Argo

animated GIF of the transformation of the constellation Argo over the course of the centuries from ancient Greek to modern depictions (map: Stellarium)

Argo Navis (short: Argo) is one of the constellations of the Almagest star catalogue (137 CE) that became standardized by common usage of several cultures in the subsequent centuries. In the Early Modern Era, the constellation was changed and finally included in the set of constellations, globally defined by the IAU over the course of the 1920s.

History of Argo

There is no Babylonian predecessor at the place of this Greek constellation. In the place of the Greek Argo, the Babylonian uranology recognizes the constellations of the Harrow and the Asterism of Eridu.

Yet, the Babylonian uranology does contain a constellation of a ship or rather a boat but this is at the opposite site of the sky, frequently identified with the stars in the modern constellations Sgr, CrA and Cap (or only CrA). Some scholars think that The Ship (now called Argo) in the Greek culture is halved and sails backwards through the sky because of hypothetical roots in the Epic of Gilgamesh. However, this scholarly suggestions lacks evidence.

Aratus

Close to the great Dog’s tail is Argo towed stern first. Its course is not that of a ship proceeding on its normal business, but its movement is backward-turned, like that of real [345] ships when the sailors have already turned the stern about on entering harbour: all the crew quickly back water, and the ship surging astern makes fast to the land. So this Argo of Jason is towed stern first. Dark and starless from the prow as far as the actual mast she goes, but the rest is all bright. [351] The steering-oar is detached and set fast under the Dog’s hind legs as it runs ahead. (Kidd 1997)

Other names

Ratis (Manilius I, 623 and 694; Germanicus 622 and 683), Cymba (Avienus 757), Carina (Germanicus 374; Avienus 808), Puppis (Cic. Arat. 34; 389)

Hyginus, Astronomica

Some have said this ship was called Argo in Greek on account of her speed, others because Argus was her inventor. Many have said she was the first ship on the sea, and for this reason especially was pictured in the stars. Pindar says she was built in the town of Magnesia called Demetrias — Callimachus in that district near the temple of Actian Apollo which the Argonauts are thought to have founded on their departure. The place is called Pagasae, in Greek pagasai, because the Argo was first fitted together there. Homer says that this same place was in the district of Thessaly. Aeschylus and some others say that in the same place a speaking beam was added by Minerva. The entire form of the ship does not appear in the stars; it is divided from stern to mast, signifying that men should not be in despair when their ships are wrecked. (Mary Ward 1960)

Ptolemy's Almagest

Map of Argo in Stellarium with the Little Shield marked and the star "Azmidi" highlighted.

Argo, The Ship is one of the southern constellations.

