Vanquished Pictures

StarDate

The bright Moon washes out the fainter stars tonight. One that shines through is Hamal, the leading light of Aries, the ram. It’s in the east at nightfall. It’s about 65 light-years away. And it’s a giant – bigger, heavier, and brighter than the Sun.

The other stars of Aries are tougher to see. And some stars that once formed separate constellations around it are impossible to see. In fact, they were tough to spot even when they were first outlined.

To the left of Hamal is Triangulum Minus, the little triangle. It was created by German astronomer Johannes Hevelius, in 1687. Its three stars are all quite faint. So even without the moonlight, they’re visible only under dark skies, away from city lights.

Below Hamal is Musca Borealis, the northern fly. It consists of four faint stars. The constellation was created by Petrus Plancius, in 1612. His original name for it was Apes, the bees. Later, another astronomer called it Vespa, the wasp. Hevelius then took over. He kept the buzzy theme, but he went with Musca, the fly. But there was already a fly in the southern hemisphere, so astronomers clarified matters by adding “northern” to the name.

In 1930, the International Astronomical Union adopted 88 official constellations, all with well-defined borders. The little triangle was incorporated into Triangulum. And the stars of the northern fly became part of Aries – buzzing around the rump of the ram.

Script by Damond Benningfield