English Naturalist John Hill Named Slug Constellation Limax in 1754

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

John Hill's Limax the Slug constellation (upper right) inhabits the southern hemisphere's first quadrant (SQ1) and shares the quadrant with two other Hill-invented constellations, Hippocampus the Sea Horse (center right) and Testudo the Tortoise (lower left): Ultima Thulean, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

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

"A conſtellation offered to the aſtronomical world," began the dictionary entry by Hill (1714-Nov. 21, 1775) in conformance with his standard introduction for each of his 14 additional invented constellations. He then formulaically added a brief description of the new constellation's celestial location: ". . . and compoſed of certain conſpicuous unformed ſtars near the foot of Orion, and under the Eridanus.""

The specified stars arranged themselves as one of the species of land slugs in the Limax (Latin: līmāx, "slug"; from Ancient Greek λεῖμαξ, leîmax, "limax, slug") genus for Hill. "The creature, under whoſe out-line they are arranged, is the black naked ſnail, which is frequent in gardens and damp places, and is deſcribed by all the naturaliſts," Hill considered."

Limax's celestial representation favors the Slug's head and tail, with less definition for in-betweens. "The ſtars are diſpoſed principally toward the head, and toward the lower part of the body, the middle is leſs characteriſed by them."

Limax the Slug neighbors with Orion the Hunter, Lepus the Hare and Eridanus the River. Limax's head associates with the River's edge and with the Hunter's foot. The Slug's body nears Lepus the Hare's head and fore feet. Limax's tail lies at a distance from another part of Eridanus the River. "The conſtellation Limax ſtands between Orion, the Hare, and the Eridanus. Its head comes up toward the edge of the river, at ſome diſtance from the foot of Orion, and its body falls at ſome diſtance before the head and fore feet of the Hare. The tail points at another part of the Eridanus after its firſt bend; but this is at a very conſiderable diſtance."

Limax the Slug sizes as a small constellation, both in extent and in starry components. Yet, Hill's new constellation does not lack visibility. "It is a conſtellation of ſmall extent, and contains only a few ſtars; but ſome of theſe are very conſiderable and bright ones."

John Hill's Limax the Slug constellation emerges from unformed stars in the space framed by Orion the Hunter's foot, Eridanus the River's edge and Lepus the Hare's head and fore feet; John Hill, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens (1754), between second and third of three pages on "Cetus, the Whale": Public Domain, via Google Books Read for Free

Hill tallied nine "conſpicuous ſtars" in Limax the Slug constellation. The constellation's six large stars occur as a spaced set of two, a solitary and a cluster of three to define, respectively, the Slug's head, upper body and tail. Two small stars are positioned near the second large star that marks the lower part of the head. A third small star, which demarcates the lower body, nears the first of the large, bright trio anchoring the Slug's tail.

Five of Limax's nine 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 "Limax -- The Slug," posted on their Obliquity website. The quintet belongs to Eridanus the River: 47 Eridani (abbreviated 47 Eri), 53 Eri, 54 Eri, 58 Eri and 60 Eri."

Limax inhabits the southern hemisphere's first quadrant (SQ1). The celestial black naked snail (Arion ater L.; formerly Limax ater) shares the quadrant with two other Hill-invented constellations, Hippocampus the Sea Horse and Testudo the Tortoise."

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has not granted official constellation status to Limax the Slug. Accordingly, Limax categorizes as an obsolete constellation that also may be designated synonymously as defunct, extinct, forgotten or former. Despite its lack of official status, Limax the Slug offers visibility to those stargazers who search for it among its surround of three IAU-recognized constellations, Eridanus the River, Lepus the Hare and Orion the Hunter.

John Hill equated his Limax the Slug constellation with Earth's black naked snail, described as a frequenter of "gardens and damp places"; depictions of Amber Snail (top row), Black Naked Snail (second row left) and Red Naked Snail (second row right) as examples of three snail species, in John Hill, An History of Animals (1752), Plate 5, opposite page 91: Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

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

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

John Hill's Limax the Slug constellation (upper right) inhabits the southern hemisphere's first quadrant (SQ1) and shares the quadrant with two other Hill-invented constellations, Hippocampus the Sea Horse (center right) and Testudo the Tortoise (lower 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's Limax the Slug constellation emerges from unformed stars in the space framed by Orion the Hunter's foot, Eridanus the River's edge and Lepus the Hare's head and fore feet; John Hill, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens (1754), between second and third of three pages on "Cetus, the Whale": Public Domain, via Google Books Read for Free @ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Urania_or_a_compleat_view_of_the_Heavens/n_ReAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1; Ultima Thulean, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limax_Constellation.jpg

John Hill equated his Limax the Slug constellation with Earth's black naked snail, described as a frequenter of "gardens and damp places"; depictions of Amber Snail (top row), Black Naked Snail (second row left) and Red Naked Snail (second row right) as examples of three snail species, in John Hill, An History of Animals (1752), Plate 5, opposite page 91: Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/50374595193/; Public Domain, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071293

For further information:

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

Hill, John. 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/56071277

Hill, John. "Limax, the naked Snail." 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/n294/mode/1up

Hill, John. "Limax." Pages 87-88. 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/56071288

Hill, John. "Naked Insects: Snails: The Amber Snail, The Black Naked Snail, the Red Naked Snail." Plate 5, opposite page 91. 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/56071293
Available via Flicker @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/50374595193/

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/

Kaler, James B. (Jim). "54 ERI (54 Eridani).” University of Illinois Astronomy Department > Star of the Week.
Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/54eri.html

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Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/naturalist-john-hill-named-tooth-shell.html

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Sassarini, Iacopo. "47 Eridani." The Sky Live > Constellations > Eridanus.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/47-eridani-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "54 Eridani." The Sky Live > Constellations > Eridanus.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/54-eridani-star

Sassarini, Iacopo. "58 Eridani." The Sky Live > Constellations > Eridanus.
Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/58-eridani-star

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Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/60-eridani-star

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Available @ https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/sceptrum-53-eridani-star