Constellations used by navigators – Check out the 10 most used!

In our article today, you will have access to an exclusive list containing the 10 constellations used by navigators throughout human history. Since the dawn of our society, the primitive world of the stars was already used to guide sea travelers. Get more information by reading our content from today until the end!

First, know that the constellations are nothing more than groups of stars that unite by imaginary lines and form a kind of silhouette, responsible for acquiring unique and recognizable figures. Currently, there are 88 officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

Their names were created from countless myths, one of the most ingenious and ancient mnemonic tricks of humanity, since it allows us to remember and recognize the stars that would serve as guidance for ancient navigators (both in the northern and southern hemispheres) and travelers. desert, as well as elaborate agricultural and religious calendars.

Here you will see where are the ten constellations most used by navigators in ancient times. Check out the exclusive list we created for you!

1- Constellations used by navigators – Ursa Major

Ursa Major cannot be left out of our list of constellations used by navigators, given that it is one of the most used constellations to locate the north, which is proven by the quote from Homer in the Odyssey eight centuries before Christ, which also called the Carriage as it is popularly known to this day.

Each civilization designated this constellation in its own way and mythology, but interestingly the North American Indians also identified it with a bear followed by its three cubs (the stars Alioth, Mizar and Alkaid).

2- Teddy Bear (Ursa Minor)

Although visible only from the northern hemisphere,  Ursa Minor has been a recurring constellation for navigators, since its best-known star is the polar star, which, being found in the extension of the Earth’s axis, remains fixed in the sky and indicates the North Pole. geographic.

Polaris was not always the same star as it is today (Alrucacaba), as, for example, 5,000 years ago it was Thuban in the constellation of the Dragon (Draco). In fact, in the Middle Ages, the stars Kochab and Pherkad, at one end of Ursa Minor, were more accurate in pointing north than the current pole.

In addition, Teddy Bear can be very useful in navigating to know the time of year without the need for calendars.

3- Constellations used by navigators – Taurus

One of the oldest known constellations, as it contains the Pleiades, a star cluster with religious roots in all cultures on the planet.

5,000 years ago, spring began in Taurus and its knowledge dates back at least to the Paleolithic, as interpreted in the cave paintings of Lascaux (France). Among the brightest objects it contains are Aldebaran, Alnath and the Crab Nebula.

4- Constellations of Orion

Also known as The Huntsman or The Cathedral of Heaven, it is a constellation that, due to its great visibility in both hemispheres (it is observed in the northern hemisphere in winter, and in the south during the summer) and also cannot be left out of the list. of the constellations used by navigators.

This constellation is associated with a multitude of representations in ancient cultures, especially with Sirius in the constellation Canis Major, a sacred star for the Egyptians that was always accompanied by Orion in its evolution through the night skies. Its brightest stars are the supergiants Rigel and Betelgeuse (associated with Osiris in Egyptian mythology).

5- Lion

In Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations it was associated with fire and the sun, as it indicated the arrival of the warm seasons. Mythologically, it is associated with the Nemean lion that Hercules killed in one of his works and whose skin he wore.

It contains very bright stars like Regulus, known as “the heart of the lion”, which is 240 times brighter than the Sun, Agieba and Denebola.

6- Constellations used by navigators – Scorpio

Related to autumn and storms in the northern hemisphere, ancient cultures related it to Orion, the hunter, who was killed by his sting, for when the Scorpion appears on the horizon, Orion hides.

It has Antares as its main star, known as the Scorpion’s heart. Orion and Scorpio are considered the most beautiful constellations in the sky.

7- Big Dog

Its importance for the orientation of navigators lies in the fact that it contains the star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, worshiped by the Egyptians since its ascension marked the inundation of the Nile, although all cultures since prehistoric times have incorporated it in its mythology.

For southern civilizations, it marked the beginning of winter and was of great importance as a stellar compass in the navigation of the Polynesian peoples.

8- Constellations used by navigators – Cassiopeia

One of the constellations recognized since antiquity due to its peculiar shape in M ​​or W (depending on the time and hemisphere of observation). We can define it as a circumpolar constellation that will always point to the northern region.

It is precisely because of this that its usefulness in the navigation process arises, especially when Ursa Major is not visible, especially in latitudes considered temperate.

9- The Boyero (Boötes)

Constellation related to the north of spring and summer that contains one of the brightest stars in the sky, Arthur, traditional in the myths of many cultures.

Homer cites it in The Odyssey as a bad omen for navigators, but the truth is that it has been a very suitable star for guidance in their eagerness to follow Ursa Major to what is called “the guardian of the bear”.

10- Constellations used by navigators – Cruzeiro do Sul

It is the smallest constellation officially recognized, but very useful in orienting people to the south, as it indicates the south pole. Although it is only visible in the southern hemisphere, 2,000 years ago it was possible to observe it from more northern latitudes. There was even speculation that the stars of the Cruzeiro do Sul were the Estrela de Belém.

Throughout our content today, we present to you an exclusive list of the 10 constellations that most help Navigators on the high seas. As you can see, since the dawn of humanity, the stars were already used to guide men.

Leave a comment below highlighting which of these constellations you think is the most interesting of all. Did you already know them all? Comment with us.