Theseus, Achilles, Jason, and other famous Greek heroes.

CEPHEUS – THE KING

Genitive: Cephei

Cepheus constellation represents King Cepheus of Aethiopia (a region that contained parts of
present-day Egypt, Jordan and Israel), husband of Cassiopeia and father of Andromeda.

CETUS – THE WHALE

Genitive: Ceti

Cetus constellation represents the sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage King Cepheus’ land
after his wife Cassiopeia had boasted that she was more beautiful than the Nereids.

CHAMAELEON – THE CHAMELEON

Genitive: Chamaeleontis

Chamaeleon constellation was created by Dutch explorers in the 16th century. It was named
after the chameleon, a type of lizard that can change colour to match the environment.

CIRCINUS – THE COMPASS

Genitive: Circini

Circinus is one of the constellations created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. He
named it after the drafting tool used for drawing circles. The constellation does not represent
the mariner’s compass like Pyxis constellation does, but is usually depicted as a pair of dividing
compasses used to measure distances.

COLUMBA – THE DOVE

Genitive: Columbae

Columba constellation represents the dove. It was introduced by Petrus Plancius in the 16th
century and originally named Columba Noachi, or Noah’s Dove, in reference to the dove that
signalled to Noah that the Great Flood was receding.

COMA BERENICES – BERENICE’S HAIR

Genitive: Comae Berenices

Coma Berenices constellation was named after Queen Berenice II of Egypt. Berenice swore to
Aphrodite that she would cut off her long blonde hair if the goddess brought her husband,
Ptolemy III Euergetes, back home safely from a dangerous mission against the Seleucids, who
had killed the king’s sister during the Third Syrian War. When Ptolemy returned, the queen
fulfilled her promise and placed her hair in Aphrodite’s temple. The hair disappeared the next
day, which made the king angry. To calm him down, Conon, the court astronomer, told him that
the goddess was so pleased with Berenice’s hair that she placed it into the sky.

CORONA AUSTRALIS – THE SOUTHERN CROWN

Genitive: Coronae Australis

Corona Australis is one of the Greek constellations. The Greeks saw it not as a crown, but as a
wreath associated with the centaur represented by Sagittarius constellation. The constellation is
also sometimes associated with the crown that Dionysus placed in the sky after freeing his
mother Semele from Hades.

CORONA BOREALIS – THE NORTHERN CROWN

Genitive: Coronae Borealis

Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown, represents the crown worn by the Cretan princess
Ariadne at her wedding. After helping Theseus defeat the Minotaur and find his way out of the
labyrinth, Ariadne sailed off with the hero, but was abandoned by him on the island of Naxos.
Dionysus saw her weeping there and fell in love. The two were later married. At the wedding,
Ariadne wore a crown made by the god Hephaestus, and threw it into the sky after the
ceremony. It is said that the jewels turned into stars which now form the constellation Corona
Borealis.

CORVUS – THE RAVEN

Genitive: Corvi

Corvus is another Greek constellation. It represents the crow (or raven), the sacred bird of the
god Apollo. In the myth, Apollo tells the raven to watch over his pregnant lover Coronis. After a
while, Coronis loses interest in the god and falls in love with a human man. When the bird
reports the affair to Apollo, the god becomes so angry that the raven did not stop the affair that
he curses it, scorching the raven’s feathers and turning them black. (The bird had originally had
white feathers.) Coronis’ son, the healer Asclepius, is represented by Ophiuchus constellation.

In a different tale, Apollo sends the raven to fetch him some water in a cup, represented by
Crater constellation, and the bird gets distracted by a fig tree and stops to feast. Later, the raven
blames its tardiness on a water snake (represented by Hydra constellation), but the god is so
angry that he casts all three – the raven, the water snake, and the cup (Crater) – into the sky.
Apollo also casts a curse on the bird, turning its feathers black, and making the raven eternally
thirsty. This, according to the tale, is why ravens and crows have such raspy voices.

