As Europeans made their way in the Southern Hemisphere during the late Renaissance and the Enlightenment apparently they created constellations rather haphazardly as they discovered* new star patterns beyond what had been the European horizon. Also, apparently during the period religious minded folks tried to rename all the constellations in the sky based on Biblical characters, etc. These didn't really last.**
The ~85 extant accepted constellations we have today are a result of a 19th century effort to come up with a uniform system of constellations.
*It really isn't a discovery of course.
**If they had, then these powerful aids to navigation would have also been significant devices for prostelyzation.
The ~85 extant accepted constellations we have today are a result of a 19th century effort to come up with a uniform system of constellations.
*It really isn't a discovery of course.
**If they had, then these powerful aids to navigation would have also been significant devices for prostelyzation.
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