Naturalist John Hill Named Manis the Pangolin Constellation in 1754

Summary: English Naturalist John Hill named Manis the Pangolin constellation in his 1754 astronomical dictionary, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens.

John Hill's Manis the Pangolin constellation (lower left) inhabits the northern hemisphere's fourth quadrant (NQ4) and shares the quadrant with one other Hill-invented constellations, Gryphites the Shellfish (upper right): Ultima Thulean, CC BY SA 4.0 International, via Wikimedia Commons

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

"A conſtellation offered to the aſtronomical world," stated Hill (1714-Nov. 21, 1775) at the beginning of his dictionary entry on Manis as a repetition of the standard introductory phrase for each of his 14 additional invented constellations. He then completed the sentence with a brief description of the new constellation's celestial location: ". . . and compoſed of a ſeries of very conſpicuous unformed ſtars near the conſtellation Cepheus."

The particular stars patterned as one of the species in the Manis genus of pangolin, a mammal also known inaccurately as a scaly anteater or a scaly lizard, for Hill. "The creature, under the out-lines of whoſe figure theſe are arranged in this new-made conſtellation, is one of the moſt ſingular in the world. It is preſerved in ſome of the moſt curious muſeums, and has been mentioned by ſome of the later writers under the name of the ſcaly lizard, but it is not at all of the lizard kind, although it, in ſome degree, reſemble them in figure. The antients were unacquainted with it, and but few writers, who have ſpoken of it, have done this with any degree of accuracy."

Manis the Pangolin neighbors with Cassiopeia the Seated Queen, Cepheus the King, Cygnus the Swan and Lacerta the Lizard. "It is placed between Caſſiopeia, Cepheus, the Swan, and the Lizard. There is a great extent of the heavens left vacant between theſe, and all the conſiderable ſtars in that ſpace are comprehended in this conſtellation."

Cassiopeia's upper body lies near Manis. The Pangolin's head and extended tongue point toward the Seated Queen's right arm and palm branch-holding left arm, respectively. The figure's body is located between Lacerta the Lizard and the scepter held in Cepheus the King's left hand. The Pangolin's tail trails between the heads of Cepheus and the Lizard and nears Cygnus the Swan's tail.

The great expanse of the area in which Hill situated his new, extensive constellation allowed him to portray the unusually "usual" prone position assumed by Earth's pangolins. "The creature is repreſented in this conſtellation in its uſual poſition of ſquatting down upon the ground with its legs ſpread out, its tail a little bent, and its long tongue extended. It is in this manner that in the woods it watches for its prey; it is of the colour of withered leaves, and its ſcales ſomewhat of their ſhape, ſo that it is unobſerved, and its tongue is thruſt out that flies and ants may fix upon it, and it feeds on theſe by drawing it in again."

Manis the Pangolin's extensive spread encompasses a large number of stars, according to Hill's design. "The conſtellation is of conſiderable extent in the heavens, and comprehends a great many ſtars; ſome of theſe are very conſiderable, and were very ill counted before under the name of this, or that conſtellation."

John Hill's Manis the Pangolin constellation emerges from unformed stars in the space framed by Cassiopeia the Seated Queen, Cepheus the King, Cygnus the Swan and Lacerta the Lizard; John Hill, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens, vol. I (M.DCC.LIV [1754]), between first and second of three pages on "Celestial Circles": Public Domain, via Google Books Read for Free

Hill counted 21 "conſpicuous ſtars" in Manis the Pangolin constellation. Some of the "conſpicuous ſtars . . . are of very conſiderable magnitudes; they follow one another in a crooked ſeries, and are very happily comprehended within and upon the out-lines of this figure."

The head contains three stars. All are noticeable, with "a conſiderable one at the tip of the noſe, and another much larger at the eye; and there is a third alſo, a conſpicuous and beautiful ſtar, at the extremity of the tongue."

The fore feet each contain a star while five stars sequence along the length of the figure's back. Two large stars conspicuously mark each hind leg, with the left hind leg's star occurring "very near the head of the Lizard."