Caption text

No.	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English translation (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Ἀργοῦς ἀστερισμός.
1	τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀκροστολίῳ β ὁ προηγούμενος.	The more advanced of the 2 stars in the stern-ornament	11 (e) Pup
2	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.	The rearmost of them	rho Pup
3	τῶν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἐν τῇ πρύμυῃ ἀσπιδίσκην β συνεχῶν ὁ βορειότερος	The northernmost of the 2 stars close together over the little shield in the poop	xi Pup
4	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶ	The southernmost of them	o Pup
5	ὁ τούτου προηγούμενος.	The star in advance of these	m Pup HR 2944
6	ὁ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀσπιδίσκῃ λαμπφός	The bright star in the middle of the little shield	HR 2948 +29
7	τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἀσπιδίσκηη γ’ ὁ προηγούμενος	The most advanced of the 3 stars under the little shield	p Pup HR 2922
8	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν	The rearmost of them	3 Pup
9	ὁ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.	The middle one of the three	1 Pup
10	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ χηρίσκου.	The star on the goose[-neck]	HR 3113
11	τῶν ἐν τῇ τρόπει τῆς πρύμνης β ὁ βορειότερος	The northernmost of the 2 stars in the stern-keel	?
12	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶ	The southernmost of them	pi Pup
13	τῶν ἐν τῷ καταστρώματι τῆς πρόμνης ὁ βορειότερος.	Stars in the poop-deck: 1. the northernmost	f Pup HR 2937
14	τῶν ἐφεξῆς ἡ ὁ προηγούμενος!	2. the most advanced of the next 3	HR 2961 + 64
15	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶ	3. the middle one	c Pup HR 3017
16	ὁ ἐπόμευος τῶν τριῶν	4. the rearmost of the three	b Pup HR 3084
17	ὁ τούτοις ἐπόμευος ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος λαμπρός	5. the bright star on the deck to the rear of these	zet Pup
18	τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν λαμπρὸν ἀμαυρῶν β ὁ προηγούμενος	6. the more advanced of the 2 faint stars under the bright one	a Pup HR 3080
19	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶ	7. the rearmost of them	HR 3162
20	τῶν ὑπὲρ τὸν εἰρημένου λαμπρὸν β ὁ ἠγούμενοςἡ	8. the more advanced of the 2 stars over the above-mentioned bright one	h1 Pup HR 3225
21	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν	9. the rearmost of them	h2 Pup HR 3243
22	τῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀσπιδύσκαις ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς ἱστοδόκης ν’ ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the 3 stars on the little shields, about on the mast holder	HR 3439
23	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The middle one	d Vel HR 3477
24	ὁ γότιος τῶν τριῶν.	The southernmost of the three	e Vel HR 3426
25	τῶν ὑπὸ τούτους β συνεχῶν ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmost of the 2 stars close together under these	*a Vel HR 3487
26	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost of them	*b Vel HR 3445
27	τῶν ἐν μέσῳ τῷ ἱστῷ β ὁ νότιος	The southernmost of the 2 stars in the middle of the mast	bet Pyx
28	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτῶν.	The northernmost of them	alf Pyx
29	τῶν πρὸς τῷ ἄκρῳ τοῦ ἱστοῦ β ὁ προηγούμενος.	The more advanced of the 2 stars by the tip of the mast	gam Pyx
30	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν	The rearmost of them	del Pyx
31	ὁ ὑποκάτω τῆς ν’ καὶ ἐπομένης ἀσπιδίσκης	The star below the 3rd and rearmost little shield	lam Vel
32	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀποτομῆς τοῦ καταστρώματος.	The star on the cut-off of the deck	psi Vel
33	ὁ μεταξὺ τῶν πηδαλίωυ ἐν τῇ τρόπει	The star between the steering-oars, in the keel	sig Pup
34	ὁ τούτῳ ἐπόμενος ἀμαυρός.	The faint star to the rear of this	HR 3055
35	ὁ τούτῳ ἐπόμενος ὑπὸ τὸ κατάστρωμα λαμπρός	The bright star to the rear of this, under the deck	gam Vel
36	ὁ τούτου πρὸς νότου ἐπὶ τῆς κάτω τρόπεως λαμπρός	The bright star to the south of this, on the lower [part of the] keel	chi Car
37	τῶν ἐπομένων τούτῳ ἢ ὁ προηγούμενος	The most advanced of the 3 stars to the rear of this	omi Vel
38	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν.	The middle one	del Vel
39	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῶν τριῶν.	The rearmost of the three	HR 3498
40	τῶν τούτοις ἐπομένων β ὁ πρὸς τῇ ἀποτομῇ ὁ προηγούμενος.	The more advanced of the 2 stars to the rear of these, near the cut-off	kap Vel
41	ὁ ἐπόμευος αὐτῶν .	The rearmost of them	N Vel HR 3803
42	τῶν ἐν τῷ βορείῳ καὶ ἠγουμένῳ πηδαλίῳ β ὁ ἠγούμενος	The more advanced of the 2 stars in the northern, advance steering-oar	eta Col
43	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.	The rearmost of them	nu Pup
44	ὁ τῶν ἐν τῷ λοιπῷ πηδαλίῳ β ὁ προηγούμενος καλούμενος. Κάνωβος	The more advanced of the 2 stars in the other steering-oar, called Canopus	alf Car
45	ὁ λοιπὸς καὶ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.	The other, rearmost star	tau Pup
all	ἀστέρες με, ὥν α’ μεγέθους ἂ, β’ ξ, ἡ ἱα, δ’ ιθ, εξ, ς’ α

Transformation Images

• 

  Argo stickfigure according to the Almagest (published in Stellarium 2021)

• 

  Argo stickfigure according to the Almagest and drawing from the contemporary Farnese marble Globe (both published in Stellarium 2021).

• 

  Argo as drawn on the Farnese Globe (Stellarium 2021).

• 

  Argo in the Leiden Aratea (published in Stellarium 2022)

• 

  Argo early modern stick figure (here first published)

• 

  Argo drawn in Bayer (1603)

• 

  Argo drawn by Doppelmayr (1742)

• 

  Argo drawn by Bode (1782)

• 

  Argo in Fortin's Atlas Céleste, 3rd edition (1795).

Splitting Argo up into three constellations

In 1755, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille divided Argo into the three modern constellations that occupy much of the same area: Carina (the keel), Puppis (the poop deck or stern), and Vela (the sails).

In his 1768 Coelum Australe Stelliferum, Lacaille divided the more than 160 stars in the constellation into the regions Argûs in carina (Carina, the keel), Argûs in puppi (Puppis, the stern), and Argûs in velis (Vela, the sails).

References

• References (general)
• References (early modern)
• Ian Ridpath's website (Argo, Argo_2)