Solitaire: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "THis French term was used for the now obsolete constellation Turdus Solitarius (= Solitaire = Noctua). ==Etymology and History== ==Mythology== ==IAU Working Group Star Names== The brightest star of historical "Turdus Solitarius" was Sigma Librae, mag. 3.2, named Brachium by WGSN. It was suggested in 2023 to try naming another of its stars, if we can identify them reliably. The French "Solitaire" is an obvious name to use. The biological relative from the neighboring...")
 
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[[File:LeMonnier1776 solitaire.jpeg|alt=original star chart with the first depiction of the Solitaire|thumb|Pierre Le Monnier's "Constellation du Solitaire" in the History of the French Academy of Science publication (1776)]]
THis French term was used for the now obsolete constellation Turdus Solitarius (= Solitaire = Noctua).
This French term was used for the now-obsolete constellation Turdus Solitarius (= Solitaire = [[Noctua]]).


==Etymology and History==
==Etymology and History==
The extinct constellations Turdus Solitarius and Noctua, which share some history and region of the sky, have brief summaries in ''Star Names - Their Lore and Meaning'' by Richard H. Allen (1899, pp. 418-419) and in ''Star Tales'' by Ian Ridpath (1988, p. 151) and have a dedicated chapter in ''The Lost Constellations'' by John C. Barentine (2015, ch. 29, pp. 449-464).


The classical constellation Hydra ends with the star Pi Hydrae. In early modern time, some astronomers extended the chain of stars towards Libra and even introduced yet another bird on its longer end (as traditionally, the Raven sits on the tail tip of Hydra). The constellation of "Solitaire" was first depicted in Pierre Charles Le Monnier's contribution to the ''[https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k35758/f654.item Histoire de l'Académie royale des sciences ... avec les mémoires de mathématique & de physique... tirez des registres de cette Académie],'' from the French Academy of Science (Académie royale des sciences, Paris) 1776.
==Mythology==
[[File:Stellarium+solitaire monnier mark+lbl.gif|thumb|Animated GIF for the identifications of stars in the constellation of the "Solitaire" by Le Monnier (1776), modern star chart from Stellarium, GIF by SMH 2024.]]
[[File:Monticola solitarius, Spain 1.jpg|alt=photograph|thumb|Blue rock thrush, male, Spain (CC-BY Jose Maria Carretero Palacios from Jerez de los Caballeros, España), Spanish term: Roquero solitario.]]
[http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/lemonniersolitaire.html Ian Ridpath] elaborates that the engraver Yves-Marie Le Gouaz (1742–1816) accompanied Pierre Le Monnier's announcement of the new constellation and states: <blockquote>Unfortunately the bird shown on the engraving is not the Rodrigues solitaire as Le Monnier had intended, but rather a blue rock thrush, known as the solitaire of the Philippines. Whether the error was due to Le Monnier or Le Gouaz is unknown.</blockquote>Bode (1801) in his famous ''Uranographia'' takes over the idea of this additional bird but depicts it slightly differently. His label in Latin is "Turdus Solitarius" which is the scientific term for the Blue Rock Thrush, first described in Carl von Linné (Carl Linnaeus): Systema Naturae<ref>Linné On Line - University of Uppsala, [https://web.archive.org/web/20040111191036/http://www.linnaeus.uu.se/online/animal/1_1.html wayback-machine]</ref><ref>English translation of Linné's book by William Turton (1806): A General System of Nature,: Through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, Systematically Divided Into Their Several Classes, Orders, Genera, Species, and Varieties. Lackington, Allen, and Company. </ref> (10th edition 1758).

==== Translations ====
In "''Kenntniß zu Anleitung des Gestirnten Himmels''" (in German), Bode 1805 refers to it as "der Vogel Einsiedler" - "the hermit bird". When talking about Le Monnier's original constellation, Jamieson (1822) refers to it as "''L'Ermite Oiseau''" - never referring to it as either Solitaire or Turdus Solitarius.

