The constellations reckoned by Ptolemy contained altogether 1,026 stars, whose relative positions were determined by Hipparchus; with reference to which accomplishment Pliny says, "Hipparchus, with a height of audacity too great even for a god, has ventured to transmit to posterity the number of the stars!" Ptolemy's catalogue contains:-- For the northern constellations 361 stars For the zodiacal 350 " For the southern 318 " or ----- For all the 48 constellations 1,029 " or, since 3 of these are named twice 1,026 " Of course this number is not to be supposed to represent the whole of the stars visible even to the naked eye; there are twice as many in the Northern hemisphere alone, while there are about 5,000 in the whole sky. The number visible in a telescope completely dwarfs this, so that more than 300,000 are now catalogued; while the number visible in a large telescope may be reckoned at not less than 77 millions. The principal northern constellations named by Ptolemy are contained in the following list, with the stars of the first magnitude that occur in each:-- The Great Bear, or David's Chariot, near the centre. The Little Bear, with the Pole Star at the end of the tail. The Dragon. Cepheus, situated to the right of the Pole. The Herdsman, or the Keeper of the Bear, with the star Arcturus. The Northern Crown to the right. Hercules, or the Man who Kneels. The Lyre, or Falling Vulture, with the beautiful star Vega. The Swan, or Bird, or Cross. Cassiopeia, or the Chair, or the Throne. Perseus. The Carter, or the Charioteer, with Capella Ophiuchus, or Serpentarius, or Esculapius. The Serpent. The Bow and Arrow, or the Dart. The Eagle, or the Flying Vulture, with Altair. The Dolphin. The Little Horse, or the Bust of the Horse. Pegasus, or the Winged Horse, or the Great Cross. Andromeda, or the Woman with the Girdle. The Northern Triangle, or the Delta. The fifteen constellations on the south of the ecliptic were:-- The Whale. Orion, with the beautiful stars Rigel and Betelgeuse. The River Endanus, or the River Orion, with the brilliant Achernar. The Hare. The Great Dog, with the magnificent Sirius. The Little Dog, or the Dog which runs before, with Procyon. The ship Argo, with its fine Alpha (Canopus) and Eta. The Female Hydra, or the Water Snake. The Cup, or the Urn, or the Vase. The Raven. The Altar, or the Perfuming Pot. The Centaur, whose star Alpha is the nearest to the earth. The Wolf, or the Centaur's Lance, or the Panther, or the Beast. The Southern Crown, or the Wand of Mercury, or Uraniscus. The Southern Fish, with Fomalhaut.