CONSTELLATIO

NS
Astronomy, 1A
By Baylee Atkinson

What are constellations?

Constellations are a group of stars that appear to
form a pattern or a picture.
They are a easily recognizable shape that help
people orient themselves at night time.
Help us to tell what stars are which.
They break the sky up into pieces
Constellations are memory aids of where stars are
and where other things are too
They are things that astronomers have made up
and given meanings and names to.

Where did constellations come

from?
It is said by some that farmers created
constellations in the beginning to tell
seasons to help them know when to plant
and harvest their crops.
Many ancient cultures have observed the
shapes of the stars and gave them names.
Many used constellations as signs for
things, or places to go.
They mostly came from ancient tribes and
people such as the Mayan, Greeks,
Romans, and Babylonians.

How are constellations

named?

Most of the constellations are named after

ancient Middle Eastern, Greek, and Roman
cultures.
Constellations are identified as gods, goddesses,
animals, and object of their stories.
Many constellations are used for ceremonial and
religious significances for these people.
It is also said they were created by farmers
needing to mark passage of time between their
planting and harvesting of crops.
Modern constellations were identified by later
astronomers.

Are all stars part of a constellation?

All stars fall in boundaries of the constellation
regions but not ALL stars are part of a
constellation

How are stars and other objects in the sky

named and located if theyre not part of a
constellation?

Stars visible to the unaided eye are given names in

ancient times.
Many of those stars have multiple names because
they have been observed by many different
cultures.
Now stars are named by their coordinates on the
celestial sphere.
There are many catalogs of stars, each with a
different scheme and position leaving each star with

Why do stars and constellations move?

As our Earth spins on its axis the stars appear to
move across our night sky from east to west.
Stars that make a full circle around a celestial
pole are called circumpolar stars, they do not
set and stay in the night sky.
All stars at the equator rise in the east and set in
the west.
Constellations shift gradually to the west because
of Earths orbit and the sun.

Are the stars in a constellation

next each other?
Each constellation is a collection of stars that are
distributed in space in three dimensions.
All of the stars are different distances from the
sun.
Some stars in a constellation may seem very
close to each other but in reality they are not
close at all.
Stars are different in size, distance from earth and
even temperature.
Dimmer stars could be smaller or bigger, farther
away or closer than you think a bright one may
be.

What does your Zodiac have to do

with constellations?
The Zodiacs are a group of constellations that fall
along the plane of the ecliptic where Earth orbits
the sun, and where the sun passes.
There are 12 astronomical zodiac constellations:
Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini,
Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius.
They are identified with birthdays and months of
the year determining which astrology sign you
are. This gives you a horoscope to read.

Additional Facts
There are 88 official constellations recognized
by the International Astronomical Union.
Some constellations are only visible in the
northern hemisphere while others are only
visible in the southern hemisphere.
A constellation family refers to a group of
constellations in the same area of the sky,
such as the Hercules family: containing 19
constellations.
Constellations sometimes determine what a
star is named.

More Additional Facts

There are actually 50 ancient
constellations and they are the brightest
groupings of stars.
In the summer people viewing stars are
looking in a different direction in space
than they are during the winter.
The Big dipper is not a constellation! It is
part of a Ursa Major, the Greater Bear.
An asterism is a recognized but not an
official group of stars.

References
http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/about-us/117-theuniverse/stars-and-star-clusters/constellations/37
5-what-are-constellations-used-for-intermediate
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/skytellers/const
ellations/about.shtml
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/ex
tra/constellations.html
http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/1720784.ht
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