=== List of Identified Stars in Monnier's Map ===

==== Stars within the Constellation Area ====
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+
!id
!label
!IAU desig.
!description
!IAU name
!Vmag
|-
|1
|gamma (Sco)
|sigma Lib
|in the heart/ chest
|Brachium
|3.25
|-
|2
| -
|E Hya
|in the east claw
| -
|4.4
|-
|3
| -
|60 Hya
|at the edge of the wooden branch
| -
|5.8
|-
|4
| -
|57 Hya
|lowest in the east leg
| -
|5.75
|-
|5
| -
|56 Hya
|next to the lowest in the east leg
| -
|5.2
|-
|6
| -
|55 Hya
|the next one of these
| -
|5.5
|-
|7
| -
|m Hya
|the uppermost in the legs, where they join the body
| -
|5.05
|-
|8
| -
|4 Lib
|the uppermost in the west leg
| -
|5.7
|-
|9
| -
|HIP 72488
|the one above the west leg, surrounded by a group of faint ones (7 to 8 mag)
| -
|5.65
|-
|10
| -
|12 Lib
|the northern one of the two between the heart and the legs
| -
|5.25
|-
|11
| -
|14 Lib
|the southern one of the two between the heart and the legs
| -
|6.9
|-
|12
| -
|23 Lib
|the faint one east of the heart
| -
|6.45
|-
|13
| -
|HIP 74732
|chain of three equidistant in the upper spine: the easternmost
| -
|5.5
|-
|14
| -
|HIP 73927
|chain of three equidistant in the upper spine: middle one
| -
|6.1
|-
|15
| -
|HIP 73884
|the fainter one below the middle one
| -
|7.1
|-
|16
| -
|KX Lib
|chain of three equidistant in the upper spine: the westernmost
| -
|5.75
|-
|17
| -
|HIP 76106
|above the forehead
| -
|5.52
|-
|18
| -
|HIP 71816
|the three faint ones where the tail joins the body: uppermost
| -
|7
|-
|19
| -
|HIP 71295
|the three faint ones where the tail joins the body: middle
| -
|6.45
|-
|20
| -
|HIP 70961
|the three faint ones where the tail joins the body: lowest
| -
|7.05
|-
|21
| -
|HIP 70518
|where the wing meets the tail: upper
| -
|6.6
|-
|22
| -
|HIP 70261
|where the wing meets the tail: lower
| -
|6.75
|-
|23
| -
|236 Vir
|tip of the wing
| -
|5.85
|-
|24
| -
|HIP 69658
|tip of the wing
| -
|5.5
|-
|25
| -
|HIP 76569
|where the beak joins the head
| -
|5.8
|-
|26
| -
|HIP 72310
|the brighter one of the two faint in the middle of the body
| -
|6
|-
|27
| -
|HIP 72217 B
|the fainter one of the two faint in the middle of the body
| -
|7.3
|-
|28
| -
|k Hya
|western edge of the wooden branch
| -
|4.75
|-
|29
| -
|l Hya
|western claw of Solitaire
| -
|4.95
|-
|30
| -
|HIP 75939
|in the eye of the Solitaire
| -
|6.2
|}

