Cerberus (constellation) on:
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Cerberus is an obsolete
Ian Ridpath's Star Tales: "Cerberus"
* http://www.pa.msu.edu/people/horvatin/Astronomy_Facts/obsolete_pages/cerberus.htm Former constellations Constellations listed by Johannes Hevelius {{astronomy-stub
Cerberus is an obsolete constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the earliest constellation ...
created by Hevelius
Johannes Hevelius
Some sources refer to Hevelius as Polish:
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Some sources refer to Hevelius as German:
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*of the Royal Society
* (in German also known as ''Hevel''; pl, Jan Heweliusz; – 28 January 1687) was a councillor ...
in the 1600s, whose stars are now included in the constellation Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
. It was depicted as a three-headed snake that Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
is holding in his hand. The constellation is no longer in use. This constellation "figure typified the serpent ... infesting the country around Taenarum the Μέτωπον of Greece, the modern Cape Matapan
Cape Matapan ( el, Κάβο Ματαπάς, Maniot dialect: Ματαπά), also named as Cape Tainaron or Taenarum ( el, Ακρωτήριον Ταίναρον), or Cape Tenaro, is situated at the end of the Mani Peninsula, Greece. Cape Matap ...
." The presence of Cerberus (Kerberos) at Taenarum (Tainaron) is mentioned by Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
, Statius
Publius Papinius Statius ( Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; ; ) was a Greco-Roman poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving Latin poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid''; a collection of occasional poetry, ...
, and Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (; 65 AD), usually known mononymously as Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, a statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature.
Seneca was born ...
. John Senex
John Senex (1678 in Ludlow, Shropshire – 1740 in London) was an English cartographer, engraver and explorer.
He was also an astrologer, geologist, and geographer to Queen Anne of Great Britain, editor and seller of antique maps and most import ...
combined this constellation with the likewise obsolete constellation Ramus Pomifer, an apple branch held by Hercules, in his 1721 star map to create "Cerberus et Ramus".
Notes
External links
Ian Ridpath's Star Tales: "Cerberus"
* http://www.pa.msu.edu/people/horvatin/Astronomy_Facts/obsolete_pages/cerberus.htm Former constellations Constellations listed by Johannes Hevelius {{astronomy-stub