SkyEye

The Cat

Joseph Jérôme de Lalande (1732–1807) was a French astronomer, perhaps best known for his work in planetary theory. He proposed several constellations, none of which survive to this day. It is said that Lalande loved cats and thought that they were under-represented in the heavens, so he introduced Felis who crouches just below Hydra. However, apparently other astronomers and cartographers were not cat fanciers and the constellation soon vanished from the charts. The cat proved to have nine lives, however, and its name now graces the star HD 85951.