0
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
Are the stars that make up the constellation near each other?
Not necessarily. A constellation is more properly thought of as a direction from the Earth, rather than a region of space. Stars that are in the same direction appear to be part of the same "picture", but one may be more distant from the other.
As an extreme example, the star 61Cyg in the constellation Cygnus is about 11 light-years from Earth, while the apparently nearby Deneb (also in Cygnus) is 3200 light-years away. Deneb is essentially "behind" 61Cyg, so they appear to be in the same region of the sky, even though they are very far from each other.
Is the sun or spica hotter in temperature?
Spica actually consists of two stars very close together. Both are hotter than the sun.
The brighter primary star has a temperature 22,400 Kelvin, and the secondary cooler star is 18,500 Kelvin. In comparison, the sun has an effective photosphere temperature of 5,778 Kelvin.
What is the constellation for November?
During November, the Sun travels through the following constellations:
Libra: 31 October – 22 November
Scorpius: 23 November – 29 November
Ophiuchus: 30 November – 17 December
In recreational fortune-telling, November is associated with the zodiacal signs of "Scorpio" and Saggitarius.
Which constellation contains the black dwarf?
It is not believed that any black dwarfs exist yet, as the universe is not old enough for a white dwarf to cool.
Does the andromerta constellation have any binary stars?
Gamma Andromedae, "Almach" is a spectacular quadruple star in Andromeda. Two of the stars can be seen with a small telescope, colored red and blue.
What is longitude hours in centaurus constellation?
The Right Ascension of Centaurus is roughly between 11h and 15h.
Why is the Big Dipper considered a circumpolar constellation?
This is because in many places in the northern hemisphere the Big Dipper never sets, it just goes round and round the Pole Star.
Anywhere north of about 40 degrees north, none of the stars in the Big Dipper ever sets.
The Big Dipper is not an official constellation, it is only part of Ursa Major.
What are the similaretys between asterisms and constellations?
Both terms refer to visual groupings of stars.
Both terms are arbitrary human conventions with no theoretical importance.
Why does the constellation seem to move as the seasons on earth change?
The Earth rotates once in 23 hours 56 minutes relative to the stars, but it takes an extra 4 minutes for the Sun to return to the same place. Thus the stars gain on the Sun by 4 minutes every day, and in a year that difference adds up to one extra rotation so the stars appear to go round 366 times instead of 365.
What is the name of big deeper in Orion constellation?
Astronomers call that shape the Pot because it looks like aPot or a dipper as you say.
What months can you see Orion best?
Orion is a recognisable constellation's mostly visible in the winter season looks like a shape of kite or a big square.
Where can the constellation Scorpius be seen?
It's most easily seen from the southern hemisphere where it's high in the sky in the winter. In the northern hemisphere it is low in the southern sky in the summer so can be elusive. The main star is Antares.
What is the importance of constellations to mankind?
Constellations are of mainly historical importance, as a record of the way in which the human race used to think about the stars. Modern astronomers do not categorize stars according to constellations, since they have more meaningful criteria. Astrologers, of course, continue to attribute vast mystical significance to constellations.
How far is the cancer crab constellation away from the earth?
Cancer is a region of the sky, not an object at a distance.
The star DX Cancri in Cancer is about 12 light-years from Earth. (It cannot be seen with the naked eye.)
Cancer also contains Messier 67, a star cluster about 2500 light-years from Earth.
There may be closer objects too, and there are certainly more distant objects. At any distance, these are all within the constellation of Cancer.
Why does the constellation Scorpius can be seen in the summer night sky but not in the winter?
Between November and March, Scorpius is up at the same time as the Sun, and this is generally poor conditions for stargazing.
However, it can easily be seen during the winter in the southern hemisphere.
What is the relationship between Ursa major and the big dipper?
"The Big Dipper" is a traditional asterism of seven prominent stars within the constellation of Ursa Major.
How do you know if a constellation is circumpolar?
It is a constellation that never sets due to its proximity to one of the celestial poles. This means that unlike some constellations, it is always visible on any clear night of the year. You will notice when you observe it throughout the year, that it does seem to change position, as it rotates around the celestial pole. Ursa Major is probably the best known of them.
How hot was Hercules constellation?
The Hercules constellation itself doesn't have a temperature, as it is a grouping of stars rather than a physical object. However, some of its notable stars, like Alpha Herculis (Rasalgethi), have surface temperatures ranging from about 4,800 to 7,500 Kelvin. The overall temperature perception of a constellation depends on the individual stars it contains and their unique characteristics.
