It is a group of stars that has the animal patterns that people see.
They are “pictures” in the sky that ancient astronomers perceived by imagining lines or relations between stars that appear grouped. A simple, geometric star pattern lies at the heart of each constellation. Constellations depict people, inanimate objects, real animals (birds, insects, and land and water creatures), and mythological animals (serpents, dragons, and flying horses).
Constellation Names
Latin constellation name has two forms:
1. the nominative, for use when talking about the constellation itself.
2. genitive, or possessive, which is used in star names.
Example:
Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation Aries (nominative form), is also called Alpha Arietis (genitive form), meaning literally “the alpha of Aries”.
The IAU adopted three-letter abbreviations of the constellation names at its inaugural General Assembly in Rome in 1922.
They are “pictures” in the sky that ancient astronomers perceived by imagining lines or relations between stars that appear grouped. A simple, geometric star pattern lies at the heart of each constellation. Constellations depict people, inanimate objects, real animals (birds, insects, and land and water creatures), and mythological animals (serpents, dragons, and flying horses).
Constellation Names
Latin constellation name has two forms:
1. the nominative, for use when talking about the constellation itself.
2. genitive, or possessive, which is used in star names.
Example:
Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation Aries (nominative form), is also called Alpha Arietis (genitive form), meaning literally “the alpha of Aries”.
The IAU adopted three-letter abbreviations of the constellation names at its inaugural General Assembly in Rome in 1922.
These constellations are always visible in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere.
These constellations are always visible in the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere.