gjdonatiello
NGC 6334 - Cat's Paw Nebula + NGC 6357
NGC 6334 - Cat's Paw Nebula + NGC 6357
Credit: Giuseppe Donatiello (Oria Amateur Astrophysical Observatory - OAAO)
THE CONSTELLATION OF THE CAT
It is no longer there but it has left its paw
Cats are very popular on social media because there are many enthusiasts. I always have one at home, sometimes even more than one. Among the enthusiasts there were also astronomers of the past and someone had the idea of even creating a constellation.
In 1799, the French astronomer Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande thought of filling an empty region in the sky, between the young minor constellation of the Pneumatic Machine and the classic Hydra, already listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
It seems that Lalende ironically exclaimed:
"I love cats very much. I will make sure that this image leaves its mark on the celestial maps".
In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to bring order, establishing 88 constellations and their boundaries in 1928. All the classical constellations and some that had become commonly used in the meantime passed the revision process. Other asterisms disappeared, including the constellation Cat.
The sentence pronounced by Lalende was prophetic, however, since in 1837, John Herschel discovered the nebula NGC 6334, which, due to its shape, is popularly called the Cat's Paw Nebula.
The feline in the sky is no longer there, but it has left its proverbial paw.
NGC 6334 - Cat's Paw Nebula + NGC 6357
NGC 6334 - Cat's Paw Nebula + NGC 6357
Credit: Giuseppe Donatiello (Oria Amateur Astrophysical Observatory - OAAO)
THE CONSTELLATION OF THE CAT
It is no longer there but it has left its paw
Cats are very popular on social media because there are many enthusiasts. I always have one at home, sometimes even more than one. Among the enthusiasts there were also astronomers of the past and someone had the idea of even creating a constellation.
In 1799, the French astronomer Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande thought of filling an empty region in the sky, between the young minor constellation of the Pneumatic Machine and the classic Hydra, already listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
It seems that Lalende ironically exclaimed:
"I love cats very much. I will make sure that this image leaves its mark on the celestial maps".
In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to bring order, establishing 88 constellations and their boundaries in 1928. All the classical constellations and some that had become commonly used in the meantime passed the revision process. Other asterisms disappeared, including the constellation Cat.
The sentence pronounced by Lalende was prophetic, however, since in 1837, John Herschel discovered the nebula NGC 6334, which, due to its shape, is popularly called the Cat's Paw Nebula.
The feline in the sky is no longer there, but it has left its proverbial paw.