The network signature of constellation line figures
Doina Bucur

TL;DR
This study analyzes 1802 constellation line figures from 56 cultures worldwide, revealing patterns, similarities, and diversity in their design features and cultural associations.
Contribution
It introduces a comprehensive network-based analysis of constellation line figures across cultures, uncovering universal patterns and cultural differences in their design.
Findings
Distinct types of line figures identified
Widespread similarities in folk constellations despite cultural differences
High diversity of constellation designs across most sky regions
Abstract
In traditional astronomies across the world, groups of stars in the night sky were linked into constellations -- symbolic representations rich in meaning and with practical roles. In some sky cultures, constellations are represented as line (or connect-the-dot) figures, which are spatial networks drawn over the fixed background of stars. We analyse 1802 line figures from 56 sky cultures spanning all continents, in terms of their network, spatial, and brightness features, and ask what associations exist between these visual features and culture type or sky region. First, an embedded map of constellations is learnt, to show clusters of line figures. We then form the network of constellations (as linked by their similarity), to study how similar cultures are by computing their assortativity (or homophily) over the network. Finally, we measure the diversity (or entropy) index for the set of…
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Taxonomy
TopicsHistorical Astronomy and Related Studies · Categorization, perception, and language · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories
MethodsALIGN
