Editing Constellation (section)

===Origin of the southern constellations===
{{See also|Uranometria|Harmonia Macrocosmica|Former constellations}}
[[Image:Southern Celestial Map of Mestre João Faras.gif|thumb|right|Sketch of the southern celestial sky by Portuguese astronomer [[João Faras]] (1 May 1500)]]
[[File:Planisphæri cœleste.jpg|thumb|A [[celestial chart|celestial map]] from the [[Golden Age of Netherlandish cartography]], by the Dutch cartographer [[Frederik de Wit]]]]

The southern sky, below about −65° [[declination]], was only partially catalogued by ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and Persian astronomers of the north. The knowledge that northern and southern star patterns differed goes back to Classical writers, who describe, for example, the [[Exploration of Africa|African circumnavigation]] expedition commissioned by Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II in c.&nbsp;600&nbsp;BC and those of [[Hanno the Navigator]] in c.&nbsp;500&nbsp;BC.

The history of southern constellations is not straightforward. Different groupings and different names were proposed by various observers, some reflecting national traditions or designed to promote various sponsors. Southern constellations were important from the 14th to 16th centuries, when sailors used the stars for [[celestial navigation]]. Italian explorers who recorded new southern constellations include [[Andrea Corsali]], [[Antonio Pigafetta]], and [[Amerigo Vespucci]].<ref name="Allen1899" />

Many of the 88 IAU-recognized constellations in this region first appeared on celestial globes developed in the late 16th century by [[Petrus Plancius]], based mainly on observations of the Dutch navigators [[Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hogg |first=Helen Sawyer |author-link=Helen Sawyer Hogg |date=1951 |title=Out of Old Books (Pieter Dircksz Keijser, Delineator of the Southern Constellations) |journal=Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada |volume=45 |page=215 |bibcode=1951JRASC..45..215S}}</ref> and [[Frederick de Houtman]].<ref>Knobel, E. B. (1917). ''On Frederick de Houtman's Catalogue of Southern Stars, and the Origin of the Southern Constellations''. (''[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]]'', Vol. 77, pp.&nbsp; 414–32)</ref><ref>[[Elly Dekker|Dekker, Elly]] (1987). ''Early Explorations of the Southern Celestial Sky''. (''Annals of Science'' 44, pp.&nbsp; 439–70)</ref><ref>[[Elly Dekker|Dekker, Elly]] (1987). ''On the Dispersal of Knowledge of the Southern Celestial Sky''. (''Der Globusfreund'', 35–37, pp.&nbsp; 211–30)</ref><ref>Verbunt, Frank; van Gent, Robert H. (2011). ''Early Star Catalogues of the Southern Sky: De Houtman, Kepler (Second and Third Classes), and Halley''. (''Astronomy & Astrophysics'' 530)</ref> These became widely known through [[Johann Bayer]]'s [[star atlas]] ''[[Uranometria]]'' of 1603.<ref>{{cite web|work = Star Tales
|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/bayer-southern.html
|title=Johann Bayer's southern star chart
|author=Ian Ridpath}}</ref> [[:Category:Constellations listed by Lacaille|Fourteen]] more were created in 1763 by the French astronomer [[Nicolas Louis de Lacaille]], who also split the ancient constellation Argo Navis into three; these new figures appeared in his star catalogue, published in 1756.<ref>{{cite web |work = Star Tales
|url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/lacaille.html
|title=Lacaille's southern planisphere of 1756
|author=Ian Ridpath}}</ref>

Several modern proposals have not survived. The French astronomers [[Pierre Lemonnier (physicist)|Pierre Lemonnier]] and [[Joseph Lalande]], for example, proposed constellations that were once popular but have since been dropped. The northern constellation [[Quadrans Muralis]] survived into the 19th century (when its name was attached to the [[Quadrantid]] meteor shower), but is now divided between [[Boötes]] and [[Draco (constellation)|Draco]].