Nine stars define the tail. "At the beginning of the tail there is a ſmall ſtar on the left ſide, and a little lower, on the ſame ſide, there is another at a conſiderable diſtance." Below the left side's second tail star, two stars oppositely mark both sides, with their placement near Cepheus the King's right hand. Next "a ſingle and very conſpicuous ſtar . . . on the right ſide of the tail toward the end . . . is very near the little ſtar at the extremity of the tail of Cygnus." The remaining four of the Pangolin's 21 "conſpicuous ſtars" shape the end of the figure's tail, with the middle shaped by ". . . one . . . and beyond this . . . two near together." The last of the four tail stars anchors the tip as ". . . not an inconſiderable one, though "ſmaller than many of the others."

Six of Manis the Pangolin's 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 "Manis -- The Pangolin," posted on their Obliquity website. Andromeda the Chained Maiden contributes one star, Lambda Andromedae (λ Andromedae; abbreviated Lambda And, λ And). Three stars reside in Cygnus the Swan: Pi1 Cygni (π1 Cygni; abbreviated Pi1 Cyg, π1 Cyg), Pi2 Cyg (π2 Cyg), Rho Cyg (ρ Cyg). Lacerta the Lizard provides two stars: Alpha Lacertae (α Lacertae; abbreviated Alpha Lac, α Lac), Beta Lac (β Lac).

Manis resides in the northern hemisphere's fourth quadrant (NQ4). The celestial Pangolin shares the quadrant with another Hill-invented constellation, Gryphites the Shellfish.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has not recognized Manis the Pangolin as an official constellation. Its unofficial status places Manis the Pangolin in the category of an obsolete constellation, which also may be referenced synonymously as defunct, extinct, forgotten or former. Despite its unofficial status, Manis the Pangolin remains visible to those stargazers who examine the space between the IAU-recognized constellations of Cassiopeia the Seated Queen, Cepheus the King, Cygnus the Swan and Lacerta the Lizard.

Hill concluded his dictionary entry on Manis with an explanation of his purpose in devising new constellations. "This and twelve others are the conſtellations, added to thoſe already formed, in this work. There appeared a deficiency of ſome figure in thoſe places where they are ſituated, and theſe figures very happily fill them."

Hill expressed a balanced view on the reception of his newly devised constellations. "If they are accepted by thoſe who profeſs aſtronomy, I shall be glad to have added ſomething, be it ever ſo little, to the ſcience; if they are neglected, there is only a little trouble loſt."

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.

Image credits:

John Hill's Manis the Pangolin constellation (lower left) inhabits the northern hemisphere's fourth quadrant (NQ4) and shares the quadrant with one other Hill-invented constellations, Gryphites the Shellfish (upper right): 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 Manis the Pangolin constellation emerges from unformed stars in the space framed by Cassiopeia the Seated Queen, Cepheus the King, Cygnus the Swan and Lacerta the Lizard; John Hill, Urania, or, A Compleat View of the Heavens, vol. I (M.DCC.LIV [1754]), between first and second of three pages on "Celestial Circles": 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, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manis_Constellation.jpg

John Hill equated his Manis the Pangolin constellation with Earth's black naked snail, described as a frequenter of "gardens and damp places"; depiction of Manis the Pangolin, also known as the Scaly Lizard (top), in John Hill, An History of Animals (1752), Plate 26, opposite page 543: Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLibrary), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/50374598963/; Public Domain, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071787

For further information:

Forde, Tanya C. "Cygnus Constellation Guide -- The Graceful, Night-Sky Swan." Love the Night Sky > Astronomy.
Available @ https://lovethenightsky.com/cygnus-constellation-guide/

Harper, David; and L. (Lynne) M. Stockman. "Manis -- The Pangolin. Unofficial Abbreviation: Man. Genitive: Manis. Origin: John Hill." Obliquity > Sky Eye > The Constellations > Extinct Constellations.
Available @ https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/88const/Man.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. "Manis." 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/n310/mode/1upp

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Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56071776

Hill, John. "Quadrupeds Series 2: Manis: The Manis call'd the Scaly Lizard." Plate 26, opposite page 543. 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/56071787
Available via Flicker @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/50374598963/

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].
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Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lzigAAAAMAAJ/

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Marriner, Derdriu. "Naturalist John Hill Named Earthworm Constellation Lumbricus in 1754." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/11/naturalist-john-hill-named-earthworm.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Naturalist John Hill Named Shellfish Constellation Gryphites in 1754." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Sep. 13, 2013.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/09/naturalist-john-hill-named-shellfish.html

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

Marriner, Derdriu. "Naturalist John Hill Named Sea Horse Constellation Hippocampus in 1754." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Sep. 27, 2023.
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