Constellations

INTRODUCTION

What you will learn:

• What is a
constellation

• Names of
constellations

• Star brightness
and labels
 INTRODUCTION

Activity intro (info/notes/links/images/videos)

What you will need:

• Ancient sky map

• The brightest
Northern stars
 Constellations

Today, the entire celestial sphere is "officially" divided into 88 constellations with Latin names. These names are
used in star maps and atlases. Star maps and atlases generally use abbreviated Latin names for constellations,
but individual constellation stars are denoted by either the well-known star names (such as Sirius, Deneb,
Riegel) or the abbreviated constellation name and the Greek alphabet (for example alpha Cassiopeia – α Cas).
The letters of the Greek alphabet are assigned to the constellation stars according to their apparent brilliance.
The brightest star is "alpha", the next brightest "beta" and so on. In ancient times, star charts were used to
navigate the sea. Initially, the largest seafarers were Greeks and Arabs. That's why constellation names use Latin
words (mostly Greek pronouns), but the brightest stars, on the other hand, use Arabic names.
 And Cap Col Dra Lac Mus Psc Tau
Ant Car Com Eql Leo Nor Pup Tel
Aps Cas CrA Eri Lep Oct Pyx TrA
Abbreviations for
Constellation Aql Cen CrB For Lib Oph Ret Tri
Aqr Cep Crt Gem LMi Ori Scl Tuc
Ara Cet Cru Gru Lup Pav Sco UMa
Ari Cha Crv Her Lyn Peg Sct UMi
Aur Cir CVn Hor Lyr Per Ser Vel
Boo CMa Cyg Hya Men Phe Sex Vir
Cae CMi Del Hyi Mic Pic Sge Vol
Cam Cnc Dor Ind Mon PsA Sgr Vul

Detail description is given here:

https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/
Abreviation

Stars are divided into classes of brightness called star magnitudes. The most prominent is -
1, 0 and 1 magnitude stars. Stars up to magnitude 6 are visible to the naked eye. The
weakest brightness stars just visible to the naked- eye is the 6th magnitude. Lower
brightness stars are only visible with a telescope. The brightest star in the night sky is Sirius
which is a -1.5 magnitude star in the Canis Majoris constellation. On star maps the dots
represent stars. The bigger the dot, the brighter the star. Don’t remember that in the day
sky the Sun is the brightest star with the magnitude of -27.
Polar, summer
constellations

Summer constellations.
Polar region of the sky.
Autumn, winter
constellations.

Autumn constellations.

Winter constellations.
 Spring
constellations

Spring constellations
Sky map

Spring constellations
Cassiopeia
 Cassiopeia

The five brightest stars of constellation Cassiopeia (Cas)– Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon Cassiopeiae – form
the characteristic W-shaped asterism. All five are prominent naked-eye stars, three are noticeably variable, and a
fourth is a suspected low amplitude variable. The asterism is oriented as a W when below Polaris during northern
spring and summer nights. In northern winter, and when seen from southern latitudes, it is "above" Polaris (i.e. closer
to the zenith) and the W appears inverted.
The constellation is named after Cassiopeia, the queen of Aethiopia. Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus of
Aethiopia and the mother of Princess Andromeda. She was placed in the sky as punishment after enraging Poseidon
with the boast that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the sea nymphs. She was forced to wheel
around the North Celestial Pole on her throne, spending half of her time clinging to it so she does not fall off, and
Poseidon decreed that Andromeda should be bound to a rock as prey for the monster Cetus. Andromeda was
rescued by the hero Perseus, whom she later married.
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/interesting-facts-about-the-constellation-cassiopeia/

Cassiopeia
constellation
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/star-constellation-facts-cygnus/

Cygnus
constellation
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/leo-the-lion/

Leo constellation
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/step-4-interesting-facts-about-orion/

Orion constellation
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/exploring-the-constellation-pegasus/

Pegasus
constellation
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/taurus-the-bull/

Taurus
constellation
 Myth:
http://www.astronomytrek.com/step-6-interesting-facts-about-ursa-major-1/

Ursa Major
constellation