answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Constellations are a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries.

(Definition given by Google)

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

They aren't. The stars are arranged more or less at random, and because people are really good at seeing patterns (even when there really isn't any pattern there to see), someone decides that that group over there looks like ... well, whatever.
Constellations aren't exactly "formed," they're really sort of a stellar Rorschach test. The stars are arranged at random (well, more or less at random) and people, because we're REALLY GOOD at seeing patterns even when there is no pattern to see, think they look like various objects.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

Constellations are human inventions. Usually the stars that make up a constellation have no relation to each other; they're generally not part of the same cluster (an exception is the Big Dipper; many of its stars actually do belong to a single open cluster.) A very bright star that is very far away may look similar to a dimmer star that is closer; and if we see two (or more) similar looking stars in the same part of the sky, it is not unreasonable to associate them. It is believed that the constellations were originally invented thousands of years ago as an aid for learning the stars so that they could be used for navigation by sailors.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

In essentially the same way that a random pattern of paint splotches might look like a particular shape.

Constellations aren't "real" in the sense that they're actual intentional patterns; they're random collections of stars that happened to suggest particular objects to ancient people.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

Stars don't really exist as constellations. In fact, the stars that form constellations are millions of kilometres apart from each other, and if you moved closer to them, you would no longer see them as part of a constellation at all.

Constellations are only patterns in the stars that are visible from Earth - just like we sometimes can see patterns and shapes in clouds when we look at them from a particular angle. There is no set form to the constellations - humans just agree on what they look like, and different cultures have created different patterns out of the same stars.

They are only patterns from the point of view of Earth, and if we were looking at the Sun from the perspective of another star, it would probably form part of some other constellation.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

The reason for constellations is the fact that the human brain tries to find patterns in

random stuff. That way, it's easier for us to remember what we saw, recognize it later

if we ever see it again, recognize quickly whether something we saw before has changed

since the last time we saw it, and in general avoid being hit by somebody else with a rock,

find something good to eat, and avoid having our foot eaten off by a lion.

Constellations don't exist in nature. The stars are scattered across our sky in no pattern,

at many different distances from each other and with no relationship to each other. But

when human people had nothing else to do at night but lie around outside, chew on a

piece of grass, and look at the sky, they did the same thing with the stars that we do now

with the clouds ... they found patterns of stars that looked like animals, people, and other

familiar things, told stories about them, and generally attached thoughts to the stars that

they could remember. The only difference between the star patterns and cloud patterns

is that the clouds change their shapes in five minutes, whereas the star patterns we

see now are pretty much the same ones that people saw 20,000 years ago.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

a constellation is made up of stars to form a picture.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How did constellations form in the sky?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Movies & Television

The number of constellations in the whole sky is?

The sky is divided into 88 separate constellations. However, new constellations have not been made up for hundreds of years, and when new stars are discovered they are simply thought of as being included with whichever constellation they are closest to.


Why are the constellations seen as in the summer sky different than those in the winter sky?

The winter night sky is the opposite direction from the summer night sky. The constellations you see in winter are on the other side of the sun in summer, so you would only see them in summer during a total solar eclipse.


Is there anymore hidden zodiac constellation?

There is one zodiac constellation that is not included in the traditional zodiac calendar. That constellation is Ophiuchus, and it lies between Scorpius and Sagittarius. This means there are 13 zodiac constellations. Constellations cannot be "hidden," so to speak. They are a fabrication of the human mind and would not exist elsewhere in the universe as we see them on Earth. Currently, we have 88 constellations (some of which are Northern hemisphere constellations, others of which are Southern hemisphere constellations) and their boundaries (constellations are not just the stars that make up a shape, but every celestial object in a defined region in the sky) fill the entire sky.


What are the only constellations visible all year long?

The region of the sky visible all year round is called "circumpolar". What stars and constellations are included there depends on your geographical location. For example, for somebody living 30 degrees south of the equator, a region around the south pole of the sky, with a radius of 30 degrees, would be circumpolar.


What is a constellation and how many constellations cover the entire sky?

Roughly speaking, a constellation is a direction in the sky. The introductory paragraph of the Wikipedia summarizes the concept quite well: 'In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around patterns that represent the shapes that give the name to the constellations. When astronomers say an object is "in" a given constellation, they mean it is within the boundaries of one of these defined areas of sky, as the patterns may have several variants in its representation.' In modern astronomy, there are 88 or 89 constellations, depending on how you count.

Related questions

What are the group of stars that form patterns in the sky?

Constellations


Group of stars that form shapes in the sky?

clusters, constellations


If all-stars die then how are there constellations?

Constellations are imaginary patterns in the sky formed by stars. As some stars burn out, new stars form.


Why are stars constellations?

Constellations are not stars. Groups of stars that look like they form various objects or shapes are called constellations.


Is it possible to have a new constellations?

It is possible for new constellations to form. Stars are born every day, however, it will take many years to form the constellation.


What do stars which are in constellations have in common?

Absolutely nothing bar the fact that they appear to form a pattern in the sky.


What is the term for a group of stars that appear to form patterns in the night sky?

Constellations, but they are an illusion.


Where is the constellation located in the sky?

All the stars in the sky have been assigned to 88 separate constellations, so there are constellations all over the sky.


What are patterns in the sky called?

A pattern of stars in the sky is often called a Constellation.


How many constellations can you identify in the night sky?

There are officially 88 constellations.


Do astronomers divide the sky into galaxies?

no, they divide the sky into constellations


When do you see constellations?

in the night sky