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Re: Constellation names.
From: Trevor Kenchington
Date: 2003 Nov 1, 20:52 -0400
From: Trevor Kenchington
Date: 2003 Nov 1, 20:52 -0400
George,
I learnt both "Big Dipper" and "Plough" as a kid, in England in the
1960s. If the former is an Americanism, it seemed well ingrained in
English English by then. However, neither is a synonym for "Ursa Major"
or "Great Bear" -- the "Plough" is an asterism, not a constellation, in
that it comprises only some of the stars in Ursa Major.
As to the use of Latin names versus the vernacular: The former has
always struck me as a bit pretentious outside of the astronomic
community (whether professional or avocational). To draw a parallel: As
a some-time professional marine biologist, I well know what Scomber
scombrus is and, to me, the name produces a mental image of the fish
without first needing translation into English, whether I hear it spoken
or see it written. However, I'd think that anyone who asked for
"Scomber" in a grocery store, when they wanted to buy mackerel for
dinner, was more than a bit weird. In much the same way, anyone
insisting on "Ursa Major" rather than "Great Bear", while in mixed
company, seems to have crossed an ill-defined line. The obvious
exceptions are the astrological constellations, whose Latin names are
part of everyday English.
You also asked:
> When American kids learn about the sky in college, how are the
> constellations named in their star maps?
What makes you think that American kids, other than those few who take
courses in astronomy, ever learn about the constellations? Given recent
statistics, put out by the National Geographic Society, concerning the
(in)ability of young adults in the U.S. to find Iraq, or even the United
Kingdom, on a map of the world, I'd doubt that many of them have even
passing familiarity with the night sky. (No insult intended to those
U.S. citizens who do take geography, astronomy and/or navigation
seriously. The problem seems to be that the majority don't learn the
basics, not that the specialists don't understand the details.)
Trevor Kenchington
--
Trevor J. Kenchington PhD Gadus@iStar.ca
Gadus Associates, Office(902) 889-9250
R.R.#1, Musquodoboit Harbour, Fax (902) 889-9251
Nova Scotia B0J 2L0, CANADA Home (902) 889-3555
Science Serving the Fisheries
http://home.istar.ca/~gadus
