A study of catasterisms in the 'phaenomena' of Aratus

Abstract

We provide a fresh analysis of the constellations in Aratos' Phaenomena, by using the astronomical program CyberSky (by Stephen Schimpf) to check each reference of constellations within the poem for validity in 2800 BCE and 300 BCE (the latter accounting for the broader period of time covering Eudoxus of Cnidus and Aratus of Soli). In each case, the latitude of observation was chosen to be 36° North, in agreement with the area of the sky that is not covered in the descriptions of Aratus (and contains the unseen constelations for a particular latitude). Each constellation was traced back to its Greek mythological origin through the various writers of antiquity. Our results are collected in a table of the constellations mentioned by Aratus in his epic poem, with respect to the ancient authors who have mentioned each constelation, shaping its myth, the locations on the earth each constelation is associated with and the most likely date of observation, according to Aratus' description, and taking into account precession and the proper motion of stars.