Capricornus - Revision history

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes */

2026-08-26T14:55:51Z

Eratosthenes

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:55, 26 August 2026
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	<blockquote>Capricorn lies ahead and lower down, where the powerful sun turns back. [287] In that month I hope you will not be surged about by the sea through taking to open waters. Neither by day can you make much headway, for the days pass most swiftly then, [290] nor in your terror by night will the dawn come soon, however much you cry out. It is then that the dread southerlies strike, when the sun meets up with Capricorn; then the icy cold from Zeus is more cruel to the freezing sailor. But for that matter [295] the sea surges under the stem all the year long; and we, like diving shearwaters, often sit gazing round the ocean from our ships, turning our eyes towards the beaches; but the surf there is still far off, and only a little timber keeps death away. (Kidd 1997)</blockquote>		<blockquote>Capricorn lies ahead and lower down, where the powerful sun turns back. [287] In that month I hope you will not be surged about by the sea through taking to open waters. Neither by day can you make much headway, for the days pass most swiftly then, [290] nor in your terror by night will the dawn come soon, however much you cry out. It is then that the dread southerlies strike, when the sun meets up with Capricorn; then the icy cold from Zeus is more cruel to the freezing sailor. But for that matter [295] the sea surges under the stem all the year long; and we, like diving shearwaters, often sit gazing round the ocean from our ships, turning our eyes towards the beaches; but the surf there is still far off, and only a little timber keeps death away. (Kidd 1997)</blockquote>
	===== Eratosthenes =====		===== Eratosthenes =====
	<blockquote> Pamias and Zucker (2013,<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> 82-84)</blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 1 (Περὶ τοῦ Αἱγόκερω):''' This figure is similar to Epiphanes, from whom he is, in fact, derived. His lower limbs are those of a beast, and he has horns on his head. He owes the honour bestowed upon him to the fact that he was Zeus’s foster brother, according to Epimenides, the author of the Cretica, who recounts that he was with Zeus on Mount Ida when the latter led his offensive against the Titans. Once power had passed into Zeus’s hands, the latter placed him and his mother, the Goat, amongst the constellations. His fish-tail is an allusion to the fact that he discovered the conch in the sea.</blockquote><blockquote>There is a star on each horn, a bright one on the nostrils, two on the head, a bright one on the neck, two on the chest, one on the front leg, one at the tipof the leg, seven on the back, five on the belly, and two bright ones on the tail. Twenty-four in all.</blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2 (Αἱγόκερω):''' This figure bears a resemblance to Egipan, from whom he is, in fact, derived. His lower limbs are those of a beast, and he has horns on his head. He owes the honour bestowed upon him to the fact that he was Zeus’s foster brother, according to Epimenides, the author of the Cretica, who reports that he was with Zeus on Mount Ida when the latter launched his offensive against the Titans. It was he, apparently, who discovered the conch shell, with which he armed the allied gods, owing to the power of the sounds it produces—described as ‘panic-inducing’—which put the Titans to flight. Once power had passed into Zeus’s hands, he placed him and his mother, the Goat, amongst the constellations. His fish-like tail is an allusion to the fact that he discovered the conch in the sea.