Astronomical References which involve Arthropods

Constellation References

 
   Musca (Australis) the Southern Fly

   Musca Borealis (the northern fly), Vespa (the wasp), Apis (the bee)
   obsolete constellations in what is now Aries the Ram (Staal p. 246,248)

   Cancer the Crab
   legend linking the crab, Hercules and the Hydra (Staal p. 145)
   in ancient Egypt, this constellation was Scarabaeus, the Scarab Beetle (Staal p. 145)

   Scorpius the Scorpion
   legend linking with Orion (Staal p. 219)

   Sagittarius the Archer
   legend linking with Scorpius (Staal p. 212)
   in some representations, body has scorpion/insect features incorporated (Krupp p. 137)

Astronomical Objects / Terms

   Praesepe, or the Beehive Cluster, in the constellation of Cancer the Crab

   Crab Nebula in the constellation of Taurus the Bull

   Tarantula Nebula in Large Magellanic Cloud

   cocoon stars

   spider silk was used for crosshairs in optical instruments including telescopes
   early makers apparently used radial threads from orb webs
   later, finer threads were obtained directly off the spinnerets  
   (ref - Spider Superstitions and Folklore by W.S. Briscowe
          Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences vol 36, 53, 1945) 

   spider/spider mount as the holder of the secondary mirror in reflecting telescopes

   facetted mirror design of adaptive optics and new technology telescopes has a honeycomb pattern

Legends / Folklore

   Spider Woman creation stories of Native Americans of Southwest

   scarab beetle as symbol for Kephra in Egyptian religion
      symbolism of rolling of dung and rolling sun across sky
      symbolism of being reborn every day

Miscellaneous

   the astronomer Lalande was apparently fond of eating spiders
   (ref - Latreille as quoted in Spider Superstitions and Folklore by W.S. Briscowe
          Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences vol 36, 53, 1945) 

   Nacza Spider figure

   Harlow Shapley was an amateur myrmecologist (i.e. someone who studies ants).
	He was the one who found the winged California harvesters as he walked to and 
        from an observatory.
	Preliminary Report on pterergates in Pogonomyrmex californicus
           Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 6 (12) pg 687-90, 1920
	Notes on pterergates in the California harvester ant 
           Psyche 27 (4) pg 72-74, 1920
   (ref - The World of the Harvester Ants by S.W. Taber, c 1998, Texas A & M Univ. Press

Related (not arthropods)

   New Guinea Indians - how the stars (illustrated as starfish) got into space

Cultural Entomology (Insects) anyone?

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