==== Bright Stars within the Frame, not within the constellation area ====
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
!id
!Monnier's Label
!IAU design.
! colspan="2" |description
!IAU name
!Vmag
|-
|1
| -
|iota1 Lib
| colspan="2" |above the neck
| -
|4.5
|-
|2
| -
|iota2 Lib
| colspan="2" |above the neck
| -
|6.2
|-
|3
|kappa Vir
|kappa Lib
| colspan="2" |above the beak
| -
|4.75
|-
|4
| -
|41 Lib
| colspan="2" |above the head
| -
|5.55
|-
|5
| -
|10 Lib
| colspan="2" |above the rump
| -
|6.25
|-
|6
| -
|42 Lib
| colspan="2" |below the beak
| -
|4.95
|-
|7
| -
|36 Lib
| colspan="2" |edge of the frame
| -
|5.1
|-
|8
|e Vir
|ups Lib
| colspan="2" |edge of the frame
| -
|3.6
|-
|9
|delta [Lup]
|f Lup
| colspan="2" |in front of the wooden branch
| -
|4.35
|-
|10
|delta [Lup]
|l Lup
| colspan="2" |below of the wooden branch
| -
|4.9
|-
|11
| -
|50 Hya
| colspan="2" |east of pi Hya
| -
|5.05
|-
|12
| -
|pi Hya
| colspan="2" |tip of Hydra's tail
| -
|3.25
|-
|13
| -
|47 Hya
| colspan="2" |last(double) before the tail tip of Hya
| -
|5.2
|-
|14
| -
|48 Hya
| colspan="2" |last(double) before the tail tip of Hya
| -
|5.75
|-
|15
| -
|59 Hya
| colspan="2" |above the wooden branch
| -
|6.3
|-
|16
| -
|HIP 76143
| colspan="2" |in front of the chest
| -
|6.9
|-
|17
| -
|HIP 70469
| colspan="2" |the one west of the legs
| -
|5.3
|}

=== Species of Bird ===
The bird was native to the Rodrigues Island, east of Madagascar & east of Mauritius in the Southern Indian Ocean. It is considered a species of doves and pigeons although they were flightless and much taller (size of the swans). The Rodrigues Solitaire is considered an endemisms that derives from Madagascar pigeons, while the Dodo is considered an endemism of the same pigeon at another island (Mauritius). <gallery>
File:Pezophaps solitaria.png|The Rodrigues Solitaire (''Pezophaps solitaria'') was a flightless member of the pigeon order endemic to Rodrigues. It was a close relative of the Dodo. About One-Third Natural Size—from descriptions and drawings. Author <bdi>Frederick William Frohawk</bdi>  (1861–1946), wikicommons.
File:Leguat1891solitaire.jpg|Picture of a Solitaire (1708). From Leguat, François (1891), The voyage of François Leguat of Bresse, to Rodriguez, Mauritius, Java, and the Cape of Good Hope. 2 Volumes., Edited and annotated by S. Pasfield Oliver, London: Hakluyt Society. It is a facsimile of a figure from: Leguat, François (1708), Voyage et avantures de François Leguat & de ses compagnons en deux isles desertes des Indes Orientales. 2 Volumes., London: Mortier (1708).
File:Pezophaps solitaria - 2.jpg|Mounted skeletons of a male and female '''solitaires''' ''(Pezophaps solitaria)''. The specimens are from the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. photo: Emőke Dénes, wikicommons.
File:PSM V15 D032 Dodo and solitaire birds.jpg|Dodo and solitaire birds (unknown author 1879)
File:Extinct birds - an attempt to unite in one volume a short account of those birds which have become extinct in historical times - that is, within the last six or seven hundred years - to which are (14564153928).jpg
File:Ma - Raphus cucullatus skeleton 3.jpg|'''Dodo''' ''(Raphus cucullatus)'' skeleton at the Natural History Museum in London, England. Emőke Dénes (2011)
File:Didus cucullatus white background.jpg|''Didus cucullatus'' from Rothschild's Extinct birds (1907)
File:William Hodges – Dodo and Red Parakeet.jpg|''Dodo and Red Parakeet'', attributed to William Hodges (1773)
File:Solitaire+Dodo compared2human.jpg|Comparison of the size of the Rodrigues Solitaire and other species of pigeon with a human (by Narwhaler).
</gallery>

=== Emoji ===
The description reads: <blockquote>A brown or gray dodo shown in full profile. Generally depicted with a curved yellow beak, small wings, a fluffy white tail, yellow or orange feet, and black talons.

May be used to represent dodos or the concept of being extinct.

