1long Ago, pEoplE lookED up in thE sky AnD notiCED groups oF stArs thAt lookED likE piCturEs. thEsE pAttErns oF stArs, ConstEllAtions, hAvE BEEn pArt oF humAn CulturE For thousAnDs oF yEArs.AnCiEnt syriAns AnDBAByloniAns nAmED mAny ConstEllAtions AnD CrEAtED storiEs ABout thEm. thE grEEks AnD romAns lAtEr ADoptED thEsE ConstEllAtions AnD trAnslAtED thEir nAmEs AnD storiEs into thEir own lAnguAgE.AFtEr thE DEClinE oF thEsE AnCiEnt CulturEs, most knowlEDgE oF ConstEllAtions rEmAinED hiDDEn in privAtE liBrAriEs.BEginning in thE Eighth CEntury, sCholArs rEDisCovErED this knowlEDgE. thE stuDy oF Astronomy sprEAD quiCkly throughout thE mEDitErrAnEAn worlD, BEComing pArt oF univErsity stuDy.AstronomErs iDEntiFiED mAny ConstEllAtions only A FEw CEnturiEs Ago. whEn wEstErn AstronomErs stArtED trAvEling to southAFriCA in thE sEvEntEEnth CEntury, thEy FounD numErous BrilliAnt stArs in thE southErn sky. thEy nAmED somE oF thEsE southErn ConstEllAtions AFtEr thE sCiEntiFiC invEntions oF thE timE, suCh As thE miCrosCopE AnD thEAir pump.
2toDAy’s AstronomErs viEw ConstEllAtions simply As ArEAs oF thE sky whErE intErEsting oBjECts AwAit oBsErvAtion AnD stuDy. thE EntirE sky is DiviDED into 88 suCh rEgions. in thE 1920s, thE intErnAtionAlAstronomiCAl union EstABlishED thE BounDAriEs oF thEsE rEgions. in EACh rEgion, AstronomErs givE grEEk lEttErs to A ConstEllAtion’s BrightEr stArs, usuAlly in orDEr oF BrightnEss. hEnCE, thE "AlphA stAr" is thE BrightEst stAr oF thAt ConstEllAtion. sCiEntists AnD orDinAry pEoplE still rEFEr to mAny ConstEllAtions By thEir populAr nAmEs, For ExAmplE, thE lion, thE huntEr, AnD thE grEAtBEAr.
it CAn BE inFErrED From pArAgrAph 1 thAt thE AnCiEnt grEEks AnD romAns
A、wErE thE First pEoplE to notiCE pAttErns oF stArs in thE sky
B、Built univErsitiEs All ovEr thE mEDitErrAnEAn rEgion
C．hiD knowlEDgE oF ConstEllAtions in privAtE liBrAriEs
D．ACquirED knowlEDgE oF ConstEllAtions From EArliEr CulturEs