Module 3: Constellations

Joana Sofia Fernandez

 Objectives
Define what is a constellation.
Give examples of constellations,
their meaning and brightest star.
Define zodiac constellations and
circumpolar constellations.
 Define Polaris and it’s importance.
 Claudius Ptolemy
oClaudius Ptolemy (c. 100 – c. 170 AD) was a
mathematician, astronomer, natural
philosopher, geographer and astrologer who
wrote several scientific treatises, three of
which were of importance to later Byzantine,
Islamic and Western European science. The first
is the astronomical treatise now known as the
Almagest, although it was originally entitled the
Mathematical Treatise and then known as The
Great Treatise48 constellations described in his
great work,
oThe Almagest, in the 2nd century AD. These
constellations originally came from a variety of
sources including the myths and legends of
Mesopotamia, Babylon, Egypt and Greece.
Ptolemy’s constellations were primarily in the
northern hemisphere, as parts of the southern
sky were never visible from Greece.
 What is a Constellation?
o A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of
visible stars forms a perceived outline or pattern, typically
representing an animal, mythological person or creature, or an
inanimate object.
o Out of the 88 constellations recognized by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU), 36 are found predominantly in the northern
sky, while the remaining 52 are located in the southern sky.
o In ancient times, constellations only referred to the brightest stars
that appeared to form groups, representing mythological figures. The
stars of a constellation only appear to be close to one another.
Usually, this is only a projection effect. The stars of a constellation
may be located at very different distances from us.
o Today, constellations are well-defined regions on the sky, irrespective
of the presence or absence of bright stars in those regions. They serve
as a way to break up and organize the sky (celestial sphere).
 Asterism vs. Constellation
o An asterism is a star pattern
that is not a constellation.
o Asterisms are patterns of
stars of similar brightness.
The stars may be part of a
larger constellation or may be
formed from stars in different
constellations.
o Examples: The Big and Little
Dipper, the Summer Triangle,
and the Winter Hexagon
Name: Orion Name: Draco
Symbolism: the Hunter Symbolism: the Dragon
Brightest star: Rigel Brightest star: Eltanin
Name: Ursa Major Name: Ursa Minor
Symbolism: the Great Bear Symbolism: the Little Bear
Brightest star: Alioth Brightest star: Polaris
Names: Cassiopeia Name: Centaurus
Symbolism: the Seated Queen Symbolism: The Centaur
Brightest star: Schedar Brightest star: Alpha Centauri
Name: Hydra Name: Aquila
Symbolism: The Sea Serpent Brightest star: Altair
Brightest star: Alphard Symbolism: the Eagle
Name: Canis Major Name: Canis Minor
Symbolism: The Greater Dog Symbolism: Lesser Dog
Brightest star: Sirius Brightest star: Procyon
 What is the Zodiac?
o Earth orbits our Sun once each year. Viewed from Earth,
our Sun appears to trace a circular path. This path defines
a plane called the plane of the ecliptic (or just the ecliptic).
o The zodiac is the group (or “belt”) of constellations that fall
along the plane of the ecliptic. It is through these
constellations that our Sun appears to “pass” during the
year.
o There are 12 astrological constellations of the zodiac, there
are 13 astronomical zodiac constellations: Capricornus,
Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, and Ophiuchus. The annual
cycle of the zodiac was used by ancient cultures to
determine the time of year.
Capricorn Aquarius Pisces Aries Taurus

Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra

Scorpio Sagittarius
 How the Constellations Got
Their Names
o Astrologers use 12 of these constellations as signs of the zodiac,
omitting Ophiuchus, to make predictions. (Unlike astronomy,
astrology is not a science.)
o Signs differ from constellations, bearing only a loose reference
to one another. The sign of Pisces, for instance, corresponds to
the rise of the constellation of Aquarius. Ironically, if you are
born under a particular sign, the constellation it is named for is
not visible at night. Instead, the sun is passing through it around
that time of year, making it a daytime constellation that can't be
seen.
o The constellations appear to form shapes across the sky, but the
stars themselves don't make up patterns in space. The distance
from our world to the individual stars in a constellation varies,
often by tens of light-years, scattering the stars randomly across
the galaxy.
Zodiac Constellations
o There are 12 constellations in the zodiac family. They can all be
seen along the ecliptic. They are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer,
Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius and
Pisces.
o The Sun also passes through Ophiuchus and Cetus, but these
constellations are not part of the zodiac. They belong to the
Hercules and Perseus families respectively.
o The northern zodiac constellations – Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini,
Cancer and Leo – are located in the eastern celestial hemisphere,
while the southern – Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus
and Aquarius – are found in the west.
o The word zodiac comes from the Greek ζῳδιακός (zōidiakos),
meaning the “circle of animals.” The Latin term zōdiacus was
derived from the Greek, and the Greek term comes from the word
ζῴδιον (zōdion), which is the diminutive of ζῷον (zōon), or animal.
Seven of the constellations found along the ecliptic represent
animals, as they did in Greek and Roman times: Aries (the Ram),
Taurus (the Bull), Cancer (the Crab), Leo (the Lion), Scorpius (the
Scorpion), Capricornus (the Goat), and Pisces (the Fish).
o Today, the term zodiac is mostly associated with astrology,
with the 12 signs of the western zodiac corresponding to
the 12 constellations seen along the ecliptic. The so-called
cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) mark
the beginning of the four seasons, i.e. the Sun is said to
enter these signs on the first days of spring, summer,
autumn and winter respectively.
o The largest of the 12 zodiac constellations is Virgo, which
covers 1294.43 square degrees of the southern sky. Virgo
is also the second largest of all 88 constellations, only
slightly smaller than Hydra.
o Covering an area of 979.85 square degrees, Aquarius is the
second largest zodiac constellation and the 10th largest
constellation in the sky. Also located in the southern
celestial hemisphere, Aquarius represents Ganymede, the
cup bearer to the Olympian gods in Greek mythology.
o Leo, the third largest zodiac constellation, occupies an area of
946.96 square degrees of the northern sky. It represents the
Nemean lion, a mythical monster killed by Heracles as part of his
12 labors.
o Pisces comes in 4th with 889.417 square degrees, followed by
Sagittarius (867.43 square degrees) and Taurus (797.25 square
degrees). Libra (538.05), Gemini (513.76), Cancer (505.87) and
Scorpius (496.78) cover areas similar in size and on the smaller
end of the scale Aries occupies an area of 441.39 square degrees
while Capricornus, the smallest of the 12 zodiac constellations,
covers 413.95 square degrees of the southern sky.
o In terms of brightness, several of the 12 constellations contain
some of the brightest stars in the sky. Aldebaran, the brightest
star in Taurus, is the 14th brightest of all stars, followed by Spica,
the brightest star in Virgo and 15th brightest star in the sky,
Antares, the bright red supergiant in Scorpius and 16th brightest
star, Pollux in Gemini, the 17th brightest of all stars, and Regulus
in Leo, which comes in 21st overall.
o Today, zodiac constellations are most commonly brought up in
the context of western astrology, as the 12 constellations
correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac.
o The problem with linking the astronomical constellations with
astrology to give the latter a more “scientific” foundation is a
simple one: the constellations themselves aren’t real. They are
groups of stars that appear to be close to each other, arbitrarily
named after different objects, animals, or figures from mythology
by human observers at some point in history.
o Constellations make a two-dimensional map of the sky used for
orientation, to make it easier for astronomers to find objects and
explain their location and for navigators to use stars to
determine their position. The universe itself, on the other hand,
isn’t flat and doesn’t revolve around our planet, which is what
makes these groupings of stars arbitrary. While even Carl Gustav
Jung said that astrology holds some value as a theory of the
personality, and it can use the scientific approach, it is in itself
not based on any kind of science.
 Circumpolar Constellation
o In astronomy, a circumpolar constellation is a constellation
(group of stars) that never sets below the horizon, as viewed
from a location on Earth.
o Due to Earth's rotation and axial tilt with respect to the Sun, the
stars and constellations can be divided into two categories.
Those stars and constellations that never rise or set are called
circumpolar. The rest are divided into seasonal stars and
constellations.
o The stars and constellations that are circumpolar depends on
the observer's latitude.
o In the Northern Hemisphere, certain stars and constellations
will always be visible in the northern circumpolar sky. The same
holds true in the Southern Hemisphere, where certain stars and
constellations will always be visible in the southern circumpolar
sky.
Seasonal Stars and Constellation

Seasonal Stars and Constellation

• All other constellations and stars are seasonal and
can only be see at certain times of the year.
– Winter: Orion, Taurus, Canis Major
– Spring: Leo, Bootes, Virgo
– Summer: Cancer, Scorpio, Sagittarius
– Fall: Andromeda, Pisces, Gemini
 POLARIS
o Polaris, commonly known as the
North Star, is the brightest star in the
constellation Ursa Minor.
o 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 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 it.
 Star trail
o Star trail is a type of photograph that
utilizes long-exposure times to capture the
apparent motion of stars in the night sky
due to the rotation of the Earth.
o In Metro Manila, when you face North
Polaris, which is 11.3° from the horizon is
seen at around 15° due to atmospheric
refraction. In some parts of the country (i.e
Southern Philippines), it would be difficult
to locate Polaris since starlights near the
horizon are washed out by lights lit by
men, or obstructed by man-made or
topographical structures or trees. POLARIS
o To locate the Polaris, face North and
locate the Big Dipper. Two stars (Merak
and Dubhe) in the Big Dipper are called
pointer stars because they seem to point
to Polaris.
Identification
1. He was a mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher,
geographer and astrologer who wrote several scientific
treatises, three of which were of importance to later
Byzantine, Islamic and Western European science.
2. An area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible
stars forms a perceived outline or pattern, typically
representing an animal, mythological person or creature,
or an inanimate object.
3. Are patterns of stars of similar brightness. The stars may
be part of a larger constellation or may be formed from
stars in different constellations.
4. The largest of the 12 zodiac constellations
5. Commonly known as the North Star, is the brightest star in
the constellation Ursa Minor.
Answers:
1.Claudius Ptolemy
2.Constellation
3.Asterisms
4.Virgo
5.Polaris
6.