As early as 5000 years ago, people became fascinated with the star-studded skies and began to name the patterns they saw. These patterns of stars, called.

As early as 5000 years ago, people became fascinated with the star-studded skies and began to name the patterns they saw. These patterns of stars, called constellations, were named in honor of mythological characters or great heroes. Today, 88 constellations are recognized. They are used to divide the sky into units. Every star in the sky is in, but is not necessarily part of, one of these constellations.

Clusters – The little specks in the sky that we see may really be one or more stars clustered together. Why don’t star patterns change? Because they are so far away from us!

Astronomers label stars within a constellation based on apparent magnitude, brightest= alpha, second brightest beta, etc. 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 is the best known of the constellation and it appears in every reference known. The story behind it: Callisto was changed to a bear because of Zeus's jealousy and transferred her to the sky. This is improbable, as the constellation was already well established before this time. The drawings all show a bear with a long tail, again not likely correct since bears have no tails. The most likely explanation for the bears is the fact that Native Americans called the constellations the bear, but instead of the tail they depict the bear being chased around the pole by seven braves.

Ursa Major

Ursa Major Circumpolar Constellation

How to find the Big Dipper

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. The story behind it: Ursa Minor does not have any mythology attached to it, it was created in the 6th century B.C. as a navigational aid for sailors out of a long forgotten constellation called the Dragon's wing.

Ursa Minor Circumpolar Constellation

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 This constellation is at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy and has the shape of a "W". The story behind it: Cassiopeia had been the wife of Cepheus. Because she thought herself more beautiful than the daughters of Nereus, a god of the sea, she angered the god Poseidon. To punish her, her daughter was chained to a rock of the coast as a sacrifice for a sea monster. Andromeda was saved from death by Perseus. To learn humility Cassiopeia was banned to the sky hanging half of the time head downward.

Cassiopeia Circumpolar Constellation

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. The story behind it: The dragon is Ladon, the guardian of the 'golden apples' of immortality which grew in the garden of Hesperides, beyond the River of Time, in the land of death. It is Ladon which Hercules kills in his 11th labor to get the golden apples.

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 a bow)‏ Orion was a handsome and famous hunter. The Battle-Goddess Anat fell in love with him, but when he refused to lend her his bow, she sent another man to steal it. This chap bungled the job, and wound up killing Orion and dropping the bow into the sea. This is said to explain the astronomical fact that Orion and the Bow (an older version of the constellation) drops below the horizon for two months every spring. Another 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 amour 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 has 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 much brighter.

Orion 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
There is a record of the Lion in an astronomical poem from Greece in the 3rd or 4th century B.C. In the middle: The Herdsman - Böötes On the right: The Virgin - Virgo 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.

Summer On the left: The Crab - Cancer
Its name is Cancer in Latin, which is the same name as the disease, cancer. This disease was named after the shell of the crab, which is similar to the shape of breast cancer. In the middle: The Scorpion - Scorpio The Scorpion has existed since the oldest of times. After sunset, around the 7th of July, you can see it in the shape of a large S above the southern horizon where the milky way is streaming down. The figure of this constellation was originally the figure of a scorpion with scissors. Later the scissors were separated to become the Balance. On the right: The Archer - Sagittarius The Archer has been recognized since the Babylonian era. At that time it was the figure of a man with a bow in his hand, not the present figure of the half man half horse which is recognized in Greek mythology.

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. Andromeda was chained up for a sea monster to devour her. Andromeda is also the daughter of Cassiopeia & Cepheus On the right: The Fishes, Pisces In ancient Babylon, this constellation was viewed as the figure of a mermaid tied together with a swallow with a fish tail. The present figure appeared in a 3rd or 4th century B.C. Greek poem.

Signs Of The Zodiac From our perspective on earth, the sun takes a path through the sky (known as the ecliptic). It passes through these constellations.

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

Vulpecula Volans Virgo Vela Ursa Minor Ursa Major Tucana Triangulum Australe Triangulum Telescopium Taurus Sextans Serpens Scutum Sculptor Scorpius Sagittarius Sagitta Reticulum Pyxis Puppis Piscis Austrinus Pisces Pictor Phoenix Perseus Pegasus Pavo Orion Ophiuchus Octans Norma Musca Monoceros Microscopium Mensa Lyra Lynx Lupus Libra Lepus Leo Minor Leo Lacerta Indus Hydrus Hydra Horologium Hercules Grus Gemini Fornax Eridanus Equuleus Draco Dorado Delphinus Cygnus Crux Crater Corvus Corona Borealis Corona Australis Coma Berenices Columba Circinus Chamaeleon Cetus Cepheus Centaurus Cassiopeia Carina Capricornus Canis Minor Canis Major Canes Venatici Cancer Camelopardalis Caelum Boötes Auriga Aries Ara Aquila Aquarius Apus Antlia Andromeda

As early as 5000 years ago, people became fascinated with the star-studded skies and began to name the patterns they saw. These patterns of stars, called.

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As early as 5000 years ago, people became fascinated with the star-studded skies and began to name the patterns they saw. These patterns of stars, called.

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Presentation on theme: "As early as 5000 years ago, people became fascinated with the star-studded skies and began to name the patterns they saw. These patterns of stars, called."— Presentation transcript:

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