Coma Berenices

photograph of the Coma star cluster. This file is from Wikimedia Commons and may be used by other projects. Open cluster Melotte 111, or Coma Star Cluster. http://sternwarte-kempten.de/

One of the 88 IAU constellations. The ancient "Greek" constellation originates from Egypt. It has been invented by Konon, the royal astronomer of king Ptolemy III and it was named after his wife, Queen Berenice II Euergetis as reported by Eratosthenes. However, the asterism always used to have names in other cultures. In this area of the sky close the pole of the ecliptic, there are not many bright stars, but a clearly recognizable star cluster of triangular shape (the visual appearance is an isosceles triangle).

Names of the Star Cluster in other cultures

1. Aldafirah (Arabic - translation from Greek)
2. Awarhakoya (Locono People, South America)
3. Fatana-lua (..., Tonga/ Polynesia)
4. Hulbatalasad (Arabic Indigenous)
5. Itua ni Bure (..., Gilbert Is./ Micronesia)
6. Kinallaub (Kankanaey People, Philippines)
7. Langwei (郎位) (Chinese)
8. Phyllonkissinou (Ancient Greek)
9. Sissinnu (Akkadian/Babylonian)
10. Te Yiku-o-te-kiole (Pukapuka, Cook Islands/ Polynesia)

Images from different cultures

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  Spirit of the Awarra Palm: constellation of the Lokono People in South America. Screenshot from Stellarium (2024), sky culture produced by Konrad Rybka.

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  Sissinu: the branch/ frond/ spadix of the date palm in Babylonian astronomy

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  Babylonian Goddess Erua with a frond and a spadix of a date palm (drawn in a map by Papke 1987).

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  asterism of the Ivy Leaf as described in Ptolemy's Almagest (Stellarium 2024)

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  The Tassel (Arabic Indigenous constellation) of the Lion, screenshot from Stellarium (by Khalid al-Ajaji)

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  Chinese constellation Langwei (reconstructed by Boshun Yang)

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)