CONSTELLATIONS

• Constellation


  A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified mythological figure
• con


  Group
• stella


  Stars
• Constellations


  • The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defined constellations as boundaries in the sky to aid determining locations of newly discovered astronomical objects
  • The more recognizable patterns of stars are known as asterism
• Big Dipper


  An example of an asterism that is in the constellation Ursa Major
• As of today, we have 88 constellations that astronomers studied and most of these stars are based on Greek groups and there are also 48 accredited constellations recorded in Ptolemy's almagest
• Ursa Major


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


  A constellation composed of seven stars that resembled a small spoon
• Constellations


  A group of stars that form a pattern in the sky
• Cool Facts about Constellations

  • There are 88 constellations
  • The constellations you see depend on your location, date, and time
  • Most have legends, myths, or stories behind them
• Planisphere or Star Wheel


  How to find constellations
• Earth's Rotation


  Why the stars appear to move in the night sky
• Polaris


  The North Star, because it is located close to the north celestial pole
• Circumpolar stars


  Stars that are around a celestial pole, forming recognizable patterns known as circumpolar constellations
• Northern circumpolar constellations

  • Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, and Draco
• Southern circumpolar constellations


  • Carina, Centaurus, and Crux
• All stars observed from the equator are not circumpolar for it appears to rise in the east and set in the west
• People living in the northern or southern hemisphere can observe constellation that are to the north or south of Earth while those in the equator can observe constellations depending on their distance to the equator
• As the Earth rotates around the sun the visibility of constellations changes throughout the year
• Because the telescope was not invented until the 17th century, many of the early constellations were named and coined after some of the brighter stars in the sky
• More modern constellations - which filled the spaces between these brighter constellations with dimmer, less vibrant stars - were named following the invention of the telescope
• Stars are constant in the sky, just more pronounced at night
• Due to the tilt of the Earth and in reference to the time of year, the constellations in the night sky – such as Orion the Hunter, the Big Dipper, and Polaris (the brightest star in the sky) - all change their relative positions
• This is observable with the change in seasons
• The night sky in the Northern Hemisphere looks very different than that of the Southern Hemisphere (below the equator)
• Cassiopeia


  The Queen, a constellation with the brightest star Schedar, best seen all year
• Cassiopeia: 'Cassiopeia was the queen of Ethiopia. She was so proud of her beauty and bragged about it. She offended the sea god Poseidon. He sent a sea monster to attack her kingdom and teach her some humility.'
• Cygnus


  The Swan, a constellation with the brightest star Deneb, best seen all year
• Cygnus: 'One day three hunters were hiking through the forest when they came upon a clear lake. The lake was home to many birds including a beautiful snow goose. One hunter shot his bow and the snow goose fell into the lake. As the sky darkened, the spirit of the snow goose formed a constellation in the sky.'
• Scorpius


  The Scorpion, a constellation with the brightest star Antares, best seen in summer
• Scorpius: 'To the ancient Greeks, the constellation Scorpius was the image of a scorpion. The constellation was related to the death of the giant hunter Orion. According to one story, Orion wanted to kill all the earth's wild animals, but the Earth goddess Gaia got angry because she made the animals. The goddess sent a scorpion to attack Orion. The scorpion stung Orion to death with its tail. As a reward, Gaia changed the insect into a constellation.'
• Orion


  The Hunter, a constellation with the brightest stars Rigel and Betelgeuse, best seen in winter
• Orion: 'Orion was a very good hunter, but also boastful. Gaia, the goddess of Earth, became fed up with Orion's boast so she sent a deadly scorpion to kill the hunter. The scorpion ended Orion's bragging. Both Orion and Scorpius were placed in the sky but to avoid any further battles, they are never in the sky at the same time. Orion is seen in the winter and Scorpius is seen in the summer
• Ursa Major


  The Big Bear, a constellation with the brightest stars Dubhe and Merak, best seen all year
• Ursa Minor


  The Little Bear, contains the Little Dipper and the North Star, Polaris, best seen all year
• Draco


  The Dragon, a constellation that fought Minerva during the wars between the giants and the gods
• The Earth orbits around the sun from west to east


  Makes the stars seem to rise in the east and set in the west
• The rotation of the Earth on its axis


  Causes the observed movement of the stars in the night sky
• The revolution of the Earth


  Allows the observer to see a certain part of the sky at different months of the year
• Constellations visible from late March to late June (Northern Spring/Southern Autumn)


  • Antlia
  • Bootes
  • Cancer
  • Canes Venatici
  • Centaurus
  • Corvus
  • Crux
  • Hydra
  • Leo
  • Lynx
  • Musca
  • Pyxis
  • Sextans
  • Ursa Major
  • Ursa Minor
  • Virgo