English Naturalist John Hill Named Eel Constellation Anguilla in 1754

Summary: English naturalist John Hill named Anguilla the Eel constellation in his 1754 astronomical dictionary, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens.

John Hill's Anguilla the Eel constellation (center left) inhabits the southern celestial hemisphere's fourth quadrant (SQ4), in the neighborhood of Aquarius the Water Bearer, Aquila the Eagle, Capricornus the Sea Goat, Delphinus the Dolphin, Equuleus the Little Horse, Sagittarius the Archer and Serpens Cauda the Serpent's Tale, and shares the quadrant with two other Hill-invented constellations, Dentalium the Tooth Shell (left lower-center) and Pinna Marina the Mussel (upper left): Ultima Thulean, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

Eighteenth-century English apothecary, naturalist and writer John Hill introduced Anguilla the Eel constellation in his astronomical dictionary, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens, published in 1754.

"A conſtellation now firſt offered to the aſtronomical world," explained Hill (1714-Nov. 21, 1775) with an epithet that, with the removal of "firſt," he repeated uniformly to introduce each of his 14 additional invented constellations. He standardly completed the introductory phrase with a brief description of the new constellation's locational composition. Accordingly, he summed: ". . . and compriſing a number of unformed ſtars, ſome of them very conſpicuous, over the heads of Capricorn and Sagittary."

The starry pattern from which Anguilla emerges reminiscently captures eely locomotion, which entails a flexible series of sinuous, body-length waves. "The figure is that of the common eel in that convoluted ſtate in which it is uſually ſeen when in motion. But the contortions of the body are not many nor violent, ſo they make it very happily compriſe the ſtars."

Seven constellations populate Anguilla's neighborhood, according to Hill's design. Four constellations exude comfortable neighborship. "The conſtellations, between and among which the Anguilla is placed, are the Equuleus, the Dolphin, the Eagle, and the Serpent of Ophiucus. Theſe are above and before it."

Three constellations, however, interpret as disparate confoundments. "And it ſeems running from Aquarius, and over the heads of Capricorn and Sagittary," Hill suspected.

Hill tallied Anguilla's "conſpicuous ſtars" at "thirty-ſeven, and ſeveral of them are very large and bright ones." The stars have congenial placements that "in general . . . mark the figure, and make it very diſtinguiſhable in its whole courſe." Indeed, Hill esteemed Anguilla as "an aſteriſm of conſiderable extent, and, in proportion to the ſpace that it occupies in the heavens, is not ill furniſhed with ſtars."

John Hill equated his Anguilla the Eel constellation with Earth's common eel and praised the compatibility between the constellation's starry pattern and its subject; depictions of two eely species, The Eel and The Conger or Sea Eel, in John Hill, An History of Animals (1752), Plate 14, opposite page 258: Public Domain, via Biodiversity Heritage Library; Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr

Hill detailed the distribution of 20 of Anguilla's formative stars. Six stars define the head. "They are diſpoſed in the following manner; there is one at the tip of the ſnout, or verge of the mouth of the Eel, and, at ſome diſtance behind this, there are two at the ſides of the upper part of the head, which ſtand as eyes; theſe three are all very bright and conſpicuous; that at the mouth is the largeſt of them."

The first bend in the eely body presents three stars, "all near the outlines, two are near the upper, and one at the centre of the bend at the under: this is a large ſtar, as is alſo the firſt of the others; the more remote is ſmaller, and, when nicely examined, is found to be a double ſtar, or compoſed of two leſſer ones."

Beyond, four stars cluster. One outlines the bend while "the other three are at a little diſtance behind and above this; they fall in nearly a ſtrait line from the upper out-line; the two upper ſmall, the lower is a very large and bright ſtar."

Seven stars lie further beyond. The lower out-line holds "one little ſtar," separated from three small stars that form an oblique line in the body. Beyond, a set of small stars appears as "more diſtant from one another, and in a more oblique line." The middle star of this trio is "a very large and bright one."

Beyond, two stars occupy the upper out-line. One is small and the other is large. In the distance, two stars reside in the body.

Two stars mark the eely body's next bend. A large star stands in the bend's lower outline "and a much larger in the upper out-line."

Beyond, eight stars accentuate the Eel's sinuosity. Three that are positioned near the lower out-line are succeeded by five more shapers. Three of the five divide as "two near the lower and one near the upper; then two more both near the lower." Then the last two of the eight stars, both of which are small, reside at "the extremity of the tail."

The favorable configuration of Anguilla the Eel distinguishes the constellation, as assessed by its creator. "Thus is the courſe of this conſtellation diſtinctly marked from near the body of the Serpent, where the hand of Ophiucus has hold of it, to the ſhoulder of Aquarius, and all the way in a diſtinct manner."

Ten of Anguilla's 37 stars are identified by David Harper, once an astronomer specializing in celestial mechanics and positional astronomy but now a genome researcher, and his wife, astronomer L. (Lynne) M. Stockman, in "Anguilla: The Eel," posted on their Obliquity website. Five constellations contribute the 10 stars. Aquarius the Water Bearer provides HD 204121. Aquila the Eagle shares 66 Aquilae (abbreviated 66 Aql). Equuleus the Little Horse contributes one star: Epsilon Equulei (ε Equulei; abbreviated Epsilon Equ, ε Equ). Delphinus the Dolphin yields two stars, Epsilon Delphini (ε Delphini; abbreviated Epsilon Del, ε Del) and Kappa Del (κ Del). Scutum the Shield supplies four stars: Alpha Scuti (α Scuti; abbreviated Alpha Sct, α Sct), formerly designated as 1 Aquilae for its original participation in the Aquila constellation; Epsilon Scuti (ε Scuti; abbreviated Epsilon Sct, ε Sct); Delta Sct (δ Sct); and HD 174464.

