What are constellations and what are they? Constellations in alphabetical order of Russian names

The night sky amazes with its beauty and countless number of heavenly fireflies. What is especially fascinating is that their arrangement is structured, as if they were specially placed in in the right order, forming star systems. Since ancient times, stargazers have tried to count all these myriad heavenly bodies and give them names. Today, a huge number of stars have been discovered in the sky, but this is only a small part of all existing vast Universe. Let's look at what constellations and luminaries there are.

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Stars and their classification

A star is a celestial body that emits enormous amounts of light and heat.

It consists mainly of helium (lat. Helium), as well as (lat. Hydrogenium).

The celestial body is in a state of equilibrium due to the pressure inside the body itself and its own.

Emits warmth and light as a result of thermonuclear reactions, occurring inside the body.

What types are there depending on life cycle and structures:

• Main sequence. This is the main life cycle of the star. This is exactly what it is, as well as the vast majority of others.
• Brown dwarf. A relatively small, dim object with a low temperature. The first one was opened in 1995.
• White dwarf. At the end of its life cycle, the ball begins to shrink until its density balances gravity. Then it goes out and cools down.
• Red giant. Huge body highlighting a large number of light, but not very hot (up to 5000 K).
• New. New stars do not light up, just old ones flare up with renewed vigor.
• Supernova. This is the same new one with the release of a large amount of light.
• Hypernova. This is a supernova, but much larger.
• Bright Blue Variables (LBV). The biggest and also the hottest.
• Ultra X-ray sources (ULX). They release large amounts of radiation.
• Neutron. Characterized by rapid rotation and a strong magnetic field.
• Unique. Double, with different sizes.

Types depending from the spectrum:

• Blue.
• White and blue.
• White.
• Yellow-white.
• Yellow.
• Orange.
• Red.

Important! Most of the stars in the sky are entire systems. What we see as one may actually be two, three, five or even hundreds of bodies of one system.

Names of stars and constellations

The stars have always fascinated us. They became the object of study, both from the mystical side (astrology, alchemy) and from the scientific side (astronomy). People looked for them, calculated them, counted them, put them into constellations, and also give them names. Constellations are clusters of celestial bodies located in a certain sequence.

In the sky in certain conditions from different points you can see up to 6 thousand stars. They have their own scientific names, but about three hundred of them also have personal names that they received from ancient times. Stars mostly have Arabic names.

The fact is that when astronomy was actively developing everywhere, the Western world was experiencing the “dark ages”, so its development lagged significantly behind. Here Mesopotamia was most successful, China less so.

The Arabs not only discovered new but they also renamed the heavenly bodies, who already had Latin or Greek name. They went down in history with Arabic names. The constellations mostly had Latin names.

Brightness depends on the light emitted, size and distance from us. The brightest star is the Sun. It is not the largest, not the brightest, but it is closest to us.

The most beautiful luminaries with the greatest brightness. The first among them:

1. Sirius (Alpha Canis Major);
2. Canopus (Alpha Carinae);
3. Toliman (Alpha Centauri);
4. Arcturus (Alpha Bootes);
5. Vega (Alpha Lyrae).

Naming periods

Conventionally, we can distinguish several periods in which people gave names to heavenly bodies.

Pre-Antique period

Since ancient times, people have tried to “understand” the sky and gave the night luminaries names. No more than 20 names from those times have reached us. Scientists from Babylon, Egypt, Israel, Assyria and Mesopotamia worked actively here.

Greek period

The Greeks didn't really delve into astronomy. They gave names to only a small number of luminaries. Mostly, they took names from the names of the constellations or simply attributed existing names. All astronomical knowledge of ancient Greece, as well as Babylon, was collected Greek scientist Ptolemy Claudius(I-II centuries) in the works “Almagest” and “Tetrabiblos”.

Almagest (Great Construction) is the work of Ptolemy in thirteen books, where he, based on the work of Hipparchus of Nicea (c. 140 BC), tries to explain the structure of the Universe. He also lists the names of some of the brightest constellations.

