The name Ursa Major

means ‘The Great Bear’,

or the ‘The Larger Bear’
in Latin. The smaller bear
is represented by Ursa
Minor. It is the largest
northern constellation and
the third largest
constellation in the sky.

Scorpius constellation lies

in the southern sky, it
represents the scorpion.
Scorpius is one of
the zodiac constellations,
first catalogued by the
Greek astronomer
Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
The constellation is easy to
find in the sky because it is
located near the centre of
the Milky Way. Scorpius is
Cassiopeia constellation is
located in the northern sky.
It was named after
Cassiopeia, the vain and
boastful queen in Greek
mythology. The
constellation was first
catalogued by the Greek
astronomer Ptolemy in the
2nd century. Cassiopeia is
the 25th largest
constellation in the night

Canis Major is a
constellation in the
southern sky. Its name
means ‘The Greater
Dog’.Orion
The smaller dog is is
constellation
represented by the
one of the brightest and
neighboring
best known
constellation Canis
constellations in the
Minor. Both
night sky. It lies on the
constellations were first
celestial equator. Orion
has been
catalogued by known
Ptolemy since
in
ancient
the 2nd times.
century. The
Canis
Majorconstellation is also
is the 43rd biggest
known as the Hunter,
as it is associated with
one in Greek
mythology. Orion is the
Lyra constellation
lies in the northern
sky. It represents
the lyre, a musical
instrument with
strings used in
antiquity and later
times. Lyra is a
small constellation,
52nd in size.
Capricornus
constellation is located
in the southern sky. Its
name means ‘The Goat’
in Latin. Capricornus is
the 40th biggest
constellation in the sky.

Cygnus is a prominent
constellation in the
northern sky. Its name
means ‘The Swan’ in
Latin, and it is also
known as the Swan
constellation. Cygnus is
the 16th largest
constellation in the
night sky.
Taurus constellation lies
in the northern sky. Its
name means ‘Bull’ in
Latin. Taurus
constellation lies in the
northern sky. Taurus is the
17th largest constellation
in the sky.
 Delphinus
constellation is
located in the
northern sky. It is
one of the smallest
constellations. Its
name means ‘The
Dolphin’ in Latin.
Delphinus is the
69th constellation
in size.

CONSTELLATIONS
Constellation: A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is
traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a
mythological figure.
The International Astronomical Union recognizes 88 constellations
covering the entire northern and southern sky.

Uses for Constellations 

Constellations are useful because they can help people to recognize stars
in the sky. By looking for patterns, the stars and locations can be much
easier to spot. 

The constellations had uses in ancient times. They were used to help
keep track of the calendar. This was very important so that people knew
when to plant and harvest crops. 

Another important use for constellations was navigation. By finding

Ursa Minor it is fairly easy to spot the North Star (Polaris). Using the
height of the North Star in the sky, navigators could figure out their
latitude helping ships to travel across the oceans. 

Interesting Facts about Constellations

 The largest constellation by area is Hydra which is 3.16% of the

sky.
 The smallest is Crux which only takes up 0.17 percent of the sky.
 Small patterns of stars within a constellation are called asterisms.
These include the Big Dipper and Little Dipper.
 The word "constellation" comes from a Latin term meaning "set
with stars."
 Twenty two different constellation names start with the letter "C."