CRATER – THE CUP

Genitive: Crateris

Crater represents the cup of Apollo, usually drawn as a two-handed chalice.

CRUX – THE SOUTHERN CROSS

Genitive: Crucis
Crux constellation is associated with many myths and stories across different cultures. Greeks
could see the constellation before it dropped below the horizon for most of the northern
hemisphere, and some saw significance in the celestial cross disappearing from the sky and
linked it to the crucifixion of Christ. By the year 400 AD, the cross could not be seen from most of
Europe, and Europeans did not rediscover the constellation until the late 15th century.

CYGNUS – THE SWAN

Genitive: Cygni

Cygnus constellation is most commonly associated with the myth of Leda, the Spartan queen
who gave birth to two sets of twins – the mortal Clytemnestra and Castor and the immortal
Pollux and Helen – after being seduced by Zeus, who came to her in the form of a swan. The
mortal children were fathered by Leda’s husband Tyndareus and the immortal ones by Zeus.
Castor and Pollux are associated with Gemini constellation.

DELPHINUS – THE DOLPHIN

Genitive: Delphini

Delphinus is one of the Greek constellations. It is associated with Poseidon’s messenger, the
dolphin that helped the god find the nymph Amphitrite, whom he later married. In a different
myth, Delphinus is the dolphin that saved the life of the poet Arion. The god Apollo placed it into
the sky next to Lyra constellation, which in this version of the myth represents Arion’s lyre.

DRACO – THE DRAGON

Genitive: Draconis

Draco constellation represents the dragon Ladon, the mythical creature with a hundred heads
that guarded the gardens of the Hesperides in Greek mythology. Heracles killed the dragon with
his poisoned arrows as part of his Twelve Labours. In Roman legend, Draco is associated with
one of the Giant Titans who warred with Zeus and other Olympian gods for a decade. The Titan
was killed by Minerva in battle and thrown into the sky, where it froze around the North Pole.
EQUULEUS – THE LITTLE HORSE

Genitive: Equulei

Equuleus constellation is usually associated with Hippe, the daughter of the centaur Chiron.
Hippe was seduced by Aeolus and became pregnant with his child, but was too ashamed to tell
her father about the pregnancy. She hid from Chiron in the mountains and, when he came
looking for her, she prayed to the gods that he didn’t find her. The gods granted her wish and
turned her into a mare, represented by Equuleus constellation. Hippe is said to still be hiding
from Chiron, with only her head showing behind Pegasus constellation.

ERIDANUS – THE CELESTIAL RIVER

Genitive: Eridani

Eridanus is the ancient Greek name for the river Po in Italy. In mythology, Eridanus is usually
associated with the story of Phaëton, the son of the Sun god Helios who begged his father to let
him drive his chariot across the sky. Helios agreed to this and Phaëton mounted the chariot.
However, since he was an inexperienced driver, he soon lost control of the horses and the
chariot plunged close to Earth, setting lands on fire and turning Libya into a desert. Zeus had to
prevent further disaster and he struck the young man down with a thunderbolt. Phaëton fell into
the river Eridanus and his father did not drive his chariot for days after his son’s death, leaving
the world in darkness.

FORNAX – THE FURNACE

Genitive: Fornacis

Fornax is one of the southern constellations created by Lacaille in the 18th century. It was
originally named Fornax Chemica, after the chemical furnace, a small heater used in chemical
experiments.

GEMINI – THE TWINS

Genitive: Geminorum

Gemini constellation was named after the mythical twins Castor and Polydeuces. Two of the
constellation’s brightest stars carry the twins’ names.

GRUS – THE CRANE

Genitive: Gruis

Grus constellation was introduced by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in the late 16th
century. It is one of the constellations named after exotic animals, created by Dutch navigators
during their expedition to the East Indies. The constellation represents the crane.

HERCULES – THE STRONG MAN

Genitive: Herculis

Hercules constellation was named after Heracles, the legendary hero from Greek mythology. It is
one of the oldest constellations in the sky, dating back to Sumerian times.