</blockquote><blockquote>Capricorn has one star on each horn, one shining star on each nostril, two on the head, one on the neck, two on the chest, one on the front leg, one at the tip of the leg, seven on the back, five on the belly, and two shining stars on the tail. Twenty-four in all.</blockquote>		<blockquote> Pamias and Zucker (2013,<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> 82-84)</blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 1 (Περὶ τοῦ Αἱγόκερω):''' This figure is similar to Epiphanes, from whom he is, in fact, derived. His lower limbs are those of a beast, and he has horns on his head. He owes the honour bestowed upon him to the fact that he was Zeus’s foster brother, according to Epimenides, the author of the Cretica, who recounts that he was with Zeus on Mount Ida when the latter led his offensive against the Titans. Once power had passed into Zeus’s hands, the latter placed him and his mother, the Goat, amongst the constellations. His fish-tail is an allusion to the fact that he discovered the conch in the sea.</blockquote><blockquote>There is a star on each horn, a bright one on the nostrils, two on the head, a bright one on the neck, two on the chest, one on the front leg, one at the tipof the leg, seven on the back, five on the belly, and two bright ones on the tail. Twenty-four in all.</blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2 (Αἱγόκερω):''' This figure bears a resemblance to Egipan, from whom he is, in fact, derived. His lower limbs are those of a beast, and he has horns on his head. He owes the honour bestowed upon him to the fact that he was Zeus’s foster brother, according to Epimenides, the author of the Cretica, who reports that he was with Zeus on Mount Ida when the latter launched his offensive against the Titans. It was he, apparently, who discovered the conch shell, with which he armed the allied gods, owing to the power of the sounds it produces—described as ‘panic-inducing’—which put the Titans to flight. Once power had passed into Zeus’s hands, he placed him and his mother, the Goat, amongst the constellations. His fish-like tail is an allusion to the fact that he discovered the conch in the sea.</blockquote><blockquote>Capricorn has one star on each horn, one shining star on each nostril, two on the head, one on the neck, two on the chest, one on the front leg, one at the tip of the leg, seven on the back, five on the belly, and two shining stars on the tail. Twenty-four in all.</blockquote>'''Eratosthenes's star catalogue''' can be reconstructed from the list of stars he mentions in the last section of each of the constelllation descriptions. Hoffmann (2017)<ref name=":02">Hoffmann, S. M., <nowiki><i>Hipparchs Himmelsglobus</i></nowiki>. Springer Wiesbaden/ New York, 2017. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-18683-8.</ref> made such a catalogue and used it for computational comparison with Hipparchus's, Ptolemy's and Babylonian data; it is based on the edition and translation by Pamias and Geus (2007)<ref>Eratosthenes: Sternsagen, übersetzt von Pamìas, Jordi und Geus, Klaus, Verlag Utopica, Oberhaid 2007</ref> and presented here in English translation.

