Auriga There are seven major constellations that are often associated with the winter months: Orion, Canis Major, Taurus, Perseus, Eridanus, Gemini, and Cetus, and we will mainly focus on Orion and Gemini. To put things into context, Deneb is roughly 200 times larger than our sun and 200,000 times much brighter. Scorpius Join us as we examine everything there is to know about our constellations, the stars that form them, and plenty of other interesting facts. The same constellations are best seen from late December to late March in locations south of the equator due to the Earth’s revolution. 250 light-years away from earth, 6 times larger than our sun and 8 times heavier. The Southern Cross, formed by five stars, is commonly used in navigation to find the true south. Canis Minor In general, there are four major constellations to observe in this category. Also called Delta Sagittarii, the third brightest star within the constellation with a 2.72 magnitude. Orion Cassiopeia You can try to identify the Big Dipper first before attempting to locate Andromeda. It is the brightest star in Andromeda (and also actually the brightest in Pegasus). Or, Beta Orionis. A constellation is a grouping of stars that represents one of the 88 divisions of the celestial sphere as defined by the International Astronomical Union. A four-star system around 80 light-years away from earth, Regulus A is the brightest of four, along with three dimmer stars. Libra Also known as Alpha Boötis, located about 37 light-years away, and the third brightest star of the entire sky with the apparent magnitude of -0.04. Facts About the Sun. For example, if a constellation is listed as best viewed in the summer, in the southern hemisphere the constellation would be best viewed in the winter and would be upside-down. Pictor The Big Dipper, for example, is an asterism and Ursa Major is the constellation where the Big Dipper is located within. Boötes is a popular constellation in pop culture and astronomy due to its Kite asterism, which is one of the most well-known shapes in the sky. As promised, below is our getting started with Stellarium video. Hercules Spica, or Alpha Virginis is the brightest star in Virgo with an apparent magnitude of 0.97. For southern latitudes, flip the season listed. Pegasus We can also find the Leo Triplet, consisting of Messier 65, Messier 66 and NGC 3628. Andromeda contains the famous deep-space object Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) and Le Gentil (Messier 32), the dwarf elliptical galaxies among many other interesting objects. Also known as Zeta Pegasi, a blue main-sequence star located around 200 light-years from Earth. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? A whopping 3,300 times brighter than our sun, and is located 228 light-years away from the Earth.
Alpheratz is actually a part of the Andromeda constellation, but it also formed the Great Square of Pegasus asterism, so it’s often considered as a connecting star. Sagittarius, the "archer," represents the largest constellation in the Southern Hemisphere and the 15th largest constellation overall. You can observe the eastern sky, and you’ll likely notice Vega, the brightest star in the triangle.
Between Propus and the Tejat Posterior, we can find the Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443, Sharpless 248), a supernova remnant. There was a problem. Saiph is a blue supergiant that is 16 times heavier than our Sun and 22 times larger in diameter, located around 650 light-years from Earth. Virgo’s brightest star, Spica, is fairly easy to locate. It is located 1,500 to 2,000 light-years away from Earth. The best time to observe Sagittarius is from June through August, and especially in August around 9 PM. 36 of them are located in the northern hemisphere, while the remaining 52 are located in the southern hemisphere. The Andromeda Galaxy is 8 degrees northwest of Mirach, and the Triangulum can be found around 7 degrees southwest of Mirach. Rigel is the sixth brightest star in the sky. A red supergiant that is located around 643 light-years away from Earth. Also known as Zeta Leonis, Adhafera is a white-yellow giant star around 270 light-years from Earth. Just above the line between Auva to Zavijava is Messier 61, which can be seen 8 degrees to the northwest of Porrima, Gamma Virginis. Those living in the northern hemisphere can observe Cygnus around June and July around 10 PM if you look to the northeastern sky. Or, Epsilon Virginis, is Virgo’s third brightest star, 102 light-years away from our solar system with a visual magnitude of 2.826. Gienah or Epsilon Cygni is an orange giant star around 170 light-years away from Earth, around two times heavier than the sun and 11 times larger.
Triangulum Australe As the Earth makes its revolution around the sun, constellations move slowly over the course of a year. Since our Earth is spinning on its axis, we can see different constellations as stars appear to move across the celestial sphere from east to west from our point of view. Any constellations found north of the celestial equator, in the northern celestial hemisphere can be called “northern constellations”.
New York, Around two-thirds of the way from Betelgeuse to Meissa, you can find the planetary nebula NGC 2022. Or, Zeta Sagittarii, a two-star (binary) star system, both are white giants orbiting around each other every 21 years. Regulus A is around 4 times larger and heavier than the sun. © Still, they are still useful so we can properly recognize stars in the sky and determining the position of the celestial sphere by looking for patterns of the constellations.
