Pleiades - Revision history

Sushoff at 11:20, 27 February 2026

2026-02-27T11:20:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:20, 27 February 2026
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	[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]		[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]
	[[File:Plej+hyad smh2025 4gif.gif\|thumb\|Hyades and Pleiades as observed in central Europe (photo and animation SMH)]]		[[File:Plej+hyad smh2025 4gif.gif\|thumb\|Hyades and Pleiades as observed in central Europe (photo and animation SMH)]]
	The term "Pleiades" derives from Greek πλέω (pleiu), meaning ‘to sail’. In the Mediterranean, the sailing season (gentle winds and warm weather) was given from the heliacal rise to the opposition of this star cluster. The association of "seven" with the cluster is of unknown origin, but it is a fact that (a) Greek mythology created a tale of seven daughters of the nymph Pleione (the sailing nymph), that (b) Mesopotamian religions even before this had associated seven (male) gods with the cluster, and that (c) Indian religion considers them the seven nurses of Lord Shiva's baby. However, the number "seven" has never been part of the ''name'' of the cluster (unlike modern English); ancient depictions always show six stars which are connected to seven deities - except the Maori star lore which sees nine (deified?) stars with sacred realms.<ref>Susanne M. Hoffmann,* Khalid AlAjaji, B.S. Shylaja, Yang Boshun, Danielle Adams, Eric Mamajek, Ian Ridpath, Paul Baki, Juan Antonio Belmonte Avilés, Sze-Leung Cheung, Daniel Cunnama, Jörg Matthias Determann, M. Sadegh Faghanpour, Steven Gullberg, Duane Hamacher, Roland Laffitte, Alejandro M. López, Javier Mejuto, Thierry Montmerle, Clive Ruggles, Shi Yunli, Doris Vickers, Sun Xiaochun, and Hitoshi Yamaoka (2025). The IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN): '''Research Finds in 2025'''. ''Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage'', 28(4), 1026–1038 (2025).</ref>		The term "Pleiades" derives from Greek πλέω (pleiu), meaning ‘to sail’. In the Mediterranean, the sailing season (gentle winds and warm weather) was given from the heliacal rise to the opposition of this star cluster. The association of "seven" with the cluster is of unknown origin, but it is a fact that (a) Greek mythology created a tale of seven daughters of the nymph Pleione (the sailing nymph), that (b) Mesopotamian religions even before this had associated seven (male) gods with the cluster, and that (c) Indian religion considers them the seven nurses of Lord Shiva's baby.<ref name=":0" />

			However, the number "seven" has never been part of the ''name'' of the cluster (unlike modern English); ancient depictions always show six stars which are connected to seven deities - except the Maori star lore which sees nine (deified?) stars with sacred realms.<ref name=":0">Susanne M. Hoffmann,* Khalid AlAjaji, B.S. Shylaja, Yang Boshun, Danielle Adams, Eric Mamajek, Ian Ridpath, Paul Baki, Juan Antonio Belmonte Avilés, Sze-Leung Cheung, Daniel Cunnama, Jörg Matthias Determann, M. Sadegh Faghanpour, Steven Gullberg, Duane Hamacher, Roland Laffitte, Alejandro M. López, Javier Mejuto, Thierry Montmerle, Clive Ruggles, Shi Yunli, Doris Vickers, Sun Xiaochun, and Hitoshi Yamaoka (2025). The IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN): '''Research Finds in 2025'''. ''Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage'', 28(4), 1026–1038 (2025).</ref>

	== Etymology and History ==		== Etymology and History ==

Sushoff at 11:19, 27 February 2026

2026-02-27T11:19:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:19, 27 February 2026
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	[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]		[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]
	[[File:Plej+hyad smh2025 4gif.gif\|thumb\|Hyades and Pleiades as observed in central Europe (photo and animation SMH)]]		[[File:Plej+hyad smh2025 4gif.gif\|thumb\|Hyades and Pleiades as observed in central Europe (photo and animation SMH)]]
	The term "Pleiades" derives from Greek πλέω (pleiu), meaning ‘to sail’. In the Mediterranean, the sailing season (gentle winds and warm weather) was given from the heliacal rise to the opposition of this star cluster. The association of "seven" with the cluster is of unknown origin, but it is a fact that (a) Greek mythology created a tale of seven daughters of the nymph Pleione (the sailing nymph), ~~and~~ that (b) Mesopotamian religions even before this had associated seven (male) gods with the cluster. However, the number "seven" has never been part of the ''name'' of the cluster (unlike modern English).		The term "Pleiades" derives from Greek πλέω (pleiu), meaning ‘to sail’. In the Mediterranean, the sailing season (gentle winds and warm weather) was given from the heliacal rise to the opposition of this star cluster. The association of "seven" with the cluster is of unknown origin, but it is a fact that (a) Greek mythology created a tale of seven daughters of the nymph Pleione (the sailing nymph), that (b) Mesopotamian religions even before this had associated seven (male) gods with the cluster, and that (c) Indian religion considers them the seven nurses of Lord Shiva's baby. However, the number "seven" has never been part of the ''name'' of the cluster (unlike modern English); ancient depictions always show six stars which are connected to seven deities - except the Maori star lore which sees nine (deified?) stars with sacred realms.<ref>Susanne M. Hoffmann,* Khalid AlAjaji, B.S. Shylaja, Yang Boshun, Danielle Adams, Eric Mamajek, Ian Ridpath, Paul Baki, Juan Antonio Belmonte Avilés, Sze-Leung Cheung, Daniel Cunnama, Jörg Matthias Determann, M. Sadegh Faghanpour, Steven Gullberg, Duane Hamacher, Roland Laffitte, Alejandro M. López, Javier Mejuto, Thierry Montmerle, Clive Ruggles, Shi Yunli, Doris Vickers, Sun Xiaochun, and Hitoshi Yamaoka (2025). The IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN): '''Research Finds in 2025'''. ''Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage'', 28(4), 1026–1038 (2025).</ref>

