The Dolphin
Aratos.
This interesting little constellation lies in that region of the sky already alluded to as "the Sea," and near-by are the other maritime creatures, the Fishes, the Sea Goat, and the Whale.
In Ptolemy's catalogue Delphinus only contained ten stars; Burritt gives it eighteen, Argelander twenty, Heis thirty-one,—none brighter than the third magnitude. Allen thinks that the constellation originally may have included the stars set off by Hipparchus to form the asterism Equuleus.
In all astronomical literature, Delphinus has borne its present title and shape, but just why the Dolphin should be represented by these stars is not clear.
A favourite title for the constellation was "Vector Arionis," from the Greek fable which Burritt thus relates:
"The Dolphin was made a constellation by Neptune, because one of these beautiful fishes had persuaded the goddess Amphitrite, who had made a vow of perpetual celibacy, to become the wife of that deity;—but others maintain that it is the dolphin which preserved the famous lyric poet and musician Arion, who was a native of Lesbos, an island in the Archipelago. Arion went to Italy with Periander, tyrant of Corinth, where he obtained immense riches by his profession. Wishing to revisit his native country, the sailors of the ship in which he embarked resolved to murder him, and get possession of his wealth. Seeing them im-
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