Table of celestial bodies described in the Almagest

Name of the stars	Name of constellations	Description, location
Sirius	Big dog	Located in the mouth of the constellation. She is also called the Dog. The brightest of the night sky.
Procyon	Small dog	On the hind legs.
Arcturus	Bootes	Did not enter Bootes form. It is located below it.
Regulus	a lion	Located in the heart of Leo. Also called Tsarskaya.
Spica	Virgo	On the left hand. It has another name - Kolos.
Antares	Scorpion	Located in the middle.
Vega	Lyra	Located on the sink. Another name is Alpha Lyra.
Chapel	Auriga	Left shoulder. Also called - Goat.
Canopus	Ship Argo	On the keel of the ship.

Tetrabiblos is another work of Ptolemy Claudius in four books. The list of celestial bodies is supplemented here.

Roman period

The Roman Empire was engaged in the study of astronomy, but when this science began to actively develop, Rome fell. And behind the state, its science fell into decay. However, about a hundred stars have Latin names, although this does not guarantee that they were given names their scientists are from Rome.

Arab period

The fundamental work of the Arabs in the study of astronomy was the work of Ptolemy Almagest. They transferred most of it to Arabic. Based on the religious beliefs of the Arabs, they replaced the names of some of the luminaries. Names were often given based on the location of the body in the constellation. So, many of them have names or parts of names meaning neck, leg or tail.

Table of Arabic names

Arabic name	Meaning	Stars with Arabic names	Constellation
Ras	Head	Alpha Hercules	Hercules
Algenib	Side	Alpha Persei, Gamma Persei	Perseus
Menkib	Shoulder	Alpha Orionis, Alpha Pegasus, Beta Pegasus, Beta Aurigae, Zeta Persei, Phita Centauri	Pegasus, Perseus, Orion, Centaurus, Auriga
Rigel	Leg	Alpha Centauri, Beta Orionis, Mu Virgo	Centaurus, Orion, Virgo
Rukba	Knee	Alpha Sagittarius, Delta Cassiopeia, Upsilon Cassiopeia, Omega Cygnus	Sagittarius, Cassiopeia, Swan
Sheat	Shin	Beta Pegasus, Delta Aquarius	Pegasus, Aquarius
Mirfak	Elbow	Alpha Persei, Capa Hercules, Lambda Ophiuchus, Phita and Mu Cassiopeia	Perseus, Ophiuchus, Cassiopeia, Hercules
Menkar	Nose	Alpha Ceti, Lambda Ceti, Upsilon Crow	Keith, Raven
Markab	That which moves	Alpha Pegasus, Tau Pegasus, Cape of Sails	Ship Argo, Pegasus

Renaissance

Since the 16th century in Europe, antiquity has been revived, and with it science. Arabic names did not change, but Arabic-Latin hybrids often appeared.

New clusters of celestial bodies were practically not discovered, but old ones were supplemented with new objects. A significant event of that time was the release of the starry atlas “Uranometry”.

Its compiler was the amateur astronomer Johann Bayer (1603). On the atlas he painted an artistic image of the constellations.

And most importantly, he suggested principle of naming luminaries with the addition of letters of the Greek alphabet. The brightest body of the constellation will be called “Alpha”, the less bright “Beta” and so on until “Omega”. For example, the brightest star in Scorpii is Alpha Scorpii, the less bright Beta Scorpii, then Gamma Scorpii, etc.

Nowadays

With the advent of powerful ones, a huge number of luminaries began to be discovered. Now they are not allowed beautiful names, but simply assign an index with a digital and letter code. But it happens that celestial bodies are given personal names. They are called by names scientific discoverers, and now you can even buy the opportunity to name the luminary as you wish.

Important! The sun is not part of any constellation.

What are the constellations?

Initially, the figures were figures formed by bright luminaries. Nowadays scientists use them as landmarks of the celestial sphere.

The most famous constellations in alphabetical order:

1. Andromeda. Located in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere.
2. Twins. The brightest luminaries are Pollux and Castor. Zodiac sign.
3. Big Dipper. Seven stars forming the image of a ladle.
4. Big Dog. It has the brightest star in the sky - Sirius.
5. Scales. Zodiac, consisting of 83 objects.
6. Aquarius. Zodiac, with an asterism forming a jug.
7. Auriga. Its most outstanding object is the Chapel.
8. Wolf. Located in the southern hemisphere.
9. Bootes. The brightest luminary is Arcturus.
10. Veronica's hair. Consists of 64 visible objects.
11. Crow. It is best seen in mid-latitudes.
12. Hercules. Has 235 visible objects.
13. Hydra. The most important luminary is Alphard.
14. Pigeon. 71 bodies of the southern hemisphere.
15. Hound Dogs. 57 visible objects.
16. Virgo. Zodiac, with the brightest body - Spica.
17. Dolphin. Visible everywhere except Antarctica.
18. The Dragon. Northern hemisphere, practically a pole.
19. Unicorn. Located on the milky way.
20. Altar. 60 visible stars.
21. Painter. Includes 49 objects.
22. Giraffe. Faintly visible in the northern hemisphere.
23. Crane. The brightest is Alnair.
24. Hare. 72 celestial bodies.
25. Ophiuchus. The 13th sign of the zodiac, but not included in this list.
26. Snake. 106 luminaries.
27. Golden Fish. 32 objects visible to the naked eye.
28. Indian. Faintly visible constellation.
29. Cassiopeia. It's shaped like the letter "W".
30. Keel. 206 objects.
31. Whale. Located in the “water” zone of the sky.
32. Capricorn. Zodiac, southern hemisphere.
33. Compass. 43 visible luminaries.
34. Stern. Located on the milky way.
35. Swan. Located in the northern part.
36. A lion. Zodiac, northern part.
37. Flying fish. 31 objects.
38. Lyra. The brightest luminary is Vega.
39. Chanterelle. Dull.
40. Ursa Minor. Located above the North Pole. It has the North Star.
41. Small Horse. 14 luminaries
42. Small Dog. Bright constellation.
43. Microscope. South part.
44. Fly. At the equator.
45. Pump. Southern sky.
46. Square. Goes through Milky Way.
47. Aries. Zodiacal, having bodies Mezarthim, Hamal and Sheratan.
48. Octant. At the South Pole.
49. Eagle. At the equator.
50. Orion. Has a bright object - Rigel.
51. Peacock. Southern Hemisphere.
52. Sail. 195 luminaries of the southern hemisphere.
53. Pegasus. South of Andromeda. Its brightest stars are Markab and Enif.
54. Perseus. It was discovered by Ptolemy. The first object is Mirfak.
55. Bake. Almost invisible.
56. Bird of paradise. Located near the south pole.
57. Cancer. Zodiac, faintly visible.
58. Cutter. South part.
59. Fish. A large constellation divided into two parts.
60. Lynx. 92 visible luminaries.
61. Northern Crown. Crown shape.
62. Sextant. At the equator.
63. Net. Consists of 22 objects.
64. Scorpion. The first luminary is Antares.
65. Sculptor. 55 celestial bodies.
66. Sagittarius. Zodiac.
67. Calf. Zodiac. Aldebaran is the brightest object.
68. Triangle. 25 stars.
69. Toucan. This is where the Small Magellanic Cloud is located.
70. Phoenix. 63 luminaries.
71. Chameleon. Small and dim.
72. Centaurus. Its brightest star for us, Proxima Centauri, is the closest to the Sun.
73. Cepheus. Has the shape of a triangle.
74. Compass. Near Alpha Centauri.
75. Watch. It has an elongated shape.
76. Shield. Near the equator.
77. Eridanus. Big constellation.
78. South Hydra. 32 celestial bodies.
79. Southern Crown. Dimly visible.
80. Southern Fish. 43 objects.
81. South Cross. In the form of a cross.
82. Southern Triangle. Has the shape of a triangle.
83. Lizard. No bright objects.

What are the constellations of the Zodiac?

Zodiac signs - constellations through which the earth passes through throughout the year, forming a conditional ring around the system. Interestingly, there are 12 accepted zodiac signs, although Ophiuchus, which is not considered a zodiac, is also located on this ring.

Attention! There are no constellations.

By and large, there are no figures at all made up of celestial bodies.

After all, when we look at the sky, we perceive it as plane in two dimensions, but the luminaries are located not on a plane, but in space, at a huge distance from each other.

They do not form any pattern.

Let's say that light from Proxima Centauri, closest to the Sun, reaches us in almost 4.3 years.

And from another object of the same star system, Omega Centauri, it reaches the earth in 16 thousand years. All divisions are quite arbitrary.

