Star Constellations Around the World
The World is Our Thing The World is Our Thing
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 Published On Mar 9, 2021

Different cultures around the world divide up the night sky into different constellations, connecting the dots in different ways. Here's a look at how Orion appears in various traditions and different countries, and a comparison between the solar-centric Western system and lunar-focused systems in China and India.

Want to mention: The arrangement of the constellations and the overall asthetic of the star charts in this video is based on "The Stars" by H.A. Rey (who did the "Curious George" series with his wife Margaret) -- it's hands down the best star atlas I've ever seen, and even has a blurb endorsing it from Albert Einstein.

The different stories about Orion in different cultures comes from "The New Patterns in the Sky" by Julius Staal, which is mentioned in the video itself. An interesting read, and it comes with some great sketches of the constellations.

ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS:
I should have explained that the Shen Xiu general(s) are then in the winter sky in order to defend against the northern tribespeople (Xiongnu) mentioned in the video.

I apologize for how painful it is to listen to me pronounce Tamarereti.

The part about using the Western star map as a calendar says they would observe which constellation was setting right at sunset or just rising at dawn. The point being to see which constellation the sun was in, and keep track of the passing months that way.

Photos in this video include the works of:
BreakdownDiode
Sanu N
Pixabay
Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg
Frantisek Duris
Jaredd Craig
Ben Wicks
Johan Hagemeyer
Jakub Halun
Cosmic Timetraveler
AussieActive
Jimmy Baum
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Sidney Hall and Adam Cuerden
Bryan Goff
Danieliness
Daderot
Gary Todd
Josh Rangel
Samer Daboul
Dikshit Thakuria
SevenStorm
Tomas Anunziata
Yash Raut
ZQ Lee
Arturo Castaneyra
Rakesh Thanikachalam
@infinity
Tau'olunga
Kishorekumar 62
Anthony
Taylor R
Yann Allegre
Greg Rakozy

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