dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (03/15/86)
Many southern constellations were named by a French astronomer. More -- after this. March 15 Nicholas de Lacaille Today is the birthday of the astronomer who named many of the constellations visible from the southern hemisphere. Nicolas de Lacaille was born in France on this date in the year l7l3. While studying theology, Lacaille by chance became deeply interested in geometry and astronomy. He had no formal teaching in these areas -- so he taught himself the mathematics he needed from books. In the l700s navigators aboard ships needed better maps of the Earth. The French Academy of Sciences learned of Lacaille's mathematical abilities. He was sent on a series of trips to more accurately measure the Earth -- using the stars as a guide. Lacaille traveled to the southern tip of Africa when he was thirty-seven years old. While he was there he mapped more stars of the southern skies than anyone ever before him -- charting l0 thousand stars over a period of just two years! He also gave official names to fourteen southern constellations. The constellations we see from the northern part of the globe are typically identified with figures from ancient mythology. Lacaille decided to name southern star patterns after modern scientific instruments. So there are constellations called Telescopium after the telescope and Microscopium for the microscope. Next month many people are traveling to the southern hemisphere to observe Comet Halley. There they'll find a sky full of constellations named by Nicolas de Lacaille. Script by Diana Hadley. (c) Copyright 1985, 1986 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin