What are constellations? A group of stars that form a pattern in the sky.

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. The constellations you see depend on your location, date, and time. Most have legends, myths or stories behind them.

Why do the Stars appear to move in the night sky?

The Stars seem to spin around the North Star (Polaris)

Polaris: The North Star As the Earth rotates on its axis its “celestial” north pole remains directly in line with Polaris. This forms the circles seen in the previous photograph

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

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

Ursa Major Circumpolar Constellation

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

Circumpolar Constellations

Latitude and Longitude Latitude : Measures positions north or south of the equator. (Note: This is an angle) 0o = the equator. 90o N= the north pole. 90o S = the south pole. Longitude : Measures positions east or west of the Prime Meridian. (This is an angle) The Prime meridian is an imaginary line that passes through Greenwhich, England. Beavercreek, OH Latitude: 39.73 N, Longitude: 84.06 W

The Dome of the Sky: Definitions in your local sky

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