Subsequently Le Monnier, Bode, and Lalande published stellar catalogues, adding new asterisms, the latter's chart containing a total of eighty-eight constellations.
In 1840 the famous German astronomer Argelander published his star catalogue, the most complete that had appeared up to that time. It contained 210,000 stars. Argelander brought order where there had been much confusion, by separating one constellation from another by irregular boundary lines, so that all the stars would be embraced within the borders of some stellar figure. His system is employed in many of the modern charts of the heavens.[1]
To-day there are over a hundred large catalogues of the stars, but there is a discrepancy in the number of constellations accepted by astronomers. Prof. Young recognised sixty-seven as in ordinary use, and in these northern latitudes about fifty-five are generally known.
Allen tells us that "eighty or ninety may be considered as now more or less acknowledged, while probably a million stars are laid down on the various modern maps, and this is soon to be increased perhaps to forty million on the completion of the present photographic work for this object by the international association of eighteen observatories engaged upon it in different parts of the world."
In conclusion, it may be of interest to review briefly the conception of the firmament in vogue in ancient times among the different nations of the old world.
The Persians are said to have considered 3000 years ago that the whole heavens were divided up into four great districts, each watched over by one of the "Royal Stars," Aldebaran, Antares, Regulus, and Fomalhaut.
- ↑ Photography has played an important part in stellar catalogues of recent years, Kapteyn's chart made up from plates taken at Cape Town containing over 300,000 stars, and every year approximately 2000 plates of the heavens are taken by the astronomers in charge of the Harvard College Observatory Station at Arequipa, Peru.