	== Etymology and History ==		== Etymology and History ==

Sushoff at 11:59, 19 February 2026

2026-02-19T11:59:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:59, 19 February 2026
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			{{PAGEAUTHORS}}
			----

	[[File:Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium (date -300 but this view is independent of the historical epoch on human scales).]]		[[File:Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium (date -300 but this view is independent of the historical epoch on human scales).]]
	[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]		[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]

IanRidpath at 18:47, 14 February 2026

2026-02-14T18:47:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:47, 14 February 2026
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	== IAU Working Group on Star Names ==		== IAU Working Group on Star Names ==
	In antiquity, the stars of the cluster were unnamed~~, but modern pop-culture named them~~. ~~These~~ names were approved by the IAU WGSN in 2016:		In antiquity, the stars of the cluster were unnamed. Names were given to nine stars in the 17th century and these names were approved by the IAU WGSN in 2016:

	The parents:		The parents:
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	* [[References\|References (general)]]		* [[References\|References (general)]]
	* [[References (Medieval and Early Modern)\|References (early modern)]]		* [[References (Medieval and Early Modern)\|References (early modern)]]
	* Ian Ridpath'~~s website (~~Star Tales )		* Ian Ridpath "Who Named the Stars of the Pleiades?" [https://www.obsmag.org/issues/published/2026/02/1310_0003.pdf ''The Observatory'', 2026 February, 3–6].
			* Ridpath, Ian, [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/taurus2.html#names Star Tales Taurus].

Sushoff: /* Babylonian */

2025-09-12T15:25:23Z

Babylonian

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:25, 12 September 2025
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	===Origin of Constellation===		===Origin of Constellation===
	==== Babylonian ====		==== Babylonian ====
	The standard name of the star in mathematical astronomy is a Sumerian loanword indicating an indefinite number of stars - loosely translated as ‘the star cluster’. In MUL.APIN, which is already written in Akkadian, only this Sumerian name is used, but later astronomical texts of the -1st millennium pass on ‘the bristle hairs’ of the bull as the Akkadian name. In MUL.APIN, where (almost) all celestial bodies are assigned to a deity, the Pleiades are associated with the so-called Seven Gods. These are seven sacred weapons that can speak and are perceived as deities. They are sometimes associated with the underworld. A relatively recently discovered fragment of the Gilgamesh Epic fits in with this, according to which seven underworld deities are the sons of Gilgamesh's first defeated opponent and the historical fact that before the earthly king Gilgamesh (with G) there was a god of the dead called Bilgamesh (with B). He was one of seven underworld gods before the myth of the king eclipsed this figure in importance. To summarise: We don't know, but a connection between the number seven and an early Sumerian death cult is obvious.		The standard name of the star in mathematical astronomy is a Sumerian loanword indicating an indefinite number of stars - loosely translated as ‘the star cluster’. However, the Old Babylonian font cuneiform sign has three stars for "MUL" which makes six for MUL.MUL (𒀯𒀯).

			In MUL.APIN, which is already written in Akkadian, only this Sumerian name is used, but later astronomical texts of the -1st millennium pass on ‘the bristle hairs’ of the bull as the Akkadian name. In MUL.APIN, where (almost) all celestial bodies are assigned to a deity, the Pleiades are associated with the so-called Seven Gods. These are seven sacred weapons that can speak and are perceived as deities. They are sometimes associated with the underworld. A relatively recently discovered fragment of the Gilgamesh Epic fits in with this, according to which seven underworld deities are the sons of Gilgamesh's first defeated opponent and the historical fact that before the earthly king Gilgamesh (with G) there was a god of the dead called Bilgamesh (with B). He was one of seven underworld gods before the myth of the king eclipsed this figure in importance. To summarise: We don't know, but a connection between the number seven and an early Sumerian death cult is obvious.