''Dodo'' was approved as part of Unicode 13.0 in 2020 and added to Emoji 13.0 in 2020.</blockquote>Unicode: U+1F9A2

==Transformations/ Variants==
<gallery>
File:LeMonnier1776 solitaire.jpeg|Pierre Le Monnier's "Constellation du Solitaire" in the History of the French Academy of Science publication (1776)
File:Solitaire bode1801.JPG|constellation "Turdus Solitarius" in Bode (1801)
File:Solitaire bode1801 highlight.jpg|Solitaire in Bode (1801) highlighted (CC BY WGSN).
File:Bode Turdus.jpg| Turdus Solitarius in Bode's Uranographia. This file is from Wikimedia Commons and may be used by other projects.
File:Stellarium+solitaire bode+labls+markers.gif|Animated GIF to identify the area of the constellation "Turdus Solitarius" in Bode (1801), modern star chart from Stelllarium, GIF by SMH 2024.
File:Stellarium-solitair Bode+Monnier.gif|animated GIF for the comparison of the "Solitaire" in Monnier (1776) and Bode (1801); modern star chart from Stellarium, GIF by SMH 2024.
</gallery>


==IAU Working Group Star Names==
==IAU Working Group Star Names==
The brightest star of historical "Turdus Solitarius" was Sigma Librae, mag. 3.2, named Brachium by WGSN. It was suggested in 2023 to try naming another of its stars, if we can identify them reliably. The French "Solitaire" is an obvious name to use. The biological relative from the neighboring island, the Dodo, is much more popular and even has an emoji. Perhaps we should use this name, too and commemorate extincted animals. Or maybe use a double star for both, Solitaire and Dodo?
The brightest star of historical "Turdus Solitarius" was Sigma Librae, mag. 3.2, named Brachium by WGSN. It was suggested in 2023 to try naming another of its stars, if we can identify them reliably. The French "Solitaire" is an obvious name to use. The biological relative from the neighboring island, the Dodo, is much more popular and even has an emoji. Perhaps we should use this name, too and commemorate extinct animals. Or maybe use a double star for both, Solitaire and Dodo?

Suggestions:

* E Hya (4.41 mag, [https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=E+Hya&submit=SIMBAD+search SIMBAD]) is the second brightest star in the constellation, and is within the area of the bird in both versions, but not drawn in Monnier's map
* m Hya (5.05 mag, [https://simbad.cds.unistra.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=m+Hya&NbIdent=1&Radius=2&Radius.unit=arcmin&submit=submit+id SIMBAD]), HIP 72197 = HR 5497, is "double or multiple".
** m Hya A has 5.46 mag - suggested name "Solitaire"
** m Hya B has 7.25 mag - suggested name "Dodo"
* HIP 75939 (6.2 mag, [https://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=HIP+75939&NbIdent=1&Radius=2&Radius.unit=arcmin&submit=submit+id SIMBAD]) "the one in the bird's eye".


The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 202x. The WGSN chose ... (not to apply/ to apply the name to a neighbouring star/ to ...) in the IAU-CSN.
The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 202x. The WGSN chose ... (not to apply/ to apply the name to a neighbouring star/ to ...) in the IAU-CSN.
Line 12: Line 410:
== Weblinks ==
== Weblinks ==


* Le Monnier's depiction of the Solitaire ([https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k35758/f654.item Gallica])
*
* Bode's depiction of the Solitaire ([https://www.e-rara.ch/zut/content/zoom/3341788 eRARA Zurich])
* [http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/lemonniersolitaire.html Ian Ridpath's "Star Tales", online edition]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vKWqLrdbTzo Video explaining the common ancestor of both, Solitaires and Dodos].
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQORb9WTko Video explaining reconstruction and taxonomy of the dodo]


== Reference ==
== Reference ==
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[[Category:Single star-asterism‏‎]]
[[Category:Single star-asterism‏‎]]
[[Category:Eurasia]]
[[Category:Eurasia]]
[[Category:East Asian]]
[[Category:European]]

Latest revision as of 18:55, 29 October 2024

original star chart with the first depiction of the Solitaire
Pierre Le Monnier's "Constellation du Solitaire" in the History of the French Academy of Science publication (1776)

This French term was used for the now-obsolete constellation Turdus Solitarius (= Solitaire = Noctua).

