CONSTELLATIONS

WHAT IS A CONSTELLATION?

•A pattern, or shape,
made by stars in the
night sky.
 CONSTELLATIONS
The pattern constellations form may take the
shape of:
Animal
Mythological creature
Man
Woman
Inanimate object (microscope, compass, crown)
HOW MANY CONSTELLATIONS ARE THERE?

88 major constellations

Named by early astronomers
North Star = Polaris (it’s
almost directly over the north
pole)
The Zodiac Constellations
•Constellations located within a
band that is about 20 degrees wide
in the sky.
•This band is considered special
because it is the band where the
Sun, the Moon, and the planets all
move.
 13 Zodiac Constellations
• 1.Capricornus 8. Scorpius
2. Aquarius 9. Cancer
3. Pisces 10. Leo
4. Aries 11. Virgo
5. Taurus 12. Libra
6. Gemini 13. Orphiuchus
7. Sagittarius
 Constellations in the Northern
Hemisphere
•Circumpolar Constellations -
Constellations that appearall year
round
•Circumpolar constellations in
Northern Hemisphere are the
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor,
Cassiopeia and Cygnus
Cassiopeia
 Cassiopeia
•named after a queen in Greek
mythology
•25th largest constellation
•noted for the 5 star asterism
that forms letter W
Cygnus
 Cygnus
•Latin name for Swan
•16th largest constellation
•recognized for its asterism that forms a
cross, also referred as the Northern Cross.
•the brightest stars are the Deneb, located
at the tail and Albireo at the head
Ursa Major
 Ursa Major
•known as the Big Bear
•third largest known constellation and
is easy to see.
•Asterism - group of stars within the
constellations
 Big Dipper
•has seven stars - four for the
trapezoid and three for the handle
•two stars in the trapezoid are called
Dubhe and Merak
•Asterism of Ursa Major
Ursa Minor
 Ursa Minor
•Little Bear, smaller version of Ursa
Major
•composed of seven stars - four for
the body and three for the stars
•the star at the tip of the handle is the
Polaris
 The Southern Hemisphere
Constellations
•No polar star as a reference
•Include the Crux or the
Southern Cross, Carina and
Centaurus
Crux
 CRUX
•Latin for Cross
•Southern Cross
•Smallest of the 88 constellations
•used to be a part of Centaurus but
later considered as a separate
constellation
Carina
 Carina
•Latin for “keel” which means the
boat's bottom
•Used to be a part of a larger boat-
shaped constellation called Argo
Navis (created by Greek philosopher
Ptolemy)
 Argo Navis
•Carina is the
keel, Puppis the
stem (tear), Vela
the sails
 Carina
•Thirty-fourth largest
constellation
•Canupos - the second brightest
star is part of the Carina and
helps in spacecraft navigation
 Centaurus
•the half-man, half-horse creature in Greek
Mythology
•9th largest constellation
•composed of 11 stars and the brightest of
which are the Alpha Centauri (fourth brightest
star) and Beta Centauri (tenth brightest star)
Centaurus
 FUN FACT!!!
•If you are on the equator you can
view all the constellations in a year.
If you are on the North or South
Pole, you will only be able to see
the part of the sky above you.
The Northern Hemisphere
Constellations
The Northern Hemisphere
Constellations
The Northern Hemisphere
Constellations
The Northern Hemisphere
Constellations
The Southern Hemisphere
Constellations
Constellations near the Equator

Orion
Pegasus
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Largest Constellation
 USES FOR
CONSTELLATIONS:
Constellations help people to recognize stars in the sky. By
looking for patterns, the stars and locations can be much
easier to spot.
The constellations had uses in ancient times. They were used
to help keep track of the calendar. This was very important so
that people knew when to plant and harvest crops.
Another important use for constellations was navigation. By
finding Ursa Minor it is fairly easy to spot the North Star
(Polaris). Using the height of the North Star in the sky,
navigators could figure out their latitude helping ships to travel
across the oceans.
Astrology
vs.
Astronomy
 Galileo Galilei,
Johannes Kepler
and Isaac Newton
 What is the
difference between
Astrology and
Astronomy? Are they
the same?
 Astrology
•a pseudoscience that determines
the influence of the state of the
stars and the planets at the time of
child's birth on an individual's
destiny or future.
 Astronomy
•science that uses the principles of physic of
mathematics to explain and predict the
phenomena of celestial bodies
•Astronomers use telescopes and other
instruments to study the sky.
•Employ scientific method to test their
theories
13 zodiac signs
Beliefs and
Practices
Beliefs about “Falling Star”
•Ancient Greece - “souls of poor
people, drunkenly walking home
after they had dinner at a rich star”
•Early Jews and Christian - fallen
angels and demons
•In Australia the tribe Yolngu,
believes that when they die they are
taken by a canoe called Larpan into
the spirit-land in the sky Baralku.
The Larpan sent back to Earth as a
shooting star tells the bereaved
family of the safe arrival of their
loved one in Baralku
 “Wishing Star”
•Young hopefuls refer falling star as
wishing star.
•A falling star is a METEOR entering
the Earth's atmosphere.