Constellations Sam Kojiro Terrence Tenjoma

What is a constellation?  A constellation is a chance grouping of stars that ancient people saw as pictures in the sky  Constellations were known as asterisms also  This is the Orion constellation.

Major constellations  There are 88 major constellations that are recognized by astronomers  Andromeda  Aries  Gemini  Hercules  Scorpius  Ursa Major and Minor

Big Dipper and Little Dipper  Big Dipper-makes up part of another constellation called the Ursa Major  Little Dipper- makes up part of Ursa Minor  The last star on the handle of the Little Dipper is the star Polaris

Andromeda  Brightest star is Alpheratz  Named after the princess whom the Greek hero Perseus saves from being eaten by the monster Cetus.

Aries  Aries makes up a shape of a ram, Aries is ram in Latin  Its is one of the main signs in the zodiac

Gemini  The two brightest stars are Castor and Pollux  The names of the two brightest stars of this constellation, Castor and Pollux, can be found in the greek mythology: One day Zeus seduced Leda, the wife of the King of Sparta, Tyndareos. To get Leda Zeus changed himself to a swan. Leda became pregant and gave birth to the twins Pollux and Castor and to a girl named Helena. This was the same Helena who was robbed by Paris and brought to Troja; this was the reason for the start of the trojanian war.

Hercules  Hercules is the son of Zeus and the mortal Alkmene. Hera was going to kill him, but instead gave him 12 tasks to complete. If he completed the tasks he would become a God. He completed the tasks and was given Hebe for a wife.  It is the fifth largest constellation

Scorpius  Lies between the constellations Libra and Sagittarius.  Myth: Once Orion, son of Poseidon and Eurayle, claimed that he was mighty enough to kill all the wild animals on the Earth. The Greek Gods and Goddesses were alarmed by Orion's boast. Secondly, Apollo was also fearful of Orion's love for his sister Artemis. In order to curtail Orion's pursuit, Gaia, the Greek Goddess of Earth, sent the mighty and gigantic scorpion to kill Orion. After this, the tale splits into various versions. According to one version, Gaia took pity on Orion and placed him on the opposite side of the Scorpius in the sky so as to prevent the two from combating again. According to the second version, Orion fled from the scorpion by swimming in the sea to see Artemis. Apollo on observing this, challenged Artemis in hunting skills and dared her to shoot the black spot in the sea. Artemis succeeded in doing so, while mistakenly killing Orion. Therefore, the Scorpius constellation rises in the east only when the Orion is seen to set in the west.

Importance  Used to tell time  E.G. The Chinese zodiac.  Also used to locate position on earth by sailors and travelers.

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Works Cited  "Constellations." JIM KALER. Web. 07 Feb  "NASA - Constellation Main." NASA - Home. Web. 07 Feb  "Stars and Constellations." UW Astronomy. Web. 07 Feb  "Constellations." Windows to the Universe. Web. 07 Feb  