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This is the Tranquillusionist, in which I, Helen Zaltzman, give your brain a break by temporarily supplanting your interior monologue with words that don't make you feel feelings. Note: this is NOT a normal episode of the Allusionist, where you might learn something about language and your brain might be stimulated. The Tranquillusionist's purpose is to soothe your brain and for you to learn very little, except for something about Zeus's attitude to bad drivers.
Today: constellations that got demoted into ex-constellations. Featuring airborne pregnancy, cats of the skies, and one of the 18th century's most unpopular multi-hyphenates.
EXTRA MATERIALS:
Find all the other Tranquillusionists at theallusionist.org/tranquillusionist, on themes including champion dogs, Australia's big things, gay animals and more.
Otherlusionists that are space-themed: Craters, Technobabble, Uranus (including the story of William Herschel ‘discovering’ the planet).
The International Astronomical Union’s official guide to official constellations. “All constellations are a matter of perspective. They are simply our Earth-based interpretation of two-dimensional star patterns on the celestial sphere, composed of stars of various different brightnesses and at widely differing distances from Earth.”
The Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte headed up the defining of constellation boundaries.
“One governing principle was that all variable stars with an established designation would remain in that constellation, as requested by the IAU’s Variable Stars committee. Delporte ended the practice of shared stars, deciding that Andromeda should retain her head (and hence the horse would lose its navel), and that Taurus should retain the tip of its horn while Auriga sacrificed his foot.”
How John Hill named the Dentalium the Tooth Shell constellation.
Read the whole of John Hill’s astronomy book if you like.
The Hilliad, the decisive victory in the Paper War.
Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community; together we are watching the new seasons of Great British Bake Off and Taskmaster.
YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
ventifact, noun, geology:
a stone shaped by the erosive action of wind-blown sand.
Origin 20th century, from Latin ventus 'wind' + fact, facere, ‘make’.
CREDITS:
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
The original music was composed by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, TikTok @allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… Essentially: if I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow.
Back in two weeks with a new episode with other people in it, not just me, how exciting - HZ.
Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:
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