12-07-2020, 07:05 PM
I would argue that the individual stars and the associated constellations are rather inseparable, certainly when it comes to finding them but also in terms of the associated lore.
Talk about mnemonics, amateur astronomy is a prime example of the art even today. Indeed the lists above are a mixture of both.
I wondered for a while why something as obscure as Baten Kaitos ("Venter Ceti", the stomach of the whale) was on the list.
Apparently in combination with other nearby stars in the region one can find the direction of North. Perhaps the story of Jonah makes this easy for sailors to remember!
Talk about mnemonics, amateur astronomy is a prime example of the art even today. Indeed the lists above are a mixture of both.
I wondered for a while why something as obscure as Baten Kaitos ("Venter Ceti", the stomach of the whale) was on the list.
Apparently in combination with other nearby stars in the region one can find the direction of North. Perhaps the story of Jonah makes this easy for sailors to remember!