	==== Greco-Roman ====		==== Greco-Roman ====

Sushoff: /* Aratos */

2025-09-12T15:22:18Z

Aratos

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:22, 12 September 2025
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	==== Greco-Roman ====		==== Greco-Roman ====
	[[File:Aratea fol. 42v.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades as Seven Sisters in the Leiden Aratea]]		[[File:Aratea fol. 42v.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades as Seven Sisters in the Leiden Aratea; note that only one of them (centre) hides under a veil.]]

	===== Aratos =====		===== Aratos =====

Sushoff at 15:21, 12 September 2025

2025-09-12T15:21:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:21, 12 September 2025
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	==== Greco-Roman ====		==== Greco-Roman ====
			[[File:Aratea fol. 42v.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades as Seven Sisters in the Leiden Aratea]]

	===== Aratos =====		===== Aratos =====

Sushoff: /* Transfer and Transformation */

2025-09-05T07:06:32Z

Transfer and Transformation

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:06, 5 September 2025
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	<gallery>		<gallery>
	File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|Pleiades as Bristle in Late Babylonian literature (2nd c. BCE)		File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|Pleiades as Bristle in Late Babylonian literature (2nd c. BCE)
	File:Fig1 taurus tablet 150dpi sciLogs.jpg\|Taurus sign with drawings of Pleiades (Bristle), Hyades (Chariot), Bull, and the Moon during a total lunar eclipse in the Moon's hypsoma; drawing by Hoffmann (2025)<ref>Hoffmann, S.M. (2025). Image Analysis of VAT 7851, [https://orientalistik.univie.ac.at/publikationen/afo/ Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)] 56, 45-53</ref>.		File:Fig1 taurus tablet 150dpi sciLogs.jpg\|alt=Taurus sign with drawings of Pleiades (Bristle), Hyades (Chariot), Bull, and the Moon during a total lunar eclipse in the Moon's hypsoma; drawing by Hoffmann (2025).\|Taurus sign on clay tablet VAT 7851 with drawings of Pleiades (Bristle), Hyades (Chariot), Bull, and the Moon during a total lunar eclipse in the Moon's hypsoma; drawing by Hoffmann (2025)<ref>Hoffmann, S.M. (2025). Image Analysis of VAT 7851, [https://orientalistik.univie.ac.at/publikationen/afo/ Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)] 56, 45-53</ref>.
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Sushoff: /* Transfer and Transformation */

2025-09-05T07:05:59Z

Transfer and Transformation

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:05, 5 September 2025
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	<gallery>		<gallery>
	File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|Pleiades as Bristle in Late Babylonian literature (2nd c. BCE)		File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|Pleiades as Bristle in Late Babylonian literature (2nd c. BCE)
			File:Fig1 taurus tablet 150dpi sciLogs.jpg\|Taurus sign with drawings of Pleiades (Bristle), Hyades (Chariot), Bull, and the Moon during a total lunar eclipse in the Moon's hypsoma; drawing by Hoffmann (2025)<ref>Hoffmann, S.M. (2025). Image Analysis of VAT 7851, [https://orientalistik.univie.ac.at/publikationen/afo/ Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO)] 56, 45-53</ref>.
	</gallery>		</gallery>

Sushoff at 07:02, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T07:02:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:02, 5 September 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[[File:Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium (date -300 but this view is independent of the historical epoch on human scales).]]		[[File:Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium.jpg\|thumb\|Pleiades and Hyades in Stellarium (date -300 but this view is independent of the historical epoch on human scales).]]
	[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]		[[File:Fig7 taurueschen 800dpi.jpg\|thumb\|The Pleiades as drawn on VAT 7851 are the six (plus two smaller) bristles on the hump of Taurus, the Bull.]]
			[[File:Plej+hyad smh2025 4gif.gif\|thumb\|Hyades and Pleiades as observed in central Europe (photo and animation SMH)]]
	The term "Pleiades" derives from Greek πλέω (pleiu), meaning ‘to sail’. In the Mediterranean, the sailing season (gentle winds and warm weather) was given from the heliacal rise to the opposition of this star cluster. The association of "seven" with the cluster is of unknown origin, but it is a fact that (a) Greek mythology created a tale of seven daughters of the nymph Pleione (the sailing nymph), and that (b) Mesopotamian religions even before this had associated seven (male) gods with the cluster. However, the number "seven" has never been part of the ''name'' of the cluster (unlike modern English).		The term "Pleiades" derives from Greek πλέω (pleiu), meaning ‘to sail’. In the Mediterranean, the sailing season (gentle winds and warm weather) was given from the heliacal rise to the opposition of this star cluster. The association of "seven" with the cluster is of unknown origin, but it is a fact that (a) Greek mythology created a tale of seven daughters of the nymph Pleione (the sailing nymph), and that (b) Mesopotamian religions even before this had associated seven (male) gods with the cluster. However, the number "seven" has never been part of the ''name'' of the cluster (unlike modern English).