As early as 5000 years ago, people began naming patterns of stars, called constellations, in the honor of mythological characters or great heroes. Today, 88 constellations are recognized. They divide the sky into disjoint units. Every star in the sky is in one of these constellations.

Astronomers label stars within a constellation based on their apparent brightness, brightest = alpha a, second brightest = beta b, … Some of the brightest stars have actual names, like Rigel & Betelgeuse (both in the constellation Orion)

Ursa Major Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is visible in the Northern Hemisphere all year long.

Ursa Major Circumpolar Constellation

How to find Pole Star Distance to the pole star is five times the distance between the two pointer stars

Ursa Minor Ursa Minor, the Little Bear, is visible in the Northern Hemisphere all year long. Ursa Minor is mostly known for Polaris, the North Star, which may be found at the end of the handle.

Ursa Minor Circumpolar Constellation

arc to Arcturus (Bootes) and spike to Spica (Pisces)

Views of Orion from Tasmania (Australia) and Iran (Asia) http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100115.html

Cepheus The story behind it: Cepheus was the King of Ethiopia. He married Cassiopeia and they had a daughter Andromeda. Cassiopeia was incredibly beautiful but immensely vain. She was also proud of her daughter's beauty. In fact she continually boasted that the two of them were more beautiful than any of the fifty sea nymphs who attended Poseidon's court. These nymphs (the Nereids) complained to Poseidon, who felt he had to defend his own reputation. So he sent a flood to devastate Cepheus' kingdom. The oracles told Cepheus that in order to save his people he must sacrifice his daughter to a great sea monster: Andromeda was tied to a rock along the coastline, dressed only in her jewelry. The monster would be along in due time to take his prize. At that moment Perseus came flying by. He had just killed the Gorgon Medusa and was carrying the severed head back to Athene. To make a long story short, he saved her then turned everyone into stone by showing them the severed head. Poseidon then put the stone frozen Cepheus and Cassiopeia into the heavens, but with a twist: he made the vain Cassiopeia spin around on her chair, spending half the year upside down. As for Cepheus, Poseidon gave him a number of medium sized stars that go to make his square face with a pointed crown.

Cepheus Circumpolar Constellation

Cassiopeia Circumpolar Constellation This constellation is at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy and has the shape of a "W".

Draco Draco, the Dragon, used to hold special significance as the location of the pole star, but due to the Earth's precession, the pole has shifted to Polaris in Ursa Minor.

Circumpolar Constellations Visible thoroughout the year.

Circumpolar Constellations

Circumpolar Constellations

Circumpolar Constellations

Circumpolar Constellations

Circumpolar Constellations

Orion Orion is the master of the winter skies. He lords over the heavens from late fall to early spring, with his hunting dog Sirius trailing at his feet. The story behind it: (Orion holding an animal) Orion was known as the "dweller of the mountain", and was famous for his prowess both as a hunter and as a lover. But when he boasted that he would eventually rid the earth of all the wild animals, his doom may have been sealed. The Earth Goddess sent the deadly scorpion to Orion to kill him. Orion engaged the scorpion in battle but quickly realized its armour was impervious to any mortal's attack. Orion then jumped into the sea and died. In his eternal hunting, Orion is careful to keep well ahead of the scorpion. Orion disappears over the horizon by the time Scorpio rises in the east, as it becomes his turn to rule the evening sky.

Orion Not a circumpolar constellation, but a seasonal constellation Betelgeuse, the right arm of Orion (or "armpit" as the name suggests), glows with a dull red. Rigel, in the opposite corner of the constellation, is blue and much brighter. Belt of Orion: Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

On the left: The Hunter - Orion In the middle: Name: The Bull - Taurus Bellatrix, Betelgeuse, Alnitak, Alnilam,Mintaka, Saiph, Rigel Aldebaran Sirius/Adara On the left: The Hunter - Orion In the middle: Name: The Bull - Taurus On the right: Name: The Greater Dog - Canis Major

On the left: The Lion - Leo In the middle: The Herdsman - Böötes Regulus Arcturus Spica At first, this constellation was recognized as the figure of a stalk of wheat, and then was introduced to the Greeks and become the figure of a virgin who holds a stalk of wheat, linking it with Greek mythology and legend. On the left: The Lion - Leo In the middle: The Herdsman - Böötes On the right: The Virgin - Virgo

Summer On the left: The Crab - Cancer In the middle: The Scorpion - Scorpio On the right: The Archer - Sagittarius

On the left and in the middle: Andromeda The Andromeda constellation is famous for containing the Andromeda Nebula, the closest galaxy to our Milky Way. On the right: The Fishes, Pisces

Ecliptic Constellations & Zodiac Signs A band of 12 constellations around the sky entered on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun on the earth as the earth revolves around it). Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

Ecliptic Constellations

Different sets of constellations are visible in northern and southern skies. The Altitude of the celestial pole (Polaris) = your latitude