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Constellation Guide
The International Astronomical Union recognizes 88 constellations covering the entire northern and southern
sky. Here is a selection of the most familiar and easily seen constellations in the northern sky.

Constellation Guide

(/astro-guide/aquarius)

Aquarius (/astro-guide/aquarius)

(/astro-guide/aquila-eagle-0)

Aquila, the Eagle (/astro-guide/aquila-eagle-0)

(/astro-guide/aries-ram-0)

Aries, the Ram (/astro-guide/aries-ram-0)

 (/astro-guide/auriga-charioteer-0)

Auriga, the Charioteer (/astro-guide/auriga-charioteer-0)

(/astro-guide/bo%C3%B6tes-herdsman-0)

Boötes, the Herdsman (/astro-guide/bo%C3%B6tes-herdsman-0)

(/astro-guide/cancer-crab-0)

Cancer, the Crab (/astro-guide/cancer-crab-0)

(/astro-guide/canis-major-great-dog)

Canis Major, the Great Dog (/astro-guide/canis-major-great-dog)

 (/astro-guide/capricornus-sea-goat-0)

Capricornus, the Sea-Goat (/astro-guide/capricornus-sea-goat-0)

(/astro-guide/cassiopeia-queen)

Cassiopeia, the Queen (/astro-guide/cassiopeia-queen)

(/astro-guide/cygnus-swan-0)

Cygnus, the Swan (/astro-guide/cygnus-swan-0)

(/astro-guide/gemini-twins-0)

Gemini, the Twins (/astro-guide/gemini-twins-0)

(/astro-guide/leo-lion-0)
 Leo, the Lion (/astro-guide/leo-lion-0)

(/astro-guide/libra-scales-0)

Libra, the Scales (/astro-guide/libra-scales-0)

(/astro-guide/lyra-harp-0)

Lyra, the Harp (/astro-guide/lyra-harp-0)

(/astro-guide/orion-hunter-0)

Orion, the Hunter (/astro-guide/orion-hunter-0)

(/astro-guide/pegasus-flying-horse-0)

Pegasus, the Flying Horse (/astro-guide/pegasus-flying-horse-0)

 (/astro-guide/perseus-hero)

Perseus, the Hero (/astro-guide/perseus-hero)

(/astro-guide/pisces-fish-0)

Pisces, the Fish (/astro-guide/pisces-fish-0)

(/astro-guide/sagittarius-archer-0)

Sagittarius, the Archer (/astro-guide/sagittarius-archer-0)

(/astro-guide/scorpius-scorpion-0)

Scorpius, the Scorpion (/astro-guide/scorpius-scorpion-0)

 (/astro-guide/taurus-bull-0)

Taurus, the Bull (/astro-guide/taurus-bull-0)

(/astro-guide/ursa-major-great-bear-0)

Ursa Major, the Great Bear (/astro-guide/ursa-major-great-bear-0)

(/astro-guide/virgo)

Virgo (/astro-guide/virgo)

How did the constellations get their names?

Most constellation names are Latin in origin, dating from the Roman empire, but their meanings often
originated in the distant past of human civilization. Scorpius, for instance, was given its name from the Latin
word for scorpion, but ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs from before 3000 B.C. refer to the star group as "Ip," the
scorpion king. Orion, the hunter, bears a Greek name, but had been seen as a hunter-hero figure since the
times of ancient Babylon.

Of course, many of the constellation names are more modern -- Telescopium, the telescope, being a rather
obvious newcomer. In fact, by the 19th century the night sky had become crowded with overlapping and often
contradictory constellation boundaries and names as different schools of astronomy prepared their own
versions of star maps. To clear up the confusion, names and boundaries were "officially" assigned to 88
constellations by the International Astronomical Union in 1930, providing complete coverage of the entire sky.

How do the signs of the zodiac relate to astronomy?

Though many people start their days by checking their horoscope in the newspaper, the 12 constellations of
the zodiac are no more important to astronomers than the other 76 constellations.

The significance of the zodiac stems from the fact that the ecliptic -- the narrow path on the sky that the Sun,
Moon, and planets appear to follow -- runs directly through these star groupings. Since ancient times, the
Sun, Moon, and planets have been known as special astronomical objects -- they "wander" through the
background stars of the zodiac, which remain fixed with respect to each other. It was reasoned that these
zodiacal constellations must be special to make up this path, and the relative positions of the "wandering
stars" within them bore great importance.

True scientific astronomy has its roots in the attempts of ancient astrologers to predict future occurrences of,
for instance, imperial Jupiter and the blood-red planet Mars meeting within the charging bull of Taurus -- a
potentially powerful omen for those who believed the planets represented the gods themselves.

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