Constellation

Constellation
What are constellations ?

1. We can see millions of stars in the sky at night .
2. A group of stars can form a pattern .
3. The pattern formed by a group of stars is called a
constellation .
4. Examples of constellations are
* Big Dipper
* Southern Cross
* Orion
* Scorpion
5.
The following
table shows The
information
the
Constella
Pattern
times about
The
constellations
.
tion
when these direction
constellatio
n
shown the
constellati
ons
Big Dipper
A bowl with a
handle
April to June,
North Pole
around 8 p.m.
to 10 p.m.
Southern
Cross
A cross
April to June,
South Pole
around 8 p.m.
to 10 p.m.
Orion
A hunter with
a belt and a
sword
December to
February
Scorpion
North Pole
A scorpion
June to
~
withare
a head,
6. The following
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of constellation :
long body, tail around 8 p.m.
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Constellation during Spring
Leo, the Lion

The zodiacal constellation Leo, the lion, is one of a
handful of constellations that really does look like its
namesake. Look for Leo high in south in April and May.
Leo's brightest star is blue-white Regulus, one of the
brightest stars in the night sky. Regulus rises almost due
east, with the body of the lion following it into the sky
over the next couple of hours. Once Regulus climbs into
the sky, look to its left toward the north for a group
of stars forming a backward question mark. These stars
outline Leo's head and mane.
About two hours later, look low in the east for Leo's tail
a white star named Denebola an Arabic name that,
appropriately enough, means "tail of the lion."
Cygnus, the Swan

The brightest stars of Cygnus form a cross, so the swan is
also known as the Northern Cross. Find it soaring high
overhead during late summer evenings.
The constellation's brightest star is Deneb an Arabic
word that means "the tail." Deneb the tail of the swan
marks the top of the cross. The swan's outstretched
wings form the horizontal bar of the cross, while the head
of the swan a double star called Albireo is the
bottom of the cross.
Although it lies about 1,500 light-years from Earth, Deneb
shines brightly in our night sky because it's a white
supergiant a star that's much larger, hotter, and
brighter than the Sun. Deneb is the northeastern point of
a star pattern called the Summer Triangle.
If you use binoculars to scan the area between the two
bright stars that define the swan's eastern wing, you'll
see the remnant of a supernova a faint, incomplete
ring of light called the Cygnus Loop.
Constellation during Autumn
Pegasus, the Flying Horse

Pegasus is a large pattern of stars marked by a great
square four bright stars that form the body of the
winged horse.
The brightest star in the Great Square Alpheratz
isn't in the constellation Pegasus. It's in Andromeda,
which is just northeast of Pegasus. It's part of the ancient
sky picture that we know as Pegasus. But when
astronomers drew the official boundaries for the
constellations, this star was placed just across the line in
Andromeda.
The brightest star in the constellation Pegasus is called
Markab, which means "the saddle." It's at the
southwestern corner of the Great Square.
Perseus, the Hero

Perseus, the hero, arcs high overhead in fall and early
winter. Many of its stars are immersed in the faint glow of
our galaxy, the Milky Way. In fact, if you look at Perseus
under dark skies, you may be able to see three of the
spiral
that enfold
the
Milky
Way.
One ofarms
the brightest
and
most
interesting
stars in Perseus
is Algol. The name Algol means "demon star." Ancient
skywatchers thought it was cursed because its brightness
changes. That's because Algol which is about 75 lightyears from Earth is the most famous "eclipsing binary"
star. Today, astronomers know that Algol is two separate
stars. About once every three days, the fainter member
of the pair passes in front of the brighter one, and Algol
grows fainter.
A faint star cluster in Perseus, called M34 is visible with
Constellation during Winter
Orion, the Hunter

Orion is one of the most beautiful of all constellations,
and one of the easiest to find. It looks like a large
rectangle high in winter's south-southeastern sky.
Two of the brightest stars in the evening sky lie at
opposite corners of the rectangle: bright red Betelgeuse
at the northeastern corner and even brighter Rigel at the
southwest. Near the center of the rectangle, look for a
short diagonal line of three stars Orion's belt. And
extending south from the belt, you'll see another, fainter
line of stars that forms Orion's sword.
One of the objects in Orion's sword isn't a star at all. It's a
nebula a cloud of gas and dust that's like a giant
fluorescent bulb. Hot young stars inside the nebula pump
energy into its gas, causing the gas to glow.
Auriga, the Charioteer

Auriga, the celestial charioteer, has neither chariot nor
horse. Instead, he's drawn as a man holding the reins in
his right hand, with a goat on his left shoulder the star
Capella and two baby goats in his left arm. Look for
him cruising high across the southern sky in January and
The constellation has an uncertain origin. It might
February.
represent Neptune rising from the sea in a chariot. Or it
might honor a legendary king of Athens; according to this
tale, he invented a chariot that was drawn by four horses.
Capella is one of the few bright stars that is yellow, like
our Sun. Both Capella and the Sun are yellow because
they have roughly the same surface temperature.
But the light from Capella actually comes from two
separate stars. Both are yellow, and both lie about 43
light-years from Earth. Each star emits dozens of times
more light than the Sun. In fact, any residents of the
Capella system probably would take little notice of our

Constellation

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Constellation

What are constellations ?

Constellation during Spring

Leo, the Lion

Cygnus, the Swan

Constellation during Autumn

Pegasus, the Flying Horse

Perseus, the Hero

Constellation during Winter

Orion, the Hunter

Auriga, the Charioteer

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