Anguilla occupies the southern celestial hemisphere's fourth quadrant (SQ4). The celestial eel shares the quadrant with two other Hill-invented constellations, Dentalium the Tooth Shell and Pinna Marina the Mussel.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has not accorded official constellatory status to Anguila the Eel. As such, Anguilla remains as an obsolete constellation that may be described as defunct, extinct, forgotten or former. Despite its lack of official status, however, Anguilla continues to exist for those skygazers wishing for an eely constellation.

"Sir John Hill With A View of the Royal Palace in Kew Gardens," colored engraving by Italian architect and engraver Giovanni Vendramini (1769-Feb. 8, 1839), published Nov. 1, 1799, English physician, botanical writer and publisher Robert John Thornton (1768–1837), after painting by English painter and pastellist Francis Cotes (May 20, 1726-July 16, 1770); owned by The Government Art Collection,UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and displayed at British Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

John Hill's Anguilla the Eel constellation (center left) inhabits the southern celestial hemisphere's fourth quadrant (SQ4), in the neighborhood of Aquarius the Water Bearer, Aquila the Eagle, Capricornus the Sea Goat, Delphinus the Dolphin, Equuleus the Little Horse, Sagittarius the Archer and Serpens Cauda the Serpent's Tale, and shares the quadrant with two other Hill-invented constellations, Dentalium the Tooth Shell (left lower-center) and Pinna Marina the Mussel (upper left): Ultima Thulean, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_Hemisphere_Hill's_Constellations.png

John Hill equated his Anguilla the Eel constellation with Earth's common eel and praised the compatibility between the constellation's starry pattern and its subject; depictions of two eely species, The Eel and The Conger or Sea Eel, in John Hill, An History of Animals (1752), Plate 14, opposite page 258: Public Domain, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071478; Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/50374596918/

"Sir John Hill With A View of the Royal Palace in Kew Gardens," colored engraving by Italian architect and engraver Giovanni Vendramini (1769-Feb. 8, 1839), published Nov. 1, 1799, English physician, botanical writer and publisher Robert John Thornton (1768–1837), after painting by English painter and pastellist Francis Cotes (May 20, 1726-July 16, 1770); owned by The Government Art Collection,UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and displayed at British Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SirJohnHill.jpg; via Government Art Collection @ https://artcollection.culture.gov.uk/artwork/12994/

For further information:

Barker, George Fisher Russell. "Hill, John (1716?-1775)." Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, vol. 26: 397-401.
Available via Wikisource @ https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Hill,_John_(1716%3F-1775)

Government Art Collection. "Sir John Hill (1714-1775) physician, actor, writer and botanist." Government Art Collection > Artworks.
Available @ https://artcollection.culture.gov.uk/artwork/12994/

Harper, David; and L. (Lynne) M. Stockman. "Anguilla -- The Eel. Unofficial Abbreviation: Ang. Genitive: Anguillae. Origin: John Hill." Obliquity > Sky Eye > The Constellations > Extinct Constellations.
Available @ https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/88const/Ang.html

Hill, John. "Anguilla, the Eel." Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens, Containing the Antient and Modern Astronomy, in Form of a Dictionary. London: T. Gardner, M.DCC.LIV [1754].
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/lzigAAAAMAAJ?hl=en
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lzigAAAAMAAJ/page/n31/mode/1up

Hill, John. "Fishes Series the 3d." Plate 14, opposite page 258. An History of Animals: Containing Descriptions of the Birds, Beasts, Fishes, and Insects, of the Several Parts of the World; and Including Accounts of the Several Classes of Animalcules, Visible Only by the Assistance of Microscopes. London: Printed for Thomas Osborne, in Gray's-Inn, M.DCCLII [1752].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071478
Available via Flicker @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/50374596918/

Hill, John. "Muraena." Pages 236-238. An History of Animals: Containing Descriptions of the Birds, Beasts, Fishes, and Insects, of the Several Parts of the World; and Including Accounts of the Several Classes of Animalcules, Visible Only by the Assistance of Microscopes. London: Printed for Thomas Osborne, in Gray's-Inn, M.DCCLII [1752].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071455

Hill, John. "Ophidion." Pages 238-239. An History of Animals: Containing Descriptions of the Birds, Beasts, Fishes, and Insects, of the Several Parts of the World; and Including Accounts of the Several Classes of Animalcules, Visible Only by the Assistance of Microscopes. London: Printed for Thomas Osborne, in Gray's-Inn, M.DCCLII [1752].
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071457

Hill, John. Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens, Containing the Antient and Modern Astronomy, in Form of a Dictionary. London: T. Gardner, M.DCC.LIV [1754].
Available via Google Books @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/lzigAAAAMAAJ?hl=en
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lzigAAAAMAAJ/

Marriner, Derdriu. "English Naturalist John Hill Introduced 15 Constellations in 1754." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/english-naturalist-john-hill-introduced.html

Sassarini, Iacopo. "Aldulfin -- ε Delphini (epsilon Delphini)." The Sky Live > Constellations > Delphinus.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/aldulfin-epsilon-delphini-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "α Scuti (alpha Scuti)." The Sky Live > Constellations > Scutum.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/alpha-scuti-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "δ Scuti (delta Scuti)." The Sky Live > Constellations > Scutum.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/delta-scuti-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "ε Equulei (epsilon Equulei)." The Sky Live > Constellations > Eguuleus.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/12-librae-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "ε Scuti (epsilon Scuti)." The Sky Live > Constellations > Scutum.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/epsilon-scuti-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "κ Delphini (kappa Delphini)." The Sky Live > Constellations > Delphinus.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/kappa-delphini-star