HOROLOGIUM – THE PENDULUM CLOCK

Genitive: Horologii

Horologium is another one of Lacaille’s constellations. Its original name was Horologium
Oscillitorium, or “the pendulum clock.” Lacaille named the constellation after the pendulum
clock to honour its inventor, Christiaan Huygens.

HYDRA – THE WATER SERPENT

Genitive: Hydrae

The largest of the 88 constellations was named after the Lernaean Hydra, the monster from the
myth of Heracles’ Twelve Labours. It is one of the Greek constellations, first documented by
Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
HYDRUS – THE WATER SNAKE

Genitive: Hydri

Hydrus is not associated with any myths. It is one of the constellations introduced by Petrus
Plancius in the late 16th century. It represents the sea snakes that Dutch explorers would have
seen on their journeys to the East Indies.

LEO – THE LION

Genitive: Leonis

Leo constellation is associated with the Nemean lion in Greek mythology, the beast killed by
Heracles as part of his Twelve Labours.

IBRA – THE SCALES

Genitive: Librae

The name Libra means “the weighing scales” in Latin, and the constellation represents the scales
of justice held by Dike, the Greek goddess of justice, associated with Virgo constellation.

LUPUS – THE WOLF

Genitive: Lupus

Lupus is a very old constellation, first catalogued by Ptolemy. It was not associated with the wolf
until the Renaissance times. The Greeks called the constellation Therium, which means “wild
animal,” and the Romans knew it as Bestia, the beast. The stars of Lupus used to be part of
Centaurus constellation, and they represented an animal sacrificed by the centaur. The centaur
was holding the animal toward an altar, represented by Ara constellation.

LYNX – THE LYNX

Genitive: Lyncis
Lynx is one of the constellations introduced by Johannes Hevelius. It represents the lynx.
Hevelius gave it this name because it is a faint constellation and it takes the eyesight of a lynx to
see it.

LYRA – THE HARP

Genitive: Lyrae

Lyra constellation represents the lyre of Orpheus, the Greek poet and musician who died at the
hands of the Bacchantes.

MENSA – THE TABLE MOUNTAIN

Genitive: Mensae

The name Mensa means “the table” in Latin. The constellation was created by Nicolas Louis de
Lacaille in the 18th century. He originally named it Mons Mensae, which is the Latin name for
Table Mountain in South Africa. Lacaille spent a couple of years there mapping the southern
skies.

MICROSCOPIUM – THE MICROSCOPE

Genitive: Microscopii

Microscopium is one of Lacaille’s constellations. He named it after an early type of compound

microscope, one that was widely used in the 18th century.

MONOCEROS – THE UNICORN

Genitive: Monocerotis

The name Monoceros means “the unicorn” in Latin. The constellation was created by the Dutch
astronomer, cartographer, and clergyman Petrus Plancius in 1612. He named it after the unicorn
because the mythical animal appears several times in the Old Testament.

MUSCA – THE FLY

Genitive: Muscae

Musca is one of the constellations introduced by Dutch explorers in the 16th century. It
represents the fly.

NORMA – THE LEVEL

Genitive: Normae

Norma constellation represents the draughtsman’s set-square and rule, or a carpenter’s square,
one used by carpenters on exploratory vessels. It was created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the
18th century.

OCTANS – THE OCTANT

Genitive: Octantis

Octans constellation represents the reflecting octant, the precursor to the modern sextant. It
was created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1752.

OPHIUCHUS – THE SERPENT HOLDER

Genitive: Ophiuchi

Ophiuchus is another Greek constellation. It represents Asclepius, the famous healer in Greek
mythology, and is usually depicted as a man holding a serpent, represented by the constellation
Serpens. Asclepius is said to have learned how to bring people back from the dead when he saw
one snake bringing healing herbs to another.
ORION – THE HUNTER

Genitive: Orionis

Orion constellation represents the mythical hunter Orion, son of the sea god Poseidon and the
Cretan princess Euryale. It is one of the oldest constellations known, also associated with the
Sumerian myth of Gilgamesh.