Perseus - Revision history

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes */

2026-08-26T15:12:20Z

Eratosthenes

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:12, 26 August 2026
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	===== Eratosthenes =====		===== Eratosthenes =====
	Pamias and Zucker (2013,<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> 68-71)<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</blockquote>		Pamias and Zucker (2013,<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> 68-71)<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</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=":0">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 */

2026-08-26T14:10:49Z

Stars Mentioned

Show changes

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes */

2026-08-24T20:24:07Z

Eratosthenes

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:24, 24 August 2026
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	\|20		\|20
	\|some believe that they [the head and the sickle] can be seen as a nebulous cluster		\|some believe that they [the head and the sickle] can be seen as a nebulous cluster
			\| NGC 869
	\|h Per		\|h Per
	~~\| NGC 869~~
	\|2		\|2
	\|-		\|-

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes */

2026-08-24T20:23:10Z

Eratosthenes

Show changes

Sushoff at 07:30, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T07:30:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:30, 29 July 2026
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	\| numberbrightstars = 5		\| numberbrightstars = 5
	\| numbernearbystars =		\| numbernearbystars =
	\| brighteststarname = Mirfak		\| brighteststarname = [[Mirfak]]
	\| starmagnitude = 1.79		\| starmagnitude = 1.79
	\| neareststarname =		\| neareststarname =

Sushoff at 07:30, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T07:30:40Z

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ----
 [[File:Perseus IAU.svg|alt=star chart|thumb|Per star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]
 One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations|88 IAU constellations]]. Perseus is a handsome hero – not an overly muscular colossus like Heracles, nor of outstanding beauty like Orion, but a strong and armed young man. Eratosthenes describes the stars in this figure on his stomach, knees, feet, hands and – because he carries Medusa's head with him – some around the Gorgon's head. In a postscript to one of the text versions, which may have been added later, it is explicitly stated that Perseus' own head is not marked by a bright star.

