Quote:
Originally Posted by mikerr
Ian, Jacquie thanks for your input.
Maybe Gould "Rubber Stamped" Lacille's work by including the new constellations in the Uranometria.
I am going to have a look at the Bibliography in Hartung to see if there are any clues to the source he used.
After all it is still raining here. 
Michael. |
I think you're on the right track there. A lot of people forget that the constellations we use today were only 'fixed'in 1930. Before that anyone could make one up, and if other astronomers accepted it, well and good. The constellation Robur Carolinum, Charles' Oak, was still in charts in the late 19th century, but I don't recall seeing it in any 20th century charts. This is just an example of a constellation falling out of fashion, so to speak. I would take the example you give as Gould accepting Lacaille's work, and perhaps Gould's book was the best reference Hartung could find at the time. Just idle thoughts on my part - might be good to note that the Messier catalogue was virtually unknown in the early 20th century, it wasn't until it went through a revival in the 1950's bought about by a historian (?Gingrich) that it attained the popularity it has today. Hope you see what I'm trying to get at.