Constellation

What is a constellation?
Who discovered the
constellation?
Patterns of stars

http://www.astro.virginia.edu/class/oconnell/astr130/im/
ORION
CANIS
MAJOR
CYGNUS
LEO MAJOR
TAURUS
AQUILA
BOOTES
SCORPIO
CASSIOPEIA
Who discovered the
constellation?
A constellation is the name given by our
ancestors to special groups of stars.
Constellations are invented rather than
discovered.
Different cultures have made up different
constellations based on their
interpretations of the images they see in
the sky.
Constellation
• One of the 88 named Regions
of sky defined by the
International Astronomical
Union (IAU)
• Identified with the officially
recognized Patterns of Stars
that lie within the boundaries
of the region
What are the 88 Constellations?
o 14 men and women

o 9 birds

o 19 land animals

o 2 insects

o 10 water creatures

o 2 centaurs

o 1 head of hair

o 1 serpent

o 1 dragon

o 1 flying horse

o 1 river

o 29 inanimate objects, include scientific instruments (Microscopium, Telescopium)

Andromeda Antlia Apus Aquarius
Aquila Ara Aries Auriga
Boötes Caelum Camelopardalis Cancer
Canes Venatici Canis Major Canis Minor Capricornus
Carina Cassiopeia Centaurus Cepheus
Cetus Chamaeleon Circinus Columba
Coma Berenices Corona Australis Corona Borealis Corvus
Crater Crux Cygnus Delphinus
Dorado Draco Equuleus Eridanus
Fornax Gemini Grus Hercules
Horologium Hydra Hydrus Indus
Lacerta Leo Leo Minor Lepus
Libra Lupus Lynx Lyra
Mensa Microscopium Monoceros Musca
Norma Octans Ophiuchus Orion
Pavo Pegasus Perseus Phoenix
Pictor Pisces Piscis Austrinus Puppis
Pyxis Reticulum Sagitta Sagittarius
Scorpius Sculptor Scutum Serpens
Sextans Taurus Telescopium Triangulum
Triangulum Australe Tucana Ursa Major Ursa Minor
Vela Virgo Volans Vulpecula
 02/22/22
Asterism
•Agenerally recognized
smaller/cuter pattern of
stars that is not one of the
officially recognized
constellations
• Whether or not a region of
sky is named after it – yes:
constellation; no: asterism
18
What did the ancient people use
stars (patterns of stars) for?

• Navigation – sailing, travel

• Seasons – when to plant and
harvest
• Preserve myths, traditions, etc
• Group the brighter stars into
patterns, - constellations
What are Circumpolar
Constellations?
• Polaris is a star you may have heard of, more commonly called
the pole star.
Circumpolar Constellations
 Circumpolar
Constellations
Circumpolar Constellations
•A Constellation that NEVER rises or
sets as seen at a certain latitude
• Six circumpolar constellations seen
in Pasco (28º N, 82º W)
 Ursa Major – Larger Bear
 Ursa Minor – Smaller bear
 Cassiopeia – Queen
 Cepheus – King
 Draco – Dragon
 Camelopardalis – The Giraffe
 Circumpolar Constellations in Pasco
Ursa Major Ursa Minor Cassiopeia

Cepheus Draco Camelopardalis

•
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 Ursa Major

Ursa Major, the

Great Bear, is
visible in the
Northern
Hemisphere all
year long.
 Ursa Major
Circumpolar Constellation
Ursa Major
Ursa Major is probably the most famous constellation, with the
exception of Orion. Also known as the Great Bear, it has a
companion called Ursa Minor, or Little Bear. Everyone living in
the Northern Hemisphere has probably spotted the easily
recognized portion of this huge constellation. The body and tail of
the bear make up what is known as the Big Dipper.

Several different cultures saw a big bear in the sky. The ancient
Greeks had a few different stories to explain how the animal ended
up there. In one story, Hera discovered Zeus was having an affair
with Callisto and turned her into a bear. Zeus put her in the sky
along with her son, Arcas, who became the Little Bear.
 How to Find Polaris
First, you need to find the Big
Dipper. The Big Dipper is
not a constellation itself. It is
an asterism. An asterism is
a group of stars that are
part of another
constellation.
The Big Dipper is part of Ursa
Major (the Great Bear).
It is fairly easy to find in the The Big Dipper
sky.
 How to Find Polaris
The Big Dipper could be
facing any direction.

The Big Dipper

 How to Find Polaris

It could be going up and

down.
 How to Find Polaris

It could be leaning.
 How to Find Polaris

It could be upside down.

 How to Find Polaris
Which ever direction it is
facing, find the two end
stars in the cup of the
dipper.

