Canes Venatici is a small northern constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is Latin for hunting dogs and it represents the mythological dogs Chara and Asterion being held on a leash by Boötes the herdsman, a neighboring constellation.
Canes Venatici contains some bright stars, but before the seventeenth century it was treated as part of the constellation of Bootes the herdsman. Its identification with Boo...
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Canes Venatici is a small northern constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is Latin for hunting dogs and it represents the mythological dogs Chara and Asterion being held on a leash by Boötes the herdsman, a neighboring constellation.
Canes Venatici contains some bright stars, but before the seventeenth century it was treated as part of the constellation of Bootes the herdsman. Its identification with Bootes's dogs arose through a mistranslation. Some of its component stars were traditionally described as representing Bootes's cudgel (Greek, Κολλοροβος). When the Greek astronomer Ptolemy's Almagest was translated from Greek to Arabic, the translator did not know the Greek word and rendered it as the nearest-looking Arabic word, and wrote العصى ذات الكلاب in ordinary unvowelled Arabic text "al-`aşā dhāt al-kullāb", which means "the spearshaft having a hook", probably thinking of a shepherd's crook. When the Arabic text was translated into Latin...
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