CONSTELLATION

• What constellations do
you see in the night
sky?

• How do they apparently

behave?
Patterns of stars which are seen in the sky are called
CONSTELLATION
 CONSTELLATION

• International Astronomical
Union (IAU), constellation is
an area of the celestial sphere
composed of stars that appear
to be located close together in
the sky.
 CONSTELLATION

• IAU divides the sky into 88 official

constellations.
• 48 were already recognized in ancient times,
listed by the astronomer Ptolemy.
 CONSTELLATION

• The star patterns that have been discovered but have not been
officially identified as constellation are called Asterism.
• Big Dipper (part of a larger constellation, called Ursa Major (The
Great Bear).
 CONSTELLATIONS IN FOCUS

• Constellation are groups of bright stars which

appear close to each other but are actually light
years apart in space.
• Astronomers officially recognize 88 constellation
distributed in the entire space.
• North and South Hemisphere of the Earth.
 CONSTELLATIONS IN FOCUS

• 14 men and women, 9 birds, 2 insects, 19 land

animals, 10 water creatures, 2 centaurs, 1 head of
hair, a serpent, a dragon, a flying horse, a river, and
29 inanimate objects.
• Ancient Greeks given names to the stars are taken
from stories, heroes, people and animal.
• Making the space a kind of a celestial “hall of fame”.
DIFFERENT CONSTELLATION
IN THE SKY
• 88 constellation divided into two groups relative to their position in
the Earth.
• 44 major constellation visible in the sky north of the equator
• 44 major constellation can be viewed in the southern sky.
Polaris also known as the
North Star, is located at the
end of the Little Diper.
Polaris is almost directly
over the earth’s North Pole.
• Circumpolar
constellations are
constellations that
move in a
counterclockwise
direction.
 Orion
One of the prominent star
patterns in the sky
“The Hunter”
Located on the celestial
equator and visible
throughout the world.
 “Big Bear”
The most famous constellation.
Ursa Major It can be seen all year to those who are
at the northern latitude of the Earth.
 CASSIOPEIA
• Only husband-and-wife couple among
the constellations
• One of the brightest stars in the
Northern Hemisphere.
 • Always visible in the
DRACO Norther Hemisphere
but not in the
Southern Hemisphere.
• Derived from the
Latin term draconem
“huge serpent”
 • Named after the Greek Hero Herakles (Roman: Hercules)
HERCULES • The greatest of the Greek heroes and was famous for his
12 labors.
• Belongs to one of the 48 original plotted by Ptolemy.