Constellations and stars - a map of the sky, Interesting Facts

Names of stars and constellations

Conclusion

It is impossible to calculate a reliable number of celestial bodies in the Universe. You can't even get close to the exact number. Stars unite into galaxies. Our Milky Way galaxy alone numbers about 100,000,000,000. From Earth using the most powerful telescopes About 55,000,000,000 galaxies can be detected. With the advent of the Hubble telescope, which is in orbit around the Earth, scientists have discovered about 125,000,000,000 galaxies, each with billions, hundreds of billions of objects. What is clear is that there are at least a trillion trillion luminaries in the Universe, but this is only a small part of what is real.

Ancient astronomers, peering into the night sky, noticed that some stars were located close to each other, while others were far away. Nearby luminaries were united into groups or constellations. They began to play in people's lives important role. This was especially true for the sailors of merchant ships, who used the stars to determine the direction of movement of their ships.

The first constellation map appeared in the 2nd century BC. uh. It was created by one of the greatest Greek astronomers, Hipparchus of Nicaea. While working at the Library of Alexandria, he compiled a catalog of 850 stars visible to the naked eye. He distributed all these luminaries among 48 constellations.

The final point on this issue was put by the Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. He wrote his famous monograph "Almagest". In it he outlined all the astronomical knowledge that existed at that time. This work was unshakable for a whole millennium until the appearance of the greatest scientist from Khorezm, Al-Bruni, at the beginning of the 11th century.

In the 15th century, the German astronomer and mathematician Johann Müller (not to be confused with the biologist Johann Peter Müller) founded one of the first astronomical laboratories in Nuremberg. On the initiative of this respected master, astronomical tables based on the works of Ptolemy were published.

These first maps of the starry sky were used by such famous navigators as Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus. The latter, guided by them, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 and reached the shores of South America.

The German artist and engraver Albrecht Dürer became acquainted with the works of Johann Müller, who is better known under the nickname Regiomontanus. It is thanks to his skill that in 1515 the first printed map of the constellations appeared. Those on it were depicted in the form of figures from Greek mythology. This was the beginning of the publication of celestial atlases.

They tried to reflect the brightness of the stars in descending order. For this they began to use letters of the Greek alphabet. The brightest luminaries within the constellations were assigned the letter "alpha". Then came the letter "beta", "gamma" and so on. This principle is still used today.

In the 17th century, Polish astronomer and telescope designer Jan Hevelius compiled a catalog that included 1,564 stars.. He also indicated their coordinates on the celestial sphere.

The modern names of the constellations and their boundaries were finally established by international agreement in 1922. There are 88 constellations in total, and their names are mostly borrowed from ancient greek mythology. Each cluster of stars also has a generally accepted Latin name. This is to astronomers speaking different languages, understood each other.

constellation map,
located in the sky of the Northern Hemisphere

The picture above shows celestial map of the Northern Hemisphere. It includes the following constellations: Andromeda (1), Ursa Major (2), Auriga (3), Bootes (4), Coma Berenices (5), Hercules (6), Canes Venatici (7), Dolphin (8), Dragon (9), Giraffe (10), Cassiopeia (13), Swan (14), Lyra (15), Chanterelle (16), Ursa Minor (17), Little Horse (18), Little Lion (19), Pegasus (21 ), Perseus (22), Lynx (23), Northern Crown (24), Arrow (25), Triangle (26), Cepheus (27), Lizard (29), Hydra (33), Unicorn (35), Whale ( 43), Canis Minor (47), Orion (53).

The white circles contain the numbers of the Zodiac constellations: Aries (77), Taurus (78), Gemini (79), Cancer (80), Leo (81), Virgo (82), Pisces (88).

The figure below shows celestial map of the southern hemisphere. These include: Ophiuchus (11), Snake (12), Eagle (20), Shield (28), Canis Major (30), Wolf (31), Raven (32), Dove (34), Altar (36), Painter (37), Crane (38), Hare (39), Goldfish (40), Indian (41), Keel (42), Compass (44), Poop (45), Flying Fish (46), Microscope (48 ), Fly (49), Pump (50), Square (51), Octant (52), Peacock (54), Sails (55), Furnace (56), Bird of Paradise (57), Cutter (58), Sextant ( 59), Grid (60), Sculptor (61), Table Mountain (62), Telescope (63), Toucan (64), Phoenix (65), Chameleon (66), Centaurus (67), Compasses (68), Clock (69), Chalice (70), Eridanus (71), Southern Hydra (72), Southern Crown (73), Southern Fish (74), Southern Cross (75), Southern Triangle (76).

