ब्राह्मस्फुटसिद्धान्त (ब्रह्मगुप्त - शून्य, कुट्टक, बीजगणित एवं सम्पूर्ण २१ अध्याय सान्वय सटीक)

CONSTELLATIONS 5 These named constellations date back to very early period. In India, Gārgya is the name of an astronomer who is associated with a hymn of the Atharvaveda which for the first time enume- rates constellations. In many of these constellations, the stars form a well marked group, clearly separated from other groups, and the names given to these formations are supposed to have been suggested by a resemblance to the shapes of certain familiar objects. Of course, the resemblance is usually very slight, and depended merely on a fancy. It is remarkable that different countries devloped almost similar notions regarding these constellations. The late Dr. A. C. D. Crommelin considered that there is a reason to believe that the stars may have been grouped to some extent by the Egyptians as early as 4000 B. C., and he remarked on their use of the then Pole Star for orienting the Great pyramid, Again, Chinese are said to have mapped out the sky into many divisions of stars by 2500 B. C., if one can rely on their records. The idea of constellations takes us to a date much earlier than 2500 B. C. even. In total forty-eight have come down from extremely ancient times, but these do not cover the entire extent of the sky. The part not occupied by any of them evidently did not rise above the horizon where the early astronomers to whom we owe their naming lived; and the stars concerned were there- fore not included in their constellation schemes. The centre of this part (near the bright star Achernar) must have been near the South Pole of the heavens of the time, and its angular radius from the Pole gives us roughly the latitude of their homes. The date appears to have been about 2800 B. C., when, owing to the precession of the equinoxes, the South celestial pole was in the position indicated. The latitude seems to have been about 38° North. These are the findings of E. W. Maunder (Astronomy without a Telescope, p.5, 1902); but from the same considerations Dr. Crommelin assigns a latitude of 36° and a date 2460 B.C., and Proctor 2200 B. C. Maunder also suggested that the presence of the Lion and Bear among the stellar configurations and the absence of Elephant, Tiger, Camel and Crocodile seem to ex- clude India towards the East and the countries towards the West, the latitude and the longitude indicated being those of Asia Minor or Armenia. The suggestion that the blank area in