Etymology and History

The extinct constellations Turdus Solitarius and Noctua, which share some history and region of the sky, have brief summaries in Star Names - Their Lore and Meaning by Richard H. Allen (1899, pp. 418-419) and in Star Tales by Ian Ridpath (1988, p. 151) and have a dedicated chapter in The Lost Constellations by John C. Barentine (2015, ch. 29, pp. 449-464).

The classical constellation Hydra ends with the star Pi Hydrae. In early modern time, some astronomers extended the chain of stars towards Libra and even introduced yet another bird on its longer end (as traditionally, the Raven sits on the tail tip of Hydra). The constellation of "Solitaire" was first depicted in Pierre Charles Le Monnier's contribution to the Histoire de l'Académie royale des sciences ... avec les mémoires de mathématique & de physique... tirez des registres de cette Académie, from the French Academy of Science (Académie royale des sciences, Paris) 1776.

Animated GIF for the identifications of stars in the constellation of the "Solitaire" by Le Monnier (1776), modern star chart from Stellarium, GIF by SMH 2024.
photograph
Blue rock thrush, male, Spain (CC-BY Jose Maria Carretero Palacios from Jerez de los Caballeros, España), Spanish term: Roquero solitario.

Ian Ridpath elaborates that the engraver Yves-Marie Le Gouaz (1742–1816) accompanied Pierre Le Monnier's announcement of the new constellation and states:

Unfortunately the bird shown on the engraving is not the Rodrigues solitaire as Le Monnier had intended, but rather a blue rock thrush, known as the solitaire of the Philippines. Whether the error was due to Le Monnier or Le Gouaz is unknown.

Bode (1801) in his famous Uranographia takes over the idea of this additional bird but depicts it slightly differently. His label in Latin is "Turdus Solitarius" which is the scientific term for the Blue Rock Thrush, first described in Carl von Linné (Carl Linnaeus): Systema Naturae[1][2] (10th edition 1758).

Translations

In "Kenntniß zu Anleitung des Gestirnten Himmels" (in German), Bode 1805 refers to it as "der Vogel Einsiedler" - "the hermit bird". When talking about Le Monnier's original constellation, Jamieson (1822) refers to it as "L'Ermite Oiseau" - never referring to it as either Solitaire or Turdus Solitarius.

List of Identified Stars in Monnier's Map

Stars within the Constellation Area

id label IAU desig. description IAU name Vmag
1 gamma (Sco) sigma Lib in the heart/ chest Brachium 3.25
2 - E Hya in the east claw - 4.4
3 - 60 Hya at the edge of the wooden branch - 5.8
4 - 57 Hya lowest in the east leg - 5.75
5 - 56 Hya next to the lowest in the east leg - 5.2
6 - 55 Hya the next one of these - 5.5
7 - m Hya the uppermost in the legs, where they join the body - 5.05
8 - 4 Lib the uppermost in the west leg - 5.7
9 - HIP 72488 the one above the west leg, surrounded by a group of faint ones (7 to 8 mag) - 5.65
10 - 12 Lib the northern one of the two between the heart and the legs - 5.25
11 - 14 Lib the southern one of the two between the heart and the legs - 6.9
12 - 23 Lib the faint one east of the heart - 6.45
13 - HIP 74732 chain of three equidistant in the upper spine: the easternmost - 5.5
14 - HIP 73927 chain of three equidistant in the upper spine: middle one - 6.1
15 - HIP 73884 the fainter one below the middle one - 7.1
16 - KX Lib chain of three equidistant in the upper spine: the westernmost - 5.75
17 - HIP 76106 above the forehead - 5.52
18 - HIP 71816 the three faint ones where the tail joins the body: uppermost - 7
19 - HIP 71295 the three faint ones where the tail joins the body: middle - 6.45
20 - HIP 70961 the three faint ones where the tail joins the body: lowest - 7.05
21 - HIP 70518 where the wing meets the tail: upper - 6.6
22 - HIP 70261 where the wing meets the tail: lower - 6.75
23 - 236 Vir tip of the wing - 5.85
24 - HIP 69658 tip of the wing - 5.5
25 - HIP 76569 where the beak joins the head - 5.8
26 - HIP 72310 the brighter one of the two faint in the middle of the body - 6
27 - HIP 72217 B the fainter one of the two faint in the middle of the body - 7.3
28 - k Hya western edge of the wooden branch - 4.75
29 - l Hya western claw of Solitaire - 4.95
30 - HIP 75939 in the eye of the Solitaire - 6.2

