Some Interesting Facts About Star Constellations

Constellations Are Star Patterns In The Night Sky

Constellations (“set of stars”) are basically groups of stars that have imaginatively been linked together to depict mythological characters, animals, and objects from mankind’s past.

There Are 88 Official Constellations

In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially recognized 88 constellations, 48 of which were recorded by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his book ‘Almagest’ written around 150 AD. Ptolemy’s chart had gaps, especially near the south celestial pole as this area was uncharted at the time, but over the centuries new constellations have been added to the list, including by Dutch explorers Gerardus Mercator (1551), and Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Hauptmann near the turn of the 16th century. Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (1690), and French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1750s) later completed the remaining constellations we are now familiar with in the night sky.

Rotation Of Constellations A Matter of Perspective

 Some Constellations Have Families

A constellation family refers to a group of constellations located within the same region of the night sky.

Asterism Not Considered True Constellation

An asterism is a pattern of stars that are widely recognized and contained within an official constellation but is not counted as a true constellation in itself. The Big Dipper, for instance, is a famous asterism but the seven stars in this arrangement of stars represent less than half of the whole constellation known as Ursa Major. Another famous asterism is the three stars in a row which form Orion’s belt.