{"id":119018,"date":"2026-08-19T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/?p=119018"},"modified":"2026-08-19T09:11:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T07:11:21","slug":"forgotten-constellations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/forgotten-constellations\/","title":{"rendered":"The Forgotten Constellations That Disappeared From the Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-3::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-3{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-4::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-4{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-5::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-5{display:block;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Old star maps reveal a sky you would hardly recognize today.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Between familiar figures like Hercules and Hydra, you&rsquo;ll find a house cat, a royal tree, a scientific instrument, and the lost beloved of a Roman emperor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The stars themselves haven&rsquo;t moved. What has changed are the patterns we once drew between them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before today&rsquo;s 88 official constellations were fixed, the night sky was far more varied and imaginative.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Antinous: The Emperor&rsquo;s Lost Beloved<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20576'%3E%3Crect%20width='1024'%20height='576'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119025 lazyload\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-1024x576.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/aquila-antinous-constellations.png 1200w\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/\">&copy; Angelynum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Look beneath Aquila in an old celestial atlas and you will find a young man standing among the stars.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His name was Antinous, the companion and lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. In AD 130, while traveling with the emperor through Egypt, Antinous drowned in the Nile.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some ancient accounts treated his death as an accident, while others suggested suicide or ritual sacrifice. Whatever the truth was, Hadrian was devastated.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The emperor founded a city in Antinous&rsquo;s name, encouraged his worship, and filled the Roman world with statues of him.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also found a place in the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A small group of stars beneath Aquila became associated with him.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The astronomer Ptolemy included six stars linked to Antinous in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almagest<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, though he still treated them as part of the Eagle rather than as a completely separate constellation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later mapmakers sometimes gave Antinous more independence. In old illustrations, Aquila appears to carry or hover over the young man.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The image echoed the Greek myth of Ganymede, another beautiful youth taken into the heavens.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Antinous never gained a clear, permanent territory of his own. As astronomers began standardizing the constellations, his stars were absorbed fully into Aquila.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can still see those stars today. What disappeared was the human figure drawn between them, along with one of the most personal stories ever placed in the night sky.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Cerberus: The Monster Hercules Couldn&rsquo;t Keep<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20576'%3E%3Crect%20width='1024'%20height='576'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119026 lazyload\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-1024x576.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/hercules-cerberus-constellations.png 1200w\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/\">&copy; Angelynum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hercules remains one of the largest constellations overhead. But the monster he once held in his hand is gone.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cerberus was introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius during the late 1600s. He formed it from a small group of faint stars within the existing constellation of Hercules.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The name came from the guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology. Cerberus was the terrifying dog that watched the gates of Hades and prevented the dead from escaping.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His exact appearance changed from story to story, though he was usually described as having several heads, most famously three.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capturing Cerberus was the final labor of Hercules. He entered the underworld, overpowered the creature, and dragged it into the world of the living.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That moment gave Hevelius his constellation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oddly, the creature on his chart didn&rsquo;t look much like a dog. It resembled a three-headed serpent held tightly in Hercules&rsquo;s hand.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was visually memorable, but the constellation itself wasn&rsquo;t convincing. Its stars were faint, and they already belonged naturally to Hercules.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So Cerberus gradually disappeared from celestial atlases. Modern charts leave Hercules with an empty hand where the monster once twisted between his fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a creature meant to stop souls from escaping, Cerberus proved surprisingly bad at remaining in the heavens.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Felis: The Cat That Finally Reached the Stars<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119027\" srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20576'%3E%3Crect%20width='1024'%20height='576'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119027 lazyload\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-1024x576.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/felis-star-constellation.png 1200w\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/\">&copy; Angelynum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sky already had bears, dogs, lions, fish, and birds. French astronomer J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Lalande noticed one important animal was missing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was no ordinary house cat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lalande was famously fond of cats, so near the end of the eighteenth century he decided to correct the problem. He created Felis, a small constellation placed beside Hydra in a region of the southern sky.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He reportedly joked that he loved cats so much that he was willing to let one scratch across his star chart.