The Big Dipper

 How to Find Polaris
Follow them away from
the Big Dipper
How to Find Polaris
The bright star across
from the cup of the Big
Dipper is Polaris.
 How to Find Polaris
Polaris is in the constellation Ursa Minor….or
commonly known as the Little Dipper.
How to find Pole Star
 Ursa Minor
Circumpolar Constellation
 Ursa Minor
• Ursa Minor, the Little
Bear, is visible in the
Northern Hemisphere
all year long.
• Ursa Minor is mostly
known for Polaris,
the North Star, which
may be found at the
end of the handle.
Ursa Minor
 Ursa Minor, also called the Little Dipper, is a
circumpolar constellation. This means it never sets in
the northern sky. The true figure represented by the
stars is the Little Bear.
 There are several mythological stories behind these
famous constellations. In Greek myth, Zeus was
having an affair with the lovely Callisto. When his
wife, Hera, found out she changed Callisto into a bear.
Zeus put the bear in the sky along with the Little Bear,
which is Callisto's son, Arcas.
 Cepheus
• The story behind it:
– Cepheus was the King of Ethiopia. He married Cassiopeia and they
had a daughter Andromeda. Cassiopeia was incredibly beautiful but
immensely vain. She was also proud of her daughter's beauty. In fact
she continually boasted that the two of them were more beautiful than
any of the fifty sea nymphs who attended Poseidon's court.
– These nymphs (the Nereids) complained to Poseidon, who felt he had
to defend his own reputation. So he sent a flood to devastate Cepheus'
kingdom. The oracles told Cepheus that in order to save his people he
must sacrifice his daughter to a great sea monster: Andromeda was
tied to a rock along the coastline, dressed only in her jewelry. The
monster would be along in due time to take his prize.
– At that moment Perseus came flying by. He had just killed the Gorgon
Medusa and was carrying the severed head back to Athene. To make a
long story short, he saved her then turned everyone into stone by
showing them the severed head.
– Poseidon then put the stone frozen Cepheus and Cassiopeia into the
heavens, but with a twist: he made the vain Cassiopeia spin around on
her chair, spending half the year upside down. As for Cepheus,
Poseidon gave him a number of medium sized stars that go to make
his square face with a pointed crown.
 Cepheus
Circumpolar Constellation
 Cassiopeia
Circumpolar Constellation
 Draco
• Draco, the Dragon,
used to hold special
significance as the
location of the pole
star, but due to the
Earth's precession,
the pole has shifted
to Polaris in Ursa
Minor.
Draco
 Draco the dragon, is only present in the Northern Hemisphere, so
those living in the Southern Hemisphere will never see this long
constellation.
 The easiest way to spot Draco is by finding his head. It consists of
four stars in a trapezoid, burning brightly just north of Hercules.
From there, the tail slithers through the sky, eventually ending
between the Big and Little Dippers. It can be difficult to trace
Draco in the night sky. From the head, follow the body north
towards Cepheus. It suddenly shifts south and west, ending up
between the two dippers. The end of the constellation is held by
Thuban, which was the pole star over 4,000 years ago.
•
Orion
Orion is the master of the winter skies. He lords over
the heavens from late fall to early spring, with his
hunting dog Sirius trailing at his feet.
• The story behind it: (Orion holding an animal)
– Orion was known as the "dweller of the mountain",
and was famous for his prowess both as a hunter and
as a lover. But when he boasted that he would
eventually rid the earth of all the wild animals, his
doom may have been sealed. The Earth Goddess
sent the deadly scorpion to Orion to kill him. Orion
engaged the scorpion in battle but quickly realized its
armor was impervious to any mortal's attack. Orion
then jumped into the sea and died. In his eternal
hunting, Orion is careful to keep well ahead of the
scorpion. Orion disappears over the horizon by the
time Scorpio rises in the east, as it becomes his turn
to rule the evening sky.
Orion Not a circumpolar constellation, but a seasonal constellation
Betelgeuse, the right arm of Orion (or "armpit" as the name suggests), glows with a
dull red.
Rigel, in the opposite corner of the constellation, is blue and much brighter.
 Ecliptic Constellations & Zodiac
Signs
• A band of 12 constellations around the sky
entered on the ecliptic (apparent path of
the sun on the earth as the earth revolves
around it).
• Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Taurus, Virgo,
Capricorn, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius,
Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.
Ecliptic Constellations
Hindu Calendar Rashi
Aquarius: The Water Bearer
In Greek mythology Aquarius was Ganymede, "cup-bearer to the
gods". Alpha Aquarii ("Sadalmelik") and beta Aquarii
("Sadalsuud") are twin supergiants with nearly identical names.
The names mean, respectively, "The Lucky One of the King" and
"The Luckiest of the Lucky". Gamma Aquarii shares in the good
fortune: "Sadachbia": "The Lucky Star of Hidden Things"
Incidentally, if the "Age of Aquarius" was celebrated in the 1960s,
the real event is still some 600 years off: at that time Aquarius will
contain the vernal equinox, marking the return of the Sun into the
northern celestial hemisphere.
Aquarius: The Water Bearer
Aries: the Ram