Bright Stars within the Frame, not within the constellation area

id Monnier's Label IAU design. description IAU name Vmag
1 - iota1 Lib above the neck - 4.5
2 - iota2 Lib above the neck - 6.2
3 kappa Vir kappa Lib above the beak - 4.75
4 - 41 Lib above the head - 5.55
5 - 10 Lib above the rump - 6.25
6 - 42 Lib below the beak - 4.95
7 - 36 Lib edge of the frame - 5.1
8 e Vir ups Lib edge of the frame - 3.6
9 delta [Lup] f Lup in front of the wooden branch - 4.35
10 delta [Lup] l Lup below of the wooden branch - 4.9
11 - 50 Hya east of pi Hya - 5.05
12 - pi Hya tip of Hydra's tail - 3.25
13 - 47 Hya last(double) before the tail tip of Hya - 5.2
14 - 48 Hya last(double) before the tail tip of Hya - 5.75
15 - 59 Hya above the wooden branch - 6.3
16 - HIP 76143 in front of the chest - 6.9
17 - HIP 70469 the one west of the legs - 5.3

Species of Bird

The bird was native to the Rodrigues Island, east of Madagascar & east of Mauritius in the Southern Indian Ocean. It is considered a species of doves and pigeons although they were flightless and much taller (size of the swans). The Rodrigues Solitaire is considered an endemisms that derives from Madagascar pigeons, while the Dodo is considered an endemism of the same pigeon at another island (Mauritius).

Emoji

The description reads:

A brown or gray dodo shown in full profile. Generally depicted with a curved yellow beak, small wings, a fluffy white tail, yellow or orange feet, and black talons.

May be used to represent dodos or the concept of being extinct.

Dodo was approved as part of Unicode 13.0 in 2020 and added to Emoji 13.0 in 2020.

Unicode: U+1F9A2

Transformations/ Variants

IAU Working Group Star Names

The brightest star of historical "Turdus Solitarius" was Sigma Librae, mag. 3.2, named Brachium by WGSN. It was suggested in 2023 to try naming another of its stars, if we can identify them reliably. The French "Solitaire" is an obvious name to use. The biological relative from the neighboring island, the Dodo, is much more popular and even has an emoji. Perhaps we should use this name, too and commemorate extinct animals. Or maybe use a double star for both, Solitaire and Dodo?

Suggestions:

  • E Hya (4.41 mag, SIMBAD) is the second brightest star in the constellation, and is within the area of the bird in both versions, but not drawn in Monnier's map
  • m Hya (5.05 mag, SIMBAD), HIP 72197 = HR 5497, is "double or multiple".
    • m Hya A has 5.46 mag - suggested name "Solitaire"
    • m Hya B has 7.25 mag - suggested name "Dodo"
  • HIP 75939 (6.2 mag, SIMBAD) "the one in the bird's eye".

The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 202x. The WGSN chose ... (not to apply/ to apply the name to a neighbouring star/ to ...) in the IAU-CSN.

Weblinks

Reference

  1. Linné On Line - University of Uppsala, wayback-machine
  2. English translation of Linné's book by William Turton (1806): A General System of Nature,: Through the Three Grand Kingdoms of Animals, Vegetables, and Minerals, Systematically Divided Into Their Several Classes, Orders, Genera, Species, and Varieties. Lackington, Allen, and Company.