Lacerta, Microscopium The name Cygnus translates into “swan” in Greek, which obviously originates from the asterism located in the constellation, which looks like a swan. There are six polar constellations near the Polaris (the North Star): Out of these six, only Camelopardalis is not circumpolar. Between Regulus and Denebola (Beta Leonis), we can find Messier 96, Messier 95, and Messier 105 (known as Messier 96 Group or Leo 1). Since Boötes contains many very bright stars and binary stars, Boötes is fairly easy to spot by following the handle of the Big Dipper just to the south. Enif or Epsilon Pegasi is the brightest star in Pegasus, an orange-bright supergiant with a visual magnitude of 2.399. Puppis Scutum Try observing toward the north-west around 8 or 9 pm in September or earlier just before dawn in the north-east in October and November. Leo is the home of Regulus and Denebola, two bright stars and a number of famous deep-sky objects including Messier 65, Messier 66, Messier 95, Messier 96, and NGC 3628. Kaus Borealis, or Lambda Sagittarii is an orange sub-giant around 80 light-years away from the Earth, around 11 times larger than the sun. Andromeda is located just between the Great Square of Pegasus (discussed above) and the W asterism of Cassiopeia constellation. The Earth makes its annual orbit around the sun (the yearly revolution), which allows us to observe different constellations in the night sky. A highly recognizable constellation because the Dipper stars of the Big Dipper point to Leo. Star constellations are important because astronomers and observers can recognize the position of a certain star in the night sky. All images were captured using free open-source planetarium astronomy software known as Stellarium. Crux is the smallest constellation in our celestial sphere but is relatively easy to identify because it contains the Southern Cross asterism. They appear as the middle star of Orion’s Sword, forming a triangle with Saiph and Rigel. Thank you for signing up to Space. It has a visual magnitude of 0.03, making it the second brightest star in the northern hemisphere. The second brightest star in Gemini also named Alpha Geminorum. 143 light-years away from the Earth, and is the base of the centaur archer’s bow. Alpheratz is officially called Alpha Andromedae, and is officially the brightest star in Andromeda with 2.07 visual magnitude. Astronomy, Telescopes, Binoculars, and Tech-Reviews. You can use the Big Dipper as a guide. Volans, Apus Orion is located in the southwestern skies if you are in the northern hemisphere. Vega is the brightest star in the Lyra constellation, located around 25 light-years away from Earth. Cepheus Grus Mensa Rigel is associated with several nearby deep-space objects, the most notable one is IC 2118, the Witch Head Nebula, located around 2.5 degrees to the northwest of Rigel in the Eridanus constellation. The constellation is known for the asterism Great Square of Pegasus, and a number of bright stars and deep space objects including the Einstein Cross.
Begin by looking for the three bright stars that form the straight line of the hunter's belt. Aquila
Pisces, the "fishes," is the 14th largest constellation but its stars are relatively faint. Canes Venatici Camelopard, or Camelopardalis (the Giraffe). Antlia Although Gemini is positioned in the northern hemisphere, the zodiac constellation lies along the ecliptic so observers in much of the southern hemisphere can also observe it just as well. Lepus
Constellations, throughout history, have been used to map out the night sky so we can recognize specific stars in the sky for navigation purposes.
Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!
The formal definition of a constellation is a specific regions of the celestial sphere with official boundaries defined by the IAU (International Astronomical Union). The most famous of the summer northern constellations is arguably the Summer Triangle, which contains three bright stars: Antlia in Aquila, Deneb in Cygnus, and Vega in Lyra. IAU constellations are areas of the sky. Join us as we examine everything there is to know about our constellations, the stars that form them, and plenty of other interesting facts. When Orion reaches its highest point for the night, it should appear upside down. In stargazing, we will often use these circumpolar constellations to find other constellations. This is one of the two points in the sky (the other being in the constellation Pisces) where the celestial equator intersects with the ecliptic. Between the weather changes and everyone's schedule, getting outside at the perfect time isn't always possible.
Gemini’s brightest start with apparent magnitude of 1.14. Please refresh the page and try again. Aquarius Orion’s third brightest star, also known as Gamma Orionis. Phoenix Visit our corporate site. Eta Boötis, the third brightest star in the constellation with a visual magnitude of 2.68, 27 light-years away from the sun. Known as Alpha Sagittarii, a blue main-sequence star that is twice hotter than our sun. If you are stargazing from the North Pole, then these constellations would be spinning directly overhead in an anti-clockwise direction around the Polaris. We’ve done some comprehensive reviews on the site that will, not only educate you on astro-gear, but also recommend some top performers in various price categories. Gemini, as we know, is a zodiac constellation. Leo is best seen in April, around 9 PM with the right ascension of 11 hours and declination of 15 degrees.
Feel free to check out these articles below: We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. While it is true that there are constellations that are based on these asterisms, not all constellations contain asterisms within them. Scorpius, the "scorpion," stands out as one of the brightest constellations in the sky with a distinctive shape, and for this reason has intrigued people for centuries.