Constellations

• Constellation


  Recognizable pattern of stars in the night sky
• Constellations observed in the northern and southern hemisphere

  • Cassiopeia
  • Leo
  • Orion
  • Ursa Major
  • Ursa Minor
• Constellations


  • Originally named from the names of known persons or animals resembled
• Constellations may be only visible during certain seasons


  Because the Earth orbits around the sun
• Not all constellations are visible in the sky throughout the year
• People located in the northern hemisphere


  Will not see the same constellations as those in the southern hemisphere
• Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper, contains Polaris (the North Star).
• The stars appear to rotate in the sky near the poles
• Orion is one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky.
• Ursa Major


  Also called great bear and is one of the largest constellations
• Important constellations


  • Ursa Major
  • Ursa Minor
  • Orion
• Stars differ in brightness, size, and color
• Star color


  Indicates the approximate surface temperature of the star
• The closest star to Earth is the Sun
• Stars appear to move in the sky because the Earth is rotating on its axis
• Early people used constellations to navigate the sea, locate other stars, and keep track of the calendar
• At the equator, stars seem to rise in the east and seem to set in the west due to Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun
• Zodiac signs


  • 1.
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4.
  • 5.
• Zodiac signs


  • Animals or objects associated with them
• Aquarius


  Zodiac sign represented by water, covering dates from January 21 to February 19
• Gemini


  Zodiac sign known as 'The Twins'
• A person can see approximately 3,000 stars on average
• Colors of stars


  • Blue
  • Orange
  • Red
  • White
  • Yellow
• Star color


  Indicates approximate surface temperature
• Apparent magnitude


  Brightness of stars as observed from Earth
• Absolute magnitude


  Brightness of stars at a standard distance of 10 parsecs or 32.6 light-years from Earth
• Constellation


  Patterns in the sky formed by stars
• The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined constellations as boundaries in the sky to aid determining locations of newly discovered astronomical objects
• Asterism


  More recognizable patterns of stars
• There are 88 constellations that astronomers have studied, most of which are based on Greek groups, and 48 accredited constellations recorded in Ptolemy's Almagest
• Ursa Major


  • Easily recognizable constellation in the night sky that looks like a large spoon, composed of seven bright stars
• Ursa Minor


  • Constellation composed of seven stars that resembled a small spoon
• Stars are distant celestial bodies from Earth, and the Sun is the nearest star
• Earth's rotation on its axis

  Stars appear to move across the night sky from east to west, and the sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west
• Polaris


  The North Star, located close to the north celestial pole
• All stars observed from the equator are not circumpolar, as they appear to rise in the east and set in the west
• People living in the northern or southern hemisphere can observe constellations that are to the north or south of Earth, while those in the equator can observe constellations depending on their distance to the equator
• Earth's rotation around the sun

  Visibility of constellations changes throughout the year
• In ancient times, people believed that constellations have practical uses such as relating their God's message of love, care, blessing, and anger on the different positions of stars in the sky
• Constellations helped in navigation and aided sailors to travel across the oceans by finding the Polaris or North star and estimating its height to figure out the north and south latitude