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Constellations

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Constellations

 

"Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, and make me at home in the starry heavens, which are always overhead, and which I don't half know to this day?"
- Thomas Carlyle

Constellations Guide Us Through the Heavens

For thousands of years, stargazers have seen shapes formed by the stars in the night sky. These shapes serve as guideposts for astronomers as they navigate their way across the night sky in search of celestial objects.  Star patterns such as the hunter Orion and the winged horse Pegasus are commonly called constellations, but the term constellation in modern astronomy actually refers to a particular region of the sky. The star figures first noticed in antiquity lie within these regions.

Some constellations hold other identifiable shapes formed by stars, called asterisms. For example, seven bright stars within the constellation Ursa Major form what may be the most renowned asterism that many call the Big Dipper.  In 1930, astronomers divided the sky into 88 constellations, giving each a Latin name. 

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

Constellation Translation RA Dec Named Stars Messier Objects
Andromeda

and.gif (2077 bytes)

Daughter of Casseopeia 1 h 40o

Alpheratz
(Sirrah)

M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy (spiral galaxy)
Mirach
M32 - Satellite galaxy of Andromeda (elliptical galaxy)
Almaak
M110 - Satellite galaxy of Andromeda (elliptical galaxy)
Adhil
Antlia ant.gif (1661 bytes) The Air Pump 10 h -32o Sadalmelik  
Apus aps.gif (1546 bytes) The Bird of Paradise 16 h -75o Sadalsuud  
Aquarius aqr.gif (1879 bytes) The Water Bearer 23 h -15o Sadalachbia M2 - (globular cluster)
Albali
M72 - (globular cluster)
Ancha
M73 - (asterism of 4 stars)
Situla
Aquila aql.gif (1972 bytes) The Eagle 20 h 5o Altair  
Alshain
Tarazed
Deneb el Okab
Altair along with Deneb and Vega form the Summer Triangle
Ara ara.gif (1768 bytes) The Altar 17 h -55o    
Aries

ari.gif (1618 bytes)

The Ram 3 h 20o Hamal!--mstheme-->  
Sharatan
Mesarthim
Botein
Auriga aur.gif (2064 bytes) The Charioteer 6 h 40o Capella M36 - (open cluster)
Menkalinan
Al Anz M37 - (open cluster)
Haedi
Hoedus II M38 - (open cluster)
Hassaleh