Talk:Cancer (constellation)

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[edit] Is this a scientific or an astrological article?

I don't understand why in an astrinomical article there should be this bullshit about its astrological meaning! Since when did astrology become a science?

In modern English, Cancer is always associated with the crab, but I'm not sure that this is true of the ancients. Many European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, and probably others) use a picture of a lobster or crayfish for the astrological sign Cancer, and Linnaeus, when first naming crabs, lobsters, crayfish and so on, called them all Cancer, with crabs being "short-tailed Cancer" and lobsters being "long-tailed Cancer". Can anyone comment on the true meaning of the Greek or Latin word cancer - whether it was really exclusively crabs? The constellation doesn't look like a crab anyway, so mightn't it be a lobster? Stemonitis 10:15, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I've just had another look at the constellation picture, and it is much more like a lobster than a crab. Picture it this way: the line from ι Cancri, through γ Cancri, to δ Cancri is the main body of the lobster, with ι Cancri being the tail end. The lines from δ Cancri to α Cancri and β Cancri are then the two claws. They're a bit asymmetrical, but so what (also, lobsters often have asymmetrical claws, albeit not by so much). Stemonitis 10:27, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Named Stars

Why is Zeta Cancri not included in Notable Features? It has a proper name (Tegmeni).

[edit] Symbology

HI... Why are the symbols the ones from Stargate-SG1? I think it's not wise to mix history and fiction... (But dont' know how to edit)

I've removed it. Thanks. --BorgQueen 08:39, 21 January 2006 (UTC)