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The constellation soon appeared in Johann Elert Bode&rsquo;s influential 1801 atlas. There, Felis was shown as a small domestic cat beneath the enormous twisting body of Hydra.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was a charming addition. But astronomers weren&rsquo;t just after pretty pictures.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Felis had no bright stars and no especially memorable shape. You wouldn&rsquo;t glance upward and naturally see a cat waiting there.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the nineteenth century, mapmakers stopped including it. When the modern constellation boundaries were established, the stars of Felis officially became part of Hydra.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cat didn&rsquo;t disappear completely, though.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2018, the brightest star once associated with the constellation received the official name Felis. It was a tribute to the lost figure and to Lalande&rsquo;s attempt to give the domestic cat a place in the heavens.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So the full animal no longer prowls across modern star maps, but one small point of light still carries its name.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Quadrans Muralis: The Constellation That Still Sends Meteors<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20576'%3E%3Crect%20width='1024'%20height='576'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119028 lazyload\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-4\" data-src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-1024x576.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/quadrans-muralis-constellation.png 1200w\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/\">&copy; Angelynum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every January, the Quadrantid meteor shower flashes across the northern sky.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The name sounds a little strange because there&rsquo;s no constellation called Quadrans on modern maps. The meteors were named after something that no longer officially exists.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quadrans Muralis means the Mural Quadrant. It referred to a large scientific instrument mounted against a wall and used by astronomers to measure the positions of stars.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lalande introduced the constellation in 1795. He placed it in a patch of sky near Bo&ouml;tes, Draco, and Hercules, celebrating the tools of astronomy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That was very common during the eighteenth century. Astronomers were filling parts of the southern and northern skies with telescopes, clocks, furnaces, and other instruments of science.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But Quadrans Muralis never became widely accepted. It had little mythology behind it, and its stars could be assigned easily to larger neighboring constellations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When astronomers settled on the official 88 constellations in the early twentieth century, the Mural Quadrant was left out. Its territory was divided among the figures around it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet its name survived through the meteor shower.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And for a few winter nights each year, a forgotten scientific instrument seems to scatter fire across the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Robur Carolinum: The King&rsquo;s Tree Among the Stars<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119029\" srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%201024%20576'%3E%3Crect%20width='1024'%20height='576'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-119029 lazyload\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 40px), 728px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-5\" data-src=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-1024x576.png\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-18x10.png 18w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-728x410.png 728w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-960x540.png 960w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/angelynum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/robur-carolinum-constellation.png 1200w\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/\">&copy; Angelynum<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some constellations were created to preserve myths, while others were created to flatter powerful people.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robur Carolinum belonged firmly to the second group.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The English astronomer Edmond Halley introduced it in the seventeenth century after studying the southern sky. Its name meant Charles&rsquo;s Oak, and it honored King Charles II of England.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The tree referred to a famous episode from the king&rsquo;s younger life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles hid in an oak tree while soldiers searched the surrounding area.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The story later became an important symbol of his survival and eventual restoration to the throne.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Halley placed the royal oak among stars belonging to Argo Navis, the enormous ancient constellation representing the ship of Jason and the Argonauts.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robur Carolinum wasn&rsquo;t made from a forgotten patch of faint stars. It claimed several noticeable stars from an already established figure. That made it controversial from the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille later objected to the addition. He believed the oak had taken some of the finest stars from Argo Navis. So later atlases gradually removed it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The stars of Charles&rsquo;s Oak now sit mostly within Carina and Vela, with no royal tree surrounding them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Robur Carolinum shows that old star maps weren&rsquo;t neutral. They carried politics, fashion, loyalties, and the ambitions of the people who made them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The stars remained untouched. But the king&rsquo;s oak faded because the world beneath it changed.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Old star maps reveal a sky you would hardly recognize today. Between familiar figures like Hercules and Hydra, you&rsquo;ll find a house cat, a royal &hellip;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":119032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"syndication_tool_enabled":true,"syndication_tool_title":"","syndication_tool_excerpt":"","syndication_tool_featured_image":0,"syndication_tool_publish_date":"","syndication_tool_schema_types":["article"],"syndication_tool_backlink_enable":false,"syndication_tool_ai_disclosure_enable":false,"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"Article","disable-critical-css":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119018"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120486,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119018\/revisions\/120486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/angelynum.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}