Constellation

Observers in ancient times also imagined group of stars that form pictures of animals, objects and people. These
imaginary groups of stars are called constellations.

Patterns in the Sky

Many of these constellations have names that can be traced back to early
Babylonians and Greek civilizations, but nearly all cultures have different names for the constellations. For example,
the Greeks called the large constellation Orion, which means hunter and is prominent in the night sky all over the
world during winter. Early Filipinos visualized the same group of stars as Balatik, a trap used in hunting wild pigs.
Christian Filipinos named the three stars (Orion’s belt) Tatlong Maria or Tres Marias.

Apparent Movement of the Stars through the Night

By observing Sun’s movement and position in the sky, we can tell what time of the day it is. When it seems to rise in
the east, it is morning. When it is above us, it is noon. When it seems to move towards the west, it is afternoon. At
night, stars are used to tell the time. Just like the Sun, stars also seem to move from East to West.

The Polaris
Polaris, commonly known as North Star, is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). It is very
close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star. Because it lies nearly in a direct line with the
axis of the Earth's rotation "above" the North Pole, Polaris stands almost motionless in the sky, and all the stars of the
Northern sky appear to rotate around it. In Figure 3, Polaris and the star trail are seen. Star trail is a type of photograph
that utilizes longer exposure times to capture the apparent motion of stars in the night sky due to the rotation of the
Earth.

Some Famous Constellations

Orion
It is one of the most prominent star patterns in the sky. It is known as "The Hunter" located on celestial equator and
visible throughout the world. Its family includes five constellations including Orion (The Hunter), Canis Major and
Canis Minor (Orion's Two Gods),Monoceres (The Unicorn), and Lepus (The Hare).
Ursa Major
Ursa Major, the Big Bear, is one of the famous constellations. It can be seen all year for those at the northern latitude.
Its family contains 10 constellations circling the northern celestial pole, including Ursa Major(containing Big Dipper),
Ursa Minor (containing Polaris, the northern pole star), Canes Venatici, Bootes, Coma Berenice, Corona Borealis,
Camelopardalis, Lynx, Draco, and Leo Manor.
Cassiopeia
According to lan Ridpath's star tales, Cassiopeia was a vain and boastful wife of King Cepheus of Euthopia who lies
next to her in the sky. They are the only husband-and-wife couple among the constellations. lt appears to be on of the
brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere.
Draco
One myth claims that Draco is always visible in the Northern Hemisphere but not in the Southern Hemisphere. The
name Draco, “The Dragon" constellation is derived from the Latin term draconem meaning "huge serpent."
Hercules
It is a constellation named after Roman Hercules, Greek Herakles, who was the greatest of the Greek heroes and
famous for his 12 labors. This constellation belongs to one of the 48 originals plotted by Ptolemy and has survived
time to become one of the 88 modern constellations adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Astronomy vs.Astrology
Astronomy, as defined by modern astronomers, is the scientific study of objects in the universe. As a science,
astronomy has links with other sciences like mathematics, physics, and chemistry. On the other hand, astrology refers
to the belief that the positions of the sun, moon, and planets against the starry background influence people's
personalities and shape their lives.
Unique Culture and Belief System
Even during the primitive time, people were already fascinated with the things beyond their natural world. They were
curious about what comprise the sky at night-looking at the thousands of points of light that appear above the horizon.
Our ancestors divided the stars into shapes, grouped them, and named these constellations without even knowing
anything about astronomy.
Some of the pioneers in studying the galactic space are the ancient Greeks and Romans. Moreover, constellations also
caught the interest of Chinese and Japanese. They name these patterns of stars after animals such as fish (Pisces),
scorpio (Scorpius), lion (Leo), among others. Other constellations that we know today were developed by observers in
India and cultures in Middle and South America. Indeed, every culture has its own perspective about the things in
space, and how they interpret the constellations and other phenomenon reflect their belief system, culture, and
geographical position on Earth.
Ancient people used constellations for religious purposes. This can be proven by archaeological evidences showing
how people during the Stone and Bronze Ages worshipped the celestial bodies that they had identified early in history.
Best example for this is the Mesopotamian astral worship which spread as far as Central and Andean America. The
Babylonians and Sumerians thought that God's will in respect of man and His possible undertakings can be revealed
by the motions of heavenly bodies. During the fifth century BCE, Babylonian astrologers started to identify the
different horoscopes that we know today and tried to predict the fortunes of an individual and the occurrence of
natural phenomena based on the positions of stars in the sky.
We inherited the names of our constellations from the Greeks, and they named the constellations after their
mythological heroes and legends. For example, to the ancient Greeks, Orion was a great hunter. He was the son of
Neptune (the god of the sea). But the same stars were considered to depict Osiris by the Egyptians. Each different
culture developed their own interpretation.
Before, constellations were used as proper calendars when it came to agricultural purposes. People had no
proper way to determine when to sow or harvest except by looking at the stars. Constellations made the patterns of
stars easy to remember. The ancient people knew, for example, that when constellation Orion started to be visible,
winter was coming soon; when they could see Summer Triangle, they knew Summer or Spring were coming as
well. The stars allowed farmers to plan ahead.
Uses of Constellations to People Today

According to astronomers, there are several ways by which constellations can be useful to us. Here are some of them:
1. To track artificial satellites.
In the 20th century, a committee of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) delineated the precise boundaries for
all the 88 constellations. With the precise locations of the constellations in the sky, scientists and observers can track
artificial satellites properly.
There are thousands of artificial satellites launched into the Earth's orbit. If it were not for the precise locations of the
constellations, it would be easy to misidentify a satellite as a star.
2. To indicate general direction.
Constellations are used to indicate the general directions in the sky. They serve as guides at night for sea navigators
and sky observers. Several constellations may be used as guides for direction. The Big Dipper, Small Dipper, and
Cassiopeia are used to determine the Earth's north. The Orion constellation is used to determine the east and west at
night. The Southern Cross is used to determine Earth's south.
3. To locate certain stars or galaxies.
Constellations also help in assisting astronomers and navigators to locate certain stars and galaxies. A German
astronomer named Bayer (1572-1603) devised a system of naming bright stars based on the constellation they belong
to. By 1930, it was possible to assign a star to a particular constellation.
Betelgeuse is called Alpha Orionis or Alpha Ori from the Orion constellation. Between the constellations Cassiopeia
and Pegasus is a very bright star named Alpheratz. It forms one corner of the square of Pegasus.
Lately, some "stars" in some constellations were recognized as actually very distant galaxies. The Andromeda
constellation contains the Andromeda galaxy or M31.It is located more than 2.2 million light-years from the Earth.