IanRidpath: Filled in missing ID numbers

2026-07-24T19:24:35Z

Filled in missing ID numbers

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:24, 24 July 2026
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	\|iot Per		\|iot Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|7
	\|ὁ ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ πλευρῷ λαμπρός.		\|ὁ ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ πλευρῷ λαμπρός.
	\|The bright star in the right side		\|The bright star in the right side
	\|alf Per		\|alf Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|8
	\|τῶν μετὰ τόν ἐν τῷ πλευρῷ ν ὁ προηγούμενος.		\|τῶν μετὰ τόν ἐν τῷ πλευρῷ ν ὁ προηγούμενος.
	\|The most advanced of the 3 stars next to the one in the side		\|The most advanced of the 3 stars next to the one in the side
	\|sig Per		\|sig Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|9
	\|ὁ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.		\|ὁ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.
	\|The middle one of the three		\|The middle one of the three
	\|psi Per		\|psi Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|10
	\|ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.		\|ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.
	\|The rearmost of them		\|The rearmost of them
	\|del Per		\|del Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|11
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἀγκῶνος.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἀγκῶνος.
	\|The star on the left elbow		\|The star on the left elbow
	\|kap Per		\|kap Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|12
	\|τῶν ἐν τῷ γοργουίῳ ὁ λαμπρός		\|τῶν ἐν τῷ γοργουίῳ ὁ λαμπρός
	\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the bright one		\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the bright one
	\|bet Per		\|bet Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|13
	\|ὁ τούτῳ ἑπόμενος		\|ὁ τούτῳ ἑπόμενος
	\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the one to the rear of this		\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the one to the rear of this
	\|ome Per		\|ome Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|14
	\|ὁ προηγούμενος τοῦ λαμπροῦ		\|ὁ προηγούμενος τοῦ λαμπροῦ
	\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the one in advance of the bright star		\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the one in advance of the bright star
	\|rho Per		\|rho Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|15
	\|ὁ ἔτι τούτου προηγούμενος καὶ λοιπός		\|ὁ ἔτι τούτου προηγούμενος καὶ λοιπός
	\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the remaining one, yet again in advance of this		\|Stars in the Gorgon-head: the remaining one, yet again in advance of this
	\|pi Per		\|pi Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|16
	\|ὁ ἐη τῷ δεξιῷ γόνατι.		\|ὁ ἐη τῷ δεξιῷ γόνατι.
	\|The star in the right knee		\|The star in the right knee
	\|72 Per		\|72 Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|17
	\|ὁ προηγούμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ γόνυ		\|ὁ προηγούμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ γόνυ
	\|The one in advance of this, over the knee		\|The one in advance of this, over the knee
	\|lam Per		\|lam Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|18
	\|τῶν ἐπάνω τῆς ἀγκύλης β ὁ προηγούμενος.		\|τῶν ἐπάνω τῆς ἀγκύλης β ὁ προηγούμενος.
	\|The more advanced of the 2 stars above the bend in the knee		\|The more advanced of the 2 stars above the bend in the knee
	\|48 Per		\|48 Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|19
	\|ὁ ἐπόμενος καὶ κατ’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγκύλης.		\|ὁ ἐπόμενος καὶ κατ’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγκύλης.
	\|The rearmost of them, just over the bend in the knee		\|The rearmost of them, just over the bend in the knee
	\|mu Per		\|mu Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|20
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς γαστροκυημίας.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς γαστροκυημίας.
	\|The star on the right calf		\|The star on the right calf
	\|53 Per		\|53 Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|21
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ σφυροῦ.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ σφυροῦ.
	\|The star on the right ankle		\|The star on the right ankle
	\|58 Per		\|58 Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|22
	\|ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ μηρῷ.		\|ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ μηρῷ.
	\|The star in the left thigh		\|The star in the left thigh
	\|nu Per		\|nu Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|23
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόνατος.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόνατος.
	\|The star on the left knee		\|The star on the left knee
	\|eps Per		\|eps Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|24
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς κυήμης.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς κυήμης.
	\|The star on the left lower leg		\|The star on the left lower leg
	\|xi Per		\|xi Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|25
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς πτέρνης.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς πτέρνης.
	\|The star on the left heel		\|The star on the left heel
	\|omi Per		\|omi Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|26
	\|ὁ ἑπόμενος αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἀκροποδίου,		\|ὁ ἑπόμενος αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἀκροποδίου,
	\|The one to the rear of this, on the left foot		\|The one to the rear of this, on the left foot
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	!		!
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|27
	\|ὁ πρὺς ἀνατολὰς τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόνατος.		\|ὁ πρὺς ἀνατολὰς τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόνατος.
	\|The star to the east of the one on the left knee		\|The star to the east of the one on the left knee
	\|52 Per		\|52 Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|28
	\|ὁ ἀπ’ ἄρκτωυ τῶν ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ γόνατι.		\|ὁ ἀπ’ ἄρκτωυ τῶν ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ γόνατι.
	\|The star to the north of the one in the right knee		\|The star to the north of the one in the right knee
	\|HR 1314		\|HR 1314
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|29
	\|ὁ προηγούμενος τῶν ἐν τῷ γοργουίῳ.		\|ὁ προηγούμενος τῶν ἐν τῷ γοργουίῳ.
	\|The star in advance of those in the Gorgon-head		\|The star in advance of those in the Gorgon-head

IanRidpath: /* Weblinks */ Added link

2026-07-22T17:16:12Z

Weblinks: Added link

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:16, 22 July 2026
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	* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017049 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database – Perseus]		* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017049 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database – Perseus]
			* Ian Ridpath's ''Star Tales'' [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/perseus.html – Perseus]

	==References==		==References==

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes[2] */

2026-06-12T07:03:05Z

Eratosthenes[2]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:03, 12 June 2026
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	(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>		(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>

	===== Eratosthenes<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> ~~=====~~		===== Eratosthenes =====
	<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</blockquote>		Pamias and Zucker (2013,<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> 68-71)<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</blockquote>

	===== Hipparchus =====		===== Hipparchus =====

YoulaAzkarrula: /* Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation */

2026-06-04T05:30:38Z

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:30, 4 June 2026
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	===Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation===		===Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation===
			<gallery>
			File:H.A. Rey's stick figure stellarium-060.png\|(1952) H.A. Rey's stick figure of Perseus
			File:O. Hlad's stick figure stellarium-061.png\|(1988) O. Hlad's stick figure of Perseus
			</gallery>

	==Mythology==		==Mythology==