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Constellations

Constellations have fascinated astronomers for centuries. They are arbitrary formations of stars perceived as a figure or design, especially one of 88 recognized groups named after characters from classical mythology and various common animals and objects. Questions about the various constellations of stars are what this category is all about.

3,677 Questions

What is an anotonyms?

An antonym is a word that has the opposite meaning to another; e.g. - hot is the antonym of cold - incorrect is the antonym of correct etc.

What constellation contains Altair?

Aquila: The eagle of Zeus. The constellation is also known as the "summer triangle"

What is the brightness of Enif?

The brightest star in Pegasus is ε Peg (Enif).

It has an apparent magnitude of -4.19

See related link for more information

What are some of Carlos Pena from Big Time Rushes secrets?

I have a good one: in high school he was a competitive cheerleader. He liked cheerleading because he claims that he got to hang out with hot chicks all over the nation. One of his favorite movies was "Bring It On" and that inspired him to go on the cheerleading squad.

What are the 6 major stars in the Gemini constellation?

Taurus and Cancer are the obvious two. Others are Auriga, Canis Minor, Lynx, Monoceros, and Orion.

Meteor showers are common in this constellation?

Could be Draco. The meteor showers are called Draconids.

What is the popular name for Canis Major?

The answer is your mom

Voliet8910 says: The brightest star Sirius is in it.

What is the latitude and longitude of constellation Aries?

Constellation Aries does not have a specific latitude and longitude as it is a celestial region in the sky rather than a physical location on Earth. It is located along the ecliptic, an imaginary line that represents the path of the sun and planets across the sky.

Can same star constellations be seen from Europe and Australia?

Some of them, yes. Constellations along the Zodiac can be seen from either hemisphere, but constellations well away from the celesial equator cannot be seen very far in the other hemisphere. For example, Ursa Major is not visible in Australia, and the Southern Cross is not visible in Europe or North America.

Most of the "official" constellations were named by northern hemisphere astronomers, or European navigators sailing in southern waters. Look at how many southern hemisphere constellations have a nautical theme; the Telescope, the Octant, the Quadrant. Even Cetus, the Whale, was named by sailors, not people who LIVED there.

Constellations found on Northern Hemisphere?

The question is unclear. Constellations are simply areas of sky and don't have an unambiguous "brightness." The star with the brightest apparent magnitude is in Canis Major, so that's as good an answer as any other.

Was the drinking gourd the big dipper?

Yes. The slaves would sing a song from the underground railroad and the line they would repeat was; "Follow the Drinking Gourd" Which told the slaves to follow the Big Dipper, North to freedom.

What is true of alpha star in a constellation?

The standard designations of stars within a constellation is a Greek letter followed by the Latin name of the constellation. This is called the "Bayer designation".

In general - but not in EVERY case - the stars were lettered in order by brightness. Please remember that this was done a few hundred years ago, before the invention of detailed electronic instruments. And over the centuries, in a few cases the stars themselves have varied in brightness. For example, in the constellation of Orion, the star Betelgeuse is "Alpha Orionis", even though it is the SECOND-brightest star in Orion.

Why the discrepancy? A couple of reasons, perhaps. Rigel, the brightest star in Orion, isn't all THAT much brighter; both are "first magnitude" stars. Second, Betelgeuse is known to be a variable star, and 300 years ago we believe that Betelgeuse was actually brighter than Rigel is.

Why do stars in constellations not move?

Actually, the stars are moving, as is everything else in the universe. It's just that the distances are so vast from our perspective (viewing point) that any movement is virtually undetectable.

When is Virgo best viewed?

Virgo the constellation is best visible at 21:00 (9 pm) during the month of May.

How are right ascension and declination used to locate a star?

They are the celestial equivalent of longitude and latitude. If you are given the RSA and Dec of an object, you will be able dot find it on a chart. Or if you have a telescope that is computerised, you can input the coordinates and the telescope should go there automatically.

Why constellation are not a part of solar system?

Constellations are "unchanging" patterns that we humans make up in the arrangement of the various stars so far away. The patterns do change, but very slowly; the constellations that the ancient Greeks and Romans and Egyptians saw 2000 years ago is little changed now.

The solar system is right here; our Sun, the Earth, the Moon, the planets and comets and asteroids.

Where does the name of Taurus the constellation come from?

The constellations got their names from a civillizations mythological stand point. Some examples. Aquarius Hercules Perseus Pegasus These are all Greek in origin, Aquarius was the water bearer to the gods, or Ganymede, Pegasus was the winged horse of Zeus, Hercules was a hero, and Perseus was a hero.

Where is Orion's belt in relationship to mars?

Mars has no fixed relationship to Orion, or to any other stars. In ancient times, Mars, Venus and Jupiter were called "planets", from the Greek word for "wanderer"; the planets wander across the fixed stars, which do not change their relationships. (They actually do, but so slowly that a lifetime isn't enough to see the changes.)

Here in January, 2010, Mars appears near Orion in the evening sky, but as the Earth speeds past Mars in its orbit, Mars appears to move "retrograde" - the reverse of its normal path across the sky. By next month, it will have moved past Orion and will rise earlier and earlier each day.

Where is cancer located in the sky?

Cancer is located within the "zodiac" with leo to the east & gemini to the west. It's most visible in the northern hemisphere during winter & spring but only on very dark and clear nights thus the lack of bright stars within the constellation.

What is constellation in space science?

The celestial sphere is divided up into regions, each of which is a constellation with a name like Orion, Lacerta or Andromeda. Every direction in space belongs in a constellation, for example Polaris is in Ursa Minor and Sirius is in Canis Major.

Most laypeople use the word constellation to mean a pattern of stars, but technically the proper word for that is "asterism." Most constellations have at least one famous asterism in them (the one with the same name as the constellation itself), but the constellation includes ALL the stars in that part of the sky, even those that are too faint to see, while the asterism is just the brightest stars.

Can circumpolar stars be included in the zodiac?

No. The Zodiac are 12 constellations that lie in the plane of the ecliptic; circumpolar ("moving around the pole") stars are well above or below the ecliptic.

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.