Aries, "The Ram", is an ancient constellation which was of
considerable importance since the sun passed through it at the
vernal equinox.
 This point has now moved into Pisces, but the vernal equinox is still
known as the First Point of Aries. In another six hundred years the
point will have moved into Aquarius.
The Ram in question may have been the one whose golden fleece
was the object of Jason's quest.
There is some reason to believe that the Greeks just took over a
much older horned animal at this time of the year; the horn being a
symbol for fecundity, renewal, and so on. As the Sun came into this
constellation, at the vernal equinox, the year itself was being
renewed.
Aries: the Ram
Cancer: The Crab
The name comes from the Latin; cancer means
crab. The crab in question is the one sent by
Hydra to attack Heracles. It was only a bit part,
but one which secured its immortality.
Cancer
Gemini The Twins
Gemini, the Twins, are really only half-brothers. They
share the same mother (Leda) but have different
fathers. Castor's father was a king of Sparta, Tyndareus
- who would be chased from his throne but later
rescued by Heracles (who nevertheless wound up
killing him). The father of Pollux was none other than
Zeus, or Jupiter. Zeus visited Leda on her wedding
night in the guise of a swan. Thus the twins would be
born. (In fact two twins came from this double union,
but let's not complicate the matter even more...)
Gemini
Leo: The Lion
The first on the list of Heracles' labors was the task of
killing the Nemean Lion, a giant beast that roamed the
hills and the streets of the Peloponnesian villages,
devouring whomever it met. The animal's skin was
impervious to iron, bronze, and stone. Heracles' arrows
harmlessly bounced off the lion; his sword bent in two;
his wooden club smashed to pieces. So Heracles
wrestled with the beast, finally choking it to death. He
then wrapped the lion's pelt about him; it would
protect him from the next labor: killing the poisonous
Hydra.
Leo
Libra: The Scales
Libra means "The Scales" or "Balance", so named because when
the zodiac was still in its infancy, some four thousand years ago,
the sun passed through this constellation at the autumnal equinox
(21 September). At the two equinoxes (Spring and Autumn) the
hours of daylight and darkness are equal. As a symbol for equality,
the constellation came to represent Justice in several middle
Eastern cultures. However, the Greeks had a different perspective;
at one time Scorpius, which lies just to the east, was much larger,
and the stars that make up Libra were then known as the Claws of
the Scorpion.
Libra
Pisces: The Fish
Pisces is an ancient constellation derived, some say, from the
story of the terrible Greek god Typhon.
(This is not the Chinese word for "big wind", which - in
English - is of course spelled "typhoon". The French,
however, spell this word "typhon", which adds to the
confusion. It is possible that the Chinese borrowed the
word from the Greek. The modern Greek equivalent is
spelled "tau upsilon phi omega nu" and means "cyclone".)
Pisces
Sagittarius
It was the Romans who named the constellation
Sagittarius ("sagitta" is Latin for `arrow'), although
several stars carry Arabic names which identify just
which portion of the constellation they represent.
Sagittarius has a muddled history. In ancient times the
asterism of three bright stars in a curved line was seen
as a bow to some, leading both Greek and Roman
writers to confuse the constellation with Centaurus.
Sagittarius
Scorpius: The Scorpion
As mentioned regarding Orion, Gaia may have sent the
scorpion to kill the mighty hunter, as he had vowed to
rid the earth of all wild animals. Or Apollo might have
told Gaia of Orion's boast, fearful that Orion had
designs on Apollo's sister Artemis. In any case it was
Gaia who sent the scorpion to kill Orion. Later the
animal would chase Orion across the heavens, but it
could never catch him, for the scorpion was so placed
that it would rise in the east only after Orion had
safely disappeared over the western horizon.
Scorpius
Taurus: The Bull
Is Taurus attacking Orion, the Hunter, or are the
Horns of the Bull the real story? The horn was a
symbol of fertility and bountiful riches in many
cultures for thousands of years, and it is
probably the case here, for the constellation
would have announced the Vernal Equinox at
around 4000 BC.
Taurus
Virgo: The Virgin
Virgo is the second largest constellation (after Hydra).
As a member of the Zodiac, Virgo has a number of
ancient myths and tales. The Sun passes through Virgo
in mid-September, and is therefore the constellation
that announces the harvest. Virgo is often represented
as a "maiden" (as its name indicates). In antiquity, she
may have been Isis, the Egyptian protectress of the
living and the dead and the principal mother goddess.
Virgo
 • Orion

•On the left: The Hunter - Orion

•In the middle: Name: The Bull - Taurus
•On the right: Name: The Greater Dog - Canis Major
• On the left: The Lion - Leo
• In the middle: The Herdsman - Böötes
• On the right: The Virgin - Virgo
• On the left: The Crab - Cancer
• In the middle: The Scorpion - Scorpio
• On the right: The Archer - Sagittarius
• On the left and in the middle: Andromeda
– The Andromeda constellation is famous for containing the
Andromeda Nebula, the closest galaxy to our Milky Way.
• On the right: The Fishes, Pisces