Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

Each culture has its own constellations, usually based on mythology. This article covers the 88 constellations used in modern astronomy, which properly speaking are not patterns of stars, as in the common use of the word, but areas of the sky (the celestial sphere).

The ancient Babylonians, and later the Greeks (as recorded by Ptolemy), established most of the northern constellations in international use today. When European explorers mapped the stars of the southern skies, European and American astronomers proposed new constellations for that region, as well as ones to fill gaps between the traditional constellations. Not all of these proposals caught on, but in 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted the modern list of 88 constellations. After this, Eugène Delporte drew up precise boundaries for each constellation, so that every point in the sky belonged to exactly one constellation.

Constellation Families

Modern constellations

For help with the literary English pronunciations, see the pronunciation key. There is considerable diversity in how Latinate names are pronounced in English. For traditions closer to the original, see Latin spelling and pronunciation.

Notes

1. ^ http://www.seds.org/Maps/Const/const_family.html
2. ^ 'Quad' designates the quadrant of the sky where N for North is associated to a positive Declination, and S for South for a negative one. Quadrants refer to 6 hours arcs, so that NQ1 refers to North quadrant constellations having midpoints between 00h R.A. and 06h R.A.
3. ^ http://calgary.rasc.ca/constellation.htm
4. ^ IAU Website: CONSTELLATIONS
5. ^ NASA Dictionary of terms for Aerospace Use - table V, Constellations
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf} OED, 2nd edition
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg} Random House Dictionary
8. ^ The constellations Camelopardalis, Columba, and Monoceros, formed by Petrus Plancius in 1592 and in 1613, are often erroneously attributed to Jacob Bartsch and Augustin Royer
9. ^ Corona Australis is sometimes called "Corona Austrina" /ɔːˈstriːnə/ (genitive: Coronae Austrinae)
10. ^ Serpens may be divided into Serpens Cauda and Serpens Caput

Former constellations

Some constellations are no longer recognized by the International Astronomical Union, but may appear in older star charts and other references. Most notable is Argo Navis, which was one of Ptolemy's original 48 constellations.

Asterisms

Various other unofficial patterns have existed alongside the constellations. These are known as "asterisms." Examples include the Big Dipper and the Northern Cross. Some ancient asterisms, for example Coma Berenices, Serpens, and portions of Argo Navis, are now officially constellations.

See also

• List of constellations by area
• List of stars by constellation

External links

• http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations1.htm
• http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/contents.htm