Virgo Constellation, Zodiac, 1822

Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century... more

by U.S. Naval Observatory Library

Title

Virgo Constellation, Zodiac, 1822

Artist

U.S. Naval Observatory Library

Medium

Photograph

Description

Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. The Greeks and Romans associated Virgo with their goddess of wheat/agriculture, Demeter-Ceres. Alternatively, she was sometimes identified as the virgin goddess Iustitia or Astraea, holding the scales of justice in her hand as the constellation Libra. Virgo is often portrayed carrying two sheaves of wheat. Virgo is the sixth astrological sign in the Zodiac. It spans the 150-180th degree of the zodiac, between 152.75 and 180 degree of celestial longitude, which the Tropical zodiac the Sun transits this area on average between August 23 to September 22 each year. A Celestial Atlas (1822) by Alexander Jamieson, inspired by the star atlas of Johann Elert Bode, but restricted itself to stars that could be seen with the naked eye. Comprising a systematic display of the heavens in a series of thirty maps illustrated by scientific description of their contents and accompanied by catalogues of the stars and astronomical exercises, plate 18, 1822.

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August 14th, 2014