	{\|class="wikitable"		{\|class="wikitable"
	\|+		\|+

Sushoff: /* Stars Mentioned */

2026-08-26T13:08:03Z

Stars Mentioned

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:08, 26 August 2026
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	\|}		\|}

	====== ~~Stars Mentioned~~ ======		====== Hipparchus's "lost" star Catalogue ======
	{\| class="wikitable"
	\|+		The star catalogue of Hipparchus is not preserved. Yet, several scholars have reconstructed it in the past century: Vogt (1925)<ref>Vogt, H., “Versuch einer Wiederherstellung von Hipparchs Fixsternver zeichnis”, <nowiki><i>Astronomische Nachrichten</i></nowiki>, vol. 224, no. 2, Wiley, p. 17, 1925. doi:10.1002/asna.19252240202.</ref>, Grasshoff (1990)<ref>Graßhoff, G., <nowiki><i>The History of Ptolemy's Star Catalogue</i></nowiki>, Springer, New York, 1990 </ref>, Hoffmann (2017)<ref>Hoffmann, S. M., <nowiki><i>Hipparchs Himmelsglobus</i></nowiki>. Springer Wiesbaden/ New York, 2017. doi:10.1007/978-3-658-18683-8.</ref> and Glover (2026)<ref>Glover, E. (2026). ''The Astronomy of Hipparchus'', Cambridge University Press</ref>. Grasshoff's catalogue and computations are not published digitally, Hoffmann published three versions of the Manitius+Hoffmann<ref>Hipparchus's Lost Star Catalogue (1/2 reconstructed) (Hoffmann, 2017) in VizieR</ref> star lists in the CDS [https://vizier.unistra.fr/ VizieR] "catalog of catalogs", and Glover printed the star lists constellationwise in his book.
	!		{\|class="wikitable"
	!~~Greek~~		\|+ Hipparchus's star in Aquarius (Glover 2026)
	!~~German~~
	!~~English~~		!hipp.Cat.ID
	!ident.		!constStarID
	!~~src~~		!starName
	!		!ident.Bayer
	!~~lam_culm~~		!ident.HIP
			!concordance
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|136
	\|		\|1
	\|		\|
	\|		\|α Cap (α2)
	\|		\|100064
	~~\|Lib II~~ Cap ~~V §10~~		\|CPAE
	\|~~rising, east, first~~
	\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|137
	\|		\|2
	\|		\|
	\|		\|β Cap (β1)
	\|		\|100345
	~~\|Lib II~~ Cap ~~V §10~~		\|CPAE
	\|~~rising, east, last~~
	\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|138
	\|		\|3
	\|		\|
	\|		\|γ Cap
	\|		\|106985
	~~\|Lib II~~ Cap ~~VI §2~~		\|CPAE
	\|~~setting CrB, south, last~~
	\|~~Psc 13.5~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|139
	\|		\|4
	\|		\|
	\|		\|δ Cap
	\|		\|107556
	~~\|Lib II~~ Cap ~~VI §13~~		\|CPAE
	\|~~setting Aql, south, first~~
	\|~~Ari 2~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|140
	\|		\|5
	\|		\|
	\|		\|ε Cap
	\|		\|106723
	\|~~Lib III~~ Cap ~~I §9~~		\|CPAE
	\|~~rising Ori, south, last~~		\|-
	\|		\|141
	\|}~~<blockquote></blockquote>~~		\|6
			\|
			\|η Cap
			\|104019
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|142
			\|7
			\|
			\|θ Cap
			\|104139
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|143
			\|8
			\|
			\|ι Cap
			\|105515
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|144
			\|9
			\|
			\|κ Cap
			\|107188
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|145
			\|10
			\|
			\|μ Cap
			\|108036
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|146
			\|11
			\|
			\|ρ Cap
			\|101027
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|147
			\|12
			\|
			\|ψ Cap
			\|102485
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|148
			\|13
			\|
			\|ω Cap
			\|102978
			\|CPAE
			\|-
			\|149
			\|14
			\|
			\|42 Cap
			\|107095
			\|CPAE
			\|}

	===== Geminos =====		===== Geminos =====

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes */

2026-08-24T20:35:29Z

Eratosthenes

Show changes

Sushoff: /* Egyptian */

2026-08-04T18:02:40Z

Egyptian

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:02, 4 August 2026
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	===== Egyptian =====		===== Egyptian =====
	<gallery>		In Ptolemaic times (1st century BCE), when Egypt was ruled by the Romans, new Egyptian temples were built: a Chnum temple in Esna and a Hathor temple Dendera (south and north of Thebes/ Luxor). They display a cultural mixture of Babylonian and Egyptian constellations.<gallery>
	File:Cap DenderaEckig GZotti.JPG\|Capricornus; rectangular zodiac of Dendera		File:Cap DenderaEckig GZotti.JPG\|Capricornus; rectangular zodiac of Dendera
	File:Cap DenderaCirc Louvre.JPG\|Capricornus, circular zodiac of Dendera (CC BY [https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010028871 Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités égyptiennes])		File:Cap DenderaCirc Louvre.JPG\|Capricornus, circular zodiac of Dendera (CC BY [https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010028871 Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités égyptiennes])

Sushoff: /* Egyptian */

2026-08-04T18:01:09Z

Egyptian

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:01, 4 August 2026
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	<gallery>		<gallery>
	File:Cap DenderaEckig GZotti.JPG\|Capricornus; rectangular zodiac of Dendera		File:Cap DenderaEckig GZotti.JPG\|Capricornus; rectangular zodiac of Dendera
			File:Cap DenderaCirc Louvre.JPG\|Capricornus, circular zodiac of Dendera (CC BY [https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010028871 Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités égyptiennes])
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Sushoff: /* Greco-Roman */

