Month: December 2016

The constellation Phoenix was created by Flemish astronomer Petrus Plancius in the 16th century, based upon the observations of Dutch explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman who mapped the southern sky that century. […]

Sagitta (“arrow”) is one of the original 48 constellations mentioned by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his 2nd century treatise known as the Almagest. It is the night sky’s third smallest constellation, taking up an area […]

Unlike other constellations, Vulpecula was not named from a character or creature from mythology that some early astronomer thought the grouping of stars resembled. When Johannes Hevelius named the constellation in 1687, he chose the […]