Like most other constellations, the wolf constellation takes its name from a Latin word: Lupus (Pronunciation: Loo-puss), which means wolf. This is the modern name for this constellation because it looks like a wolf, but centuries ago astronomers didn’t know exactly what kind of animal this constellation was. That’s why the ancient Greeks gave it the name “Therion”, while the Romans called it Bestia, both names meaning “beast”. Both cultures first thought that Centaur, a nearby constellation, offered this animal as a sacrifice to Ara, the altar.
The ancient Hebrews and Arabs also recognized this constellation and gave it the names “Asedah” and “Asedaton”, which means “to be killed”. In the ancient carved Zodiac of Denderah, the constellation of Lupus is depicted as a small child with its finger on its lips and is called Sura.
hello Tom, I live in nz and have enjoyed observing the stars all my life, and the constellation scorpio and lupus for the past ten years, the wolf is actually scorpio and lupus is the centaur spearing the wolf, which is actually a wolf pup, this opens up a whole new understanding of the constellations as most astronomers have got their constellations and the ancient lore mixed up a little. I hope your in the southern hemisphere and can see that tonite? also I noticed a flashing star in lupus could that be the remnants of the supernova? thank you for your website you’ve helped me figure out what ive been looking at for ten years, the journey continues, cheers!
Hi Nicholas, thank you for your comment! I’m currently based in the UK so I’m not able to see Lupus from here but my family and I are planning a holiday in the south whenever it’s safe to travel again. I plan on taking pictures with my DSLR camera and update this article. I appreciate your input and wish you all the best on your stargazing journey! Cheers!
I didn’t know that such a little-known constellation had such a history.
It’s a shame I can not see this constellation from where I live. Wolves are my favourite animals!
What was Lupus Used for?
I had never heard of this constellation before
What is the travel time with current technology to this system??? Trying to figure out how many generations of our species this would take…
This has been super helpful, thank you