2026-08-04T11:25:12Z

Greco-Roman

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:25, 4 August 2026
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	==== Greco-Roman ====		==== Greco-Roman ====

			===== Egyptian =====
			<gallery>
			File:Cap DenderaEckig GZotti.JPG\|Capricornus; rectangular zodiac of Dendera
			</gallery>

	===== Aratus =====		===== Aratus =====

Sushoff: /* Babylonian */

2026-08-04T10:18:02Z

Babylonian

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 4 August 2026
Line 43:		Line 43:
	File:Tau+cap seal Wallenfels1993.png\|Caapricorn with Taurus on Mesopotamian seal print, Wallenfels (1993).		File:Tau+cap seal Wallenfels1993.png\|Caapricorn with Taurus on Mesopotamian seal print, Wallenfels (1993).
	File:Fish-goat figurine-AO 10884-IMG 9965.JPG\|Fish-Goat figurine AO 10884		File:Fish-goat figurine-AO 10884-IMG 9965.JPG\|Fish-Goat figurine AO 10884
			File:Cap DenderaEckig GZotti.JPG\|(Babylonian) Capricornus; rectangular zodiac of Dendera
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Sushoff: /* Etymology and History */

2026-07-29T08:25:45Z

Etymology and History

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:25, 29 July 2026
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	The origin is Mesopotamian; <ref name=":0">Hoffmann, Susanne M. Wie der Löwe an den Himmel kam. Franckh Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2021</ref> see [[SUḪUR.MAŠ2\|SUḪUR.MAŠ<sub>2</sub> <sup>ku<sub>6</sub></sup>]]		The origin is Mesopotamian; <ref name=":0">Hoffmann, Susanne M. Wie der Löwe an den Himmel kam. Franckh Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2021</ref> see [[SUḪUR.MAŠ2\|SUḪUR.MAŠ<sub>2</sub> <sup>ku<sub>6</sub></sup>]]

	Ian Ridpath writes: "to the Greeks, who named it Αἰγόκερως (Aigokeros, or Aegoceros in Latin transliteration), meaning goat-horned, the constellation was identified with Pan, god of the countryside, who had the horns and legs of a goat."<ref name=":1" />		Ian Ridpath writes:<ref>Ridpath, Ian, ''Star Tales'' (Cambridge: Lutterworth Press, 1988) ISBN 0-7188-2695-7 [[https://archive.org/details/startales0000ridp_w3y6 Internet Archive link]] -- a revised and expanded edition was published in 2018 [ISBN 978-07188-9478-8] -- online version on [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/contents.html Ridpath's website].</ref> "to the Greeks, who named it Αἰγόκερως (Aigokeros, or Aegoceros in Latin transliteration), meaning goat-horned, the constellation was identified with Pan, god of the countryside, who had the horns and legs of a goat."<ref name=":1" />

	Hoffmann (2021)<ref name=":0" /> elaborates: <blockquote>According to Eratosthenes, this refers to a deity that resembles Aigipan in appearance, because the depiction is inspired by him. Eratosthenes describes him as a figure with the lower body of an animal and horns on his head. However, the upper body is that of a man. On the Farnese Globe, whose model dates back to Hellenistic times, only the goat's head is depicted. The rest of the figure is missing due to architectural features that obscure the globe in this southernmost region of the sky. Since it is a goat's head and chest and not a human head with horns, the depiction here is probably also intended to be a goatfish and not an Aigipan.</blockquote><blockquote>The figure of the goatfish also reappears in art during the Roman period: a goatfish is depicted on the zodiac of Dendera in Egypt, which dates from the 1st century BCE, and in Ptolemy's star catalogue, the names of the stars suggest that he thought the same. Both sources date from the Greco-Roman period, which means that even the depiction in Dendera is no longer truly Egyptian, but rather an Egyptianisation of foreign – i.e. Greek and Babylonian – constellations. The figures depicted here in Egyptian style are a cultural mixture, although it is unclear whether the Babylonian influences came to Egypt directly from Babylon or via the Greek conquerors.</blockquote><blockquote>The figure of the goat fish has been used equally in Arabic and Latin medieval times since at least late antiquity, thus extending from Ptolemy to the last pictorial star charts in the 18th/19th century. In English, this figure is usually called ‘Capricorn’, although in Greek it actually means ‘the goat-horned’. The official name of the constellation in the IAU is also ‘Sea-Goat’, so the German form ‘Steinbock’ (ibis) is simply a misnomer that likely derives from mixing the classical figure with a Germanic pagan rituals concerning the Yule Goat (celebrated around winter solstice).</blockquote>		Hoffmann (2021)<ref name=":0" /> elaborates: <blockquote>According to Eratosthenes, this refers to a deity that resembles Aigipan in appearance, because the depiction is inspired by him. Eratosthenes describes him as a figure with the lower body of an animal and horns on his head. However, the upper body is that of a man. On the Farnese Globe, whose model dates back to Hellenistic times, only the goat's head is depicted. The rest of the figure is missing due to architectural features that obscure the globe in this southernmost region of the sky. Since it is a goat's head and chest and not a human head with horns, the depiction here is probably also intended to be a goatfish and not an Aigipan.</blockquote><blockquote>The figure of the goatfish also reappears in art during the Roman period: a goatfish is depicted on the zodiac of Dendera in Egypt, which dates from the 1st century BCE, and in Ptolemy's star catalogue, the names of the stars suggest that he thought the same. Both sources date from the Greco-Roman period, which means that even the depiction in Dendera is no longer truly Egyptian, but rather an Egyptianisation of foreign – i.e. Greek and Babylonian – constellations. The figures depicted here in Egyptian style are a cultural mixture, although it is unclear whether the Babylonian influences came to Egypt directly from Babylon or via the Greek conquerors.</blockquote><blockquote>The figure of the goat fish has been used equally in Arabic and Latin medieval times since at least late antiquity, thus extending from Ptolemy to the last pictorial star charts in the 18th/19th century. In English, this figure is usually called ‘Capricorn’, although in Greek it actually means ‘the goat-horned’. The official name of the constellation in the IAU is also ‘Sea-Goat’, so the German form ‘Steinbock’ (ibis) is simply a misnomer that likely derives from mixing the classical figure with a Germanic pagan rituals concerning the Yule Goat (celebrated around winter solstice).</blockquote>

Sushoff: /* Origin of Constellation */

2026-07-29T08:24:09Z

Origin of Constellation

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:24, 29 July 2026
Line 35:		Line 35:
	Ian Ridpath writes: "to the Greeks, who named it Αἰγόκερως (Aigokeros, or Aegoceros in Latin transliteration), meaning goat-horned, the constellation was identified with Pan, god of the countryside, who had the horns and legs of a goat."<ref name=":1" />		Ian Ridpath writes: "to the Greeks, who named it Αἰγόκερως (Aigokeros, or Aegoceros in Latin transliteration), meaning goat-horned, the constellation was identified with Pan, god of the countryside, who had the horns and legs of a goat."<ref name=":1" />

	<ref name=":0" />According to Eratosthenes, this refers to a deity that resembles Aigipan in appearance, because the depiction is inspired by him. Eratosthenes describes him as a figure with the lower body of an animal and horns on his head. However, the upper body is that of a man. On the Farnese Globe, whose model dates back to Hellenistic times, only the goat's head is depicted. The rest of the figure is missing due to architectural features that obscure the globe in this southernmost region of the sky. Since it is a goat's head and chest and not a human head with horns, the depiction here is probably also intended to be a goatfish and not an Aigipan.		Hoffmann (2021)<ref name=":0" /> elaborates: <blockquote>According to Eratosthenes, this refers to a deity that resembles Aigipan in appearance, because the depiction is inspired by him. Eratosthenes describes him as a figure with the lower body of an animal and horns on his head. However, the upper body is that of a man. On the Farnese Globe, whose model dates back to Hellenistic times, only the goat's head is depicted. The rest of the figure is missing due to architectural features that obscure the globe in this southernmost region of the sky. Since it is a goat's head and chest and not a human head with horns, the depiction here is probably also intended to be a goatfish and not an Aigipan.</blockquote><blockquote>The figure of the goatfish also reappears in art during the Roman period: a goatfish is depicted on the zodiac of Dendera in Egypt, which dates from the 1st century BCE, and in Ptolemy's star catalogue, the names of the stars suggest that he thought the same. Both sources date from the Greco-Roman period, which means that even the depiction in Dendera is no longer truly Egyptian, but rather an Egyptianisation of foreign – i.e. Greek and Babylonian – constellations. The figures depicted here in Egyptian style are a cultural mixture, although it is unclear whether the Babylonian influences came to Egypt directly from Babylon or via the Greek conquerors.</blockquote><blockquote>The figure of the goat fish has been used equally in Arabic and Latin medieval times since at least late antiquity, thus extending from Ptolemy to the last pictorial star charts in the 18th/19th century. In English, this figure is usually called ‘Capricorn’, although in Greek it actually means ‘the goat-horned’. The official name of the constellation in the IAU is also ‘Sea-Goat’, so the German form ‘Steinbock’ (ibis) is simply a misnomer that likely derives from mixing the classical figure with a Germanic pagan rituals concerning the Yule Goat (celebrated around winter solstice).</blockquote>

	The figure of the goatfish also reappears in art during the Roman period: a goatfish is depicted on the zodiac of Dendera in Egypt, which dates from the 1st century BCE, and in Ptolemy's star catalogue, the names of the stars suggest that he thought the same. Both sources date from the Greco-Roman period, which means that even the depiction in Dendera is no longer truly Egyptian, but rather an Egyptianisation of foreign – i.e. Greek and Babylonian – constellations. The figures depicted here in Egyptian style are a cultural mixture, although it is unclear whether the Babylonian influences came to Egypt directly from Babylon or via the Greek conquerors.

	The figure of the goat fish has been used equally in Arabic and Latin medieval times since at least late antiquity, thus extending from Ptolemy to the last pictorial star charts in the 18th/19th century. In English, this figure is usually called ‘Capricorn’, although in Greek it actually means ‘the goat-horned’. The official name of the constellation in the IAU is also ‘Sea-Goat’, so the German form ‘Steinbock’ (ibis) is simply a misnomer that likely derives from mixing the classical figure with a Germanic pagan rituals concerning the Yule Goat (celebrated around winter solstice).

	==== Babylonian ====		==== Babylonian ====

Sushoff at 08:22, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T08:22:43Z

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ----
 [[File:Capricornus IAU.svg|alt=star chart|thumb|Cap star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]
 Capricornus, The Goat-Horned, is one of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations|88 IAU constellations]]. This hybrid creature, half fish, half goat, is a faithful companion of Ea, the Babylonian god of wisdom.<ref name=":0" /> It is certain that this constellation came from Babylon with the zodiac. There it was called the goat-fish and was a benign demon used in numerous cults, e.g. in the cult of medicine. It was therefore often depicted in images – not necessarily the constellation itself, but illustrations of the demon have been preserved in reliefs and sculptures. Ian Ridpath<ref name=":1">Ian Ridpath (1988), Star Tales, [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/capricornus.html Online Edition (Capricornus)]</ref> points out: "As defined by the modern IAU boundaries, Capricornus is the smallest of the 12 constellations of the zodiac, occupying less than a third the area of the largest zodiacal constellation, Virgo."