The white circles show the numbers corresponding to the following Zodiac constellations: Libra (83), Scorpio (84), Sagittarius (85), Capricorn (86), Aquarius (87).

constellation map,
located in the sky of the Southern Hemisphere

The most famous constellation in the Northern Hemisphere is Ursa Major. These are 7 bright stars forming a bucket. If you draw a straight line through its “wall” opposite the “handle” (the stars Dubhe and Merak), then it will rest against the North Star, that is, it will indicate the northern direction. Over the centuries, the position of these stars in the sky changes. Therefore, several thousand years ago the outline of the ladle did not look the same as it does today.

The constellation map would lose a lot without Orion. Its brightest star is called Betelgeuse. And the second brightest is called Rigel. Three second magnitude stars form Orion's belt. To the south you can find the brightest star in the night sky, called Sirius. It is part of the constellation Canis Major. Still, the diversity and beauty of the night sky is impossible to describe. This must be seen and admired by the cosmic forces that are capable of creating such splendor.

Looking at the night sky as a child, we try to understand what constellations there are. We are interested in the names formed by the stars of the figure, but not in the definition of the concept of “constellation” itself. Meanwhile, even as adults, we do not always understand what actually lies behind this familiar word.

Projection

A spaceship flying into space will never reach any of the existing celestial patterns. The reason for this is that the stars, which seem to us to lie on the same plane, are actually located at great distances from each other. A constellation is a projection of a separate fragment of the celestial sphere with all the space objects located on it.

A little history

Ideas about what constellations there are differed in different centuries. Today there are 88 celestial patterns, but this was not always the case. The ancient constellations and their names were ordered and described by Ptolemy in his famous treatise “Almagest”. His list included 48 celestial designs. All of them, with the exception of one, have retained their names to this day. The large constellation Argo (the ship of the Argonauts) was subsequently divided into three smaller ones: Carina, Puppis and Parus. Initially, the celestial drawings, today called ancient, were described four centuries before Ptolemy, in 245 BC. e. This was also done by the Greek poet Arat.

The need to supplement the existing list came during the time of the Great Discoveries: the stars marked on the maps did not help navigate the expanses of the ocean. At the end of the 16th century, travelers Frederic de Houtman and Pieter Keyser combined the stars into 12 more celestial designs. Among them were Chameleon, Phoenix, South Hydra. A dozen constellations can still be found today on the map of the southern hemisphere of the starry sky.

In 1613, Peter Plancius depicted several new celestial drawings on his globe, and in 1624, thanks to the German astronomer, physician and mathematician Jacob Bartsch, they began to be used throughout the scientific world. Today, only two of them have survived - the Giraffe and the Unicorn.

Final formation

The list of constellations was not completed here. Jan Hevelius in the 17th century identified seven more star designs (Sextant, Lesser Lion, Lizard, Shield, Lynx, Chanterelle, Hounds). In the next, 18th century, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille also made his contribution. He depicted 17 constellations, completing the list.

However, this is not the end of the history of constellation names. They tried to rename the ancient celestial drawings several times, replacing greek gods and heroes by Christian saints. Sometimes reigning persons and military leaders wanted to feel the glory of the Olympians. However, all these attempts were unsuccessful.

Borders

By the end of the 18th century, the modern understanding of what constellations there are was finally established. The names of celestial images are also more or less established. All that remained was to decide on the boundaries.

Today, a constellation is understood not only as certain luminaries that create a recognizable silhouette. It includes the entire “territory” near these stars. The constellations are separated by boundaries approved in 1935 after a long collaboration several famous astronomers.

Continuous movement

The constellations were fixed in one way or another on the map, but if you watch the stars all night, it is easy to notice that the celestial patterns are constantly moving. Some move around a single center, others describe an arc and disappear behind the horizon. This change in position was called diurnal rotation. If the observer is in and faces south, then the stars for him will move clockwise, rising in the east and disappearing in the west. The constellations rise as high as possible above the southern part of the horizon. If you observe the movement of the stars while facing north, the picture changes somewhat. Some of the luminaries do not go beyond the horizon, but describe a circle in the sky. Its center is the so-called world. The North Star is located near it.

Moreover, the same bright point always rises and sets in a strictly defined place, in contrast to the Sun and Moon, the places of rise and set of which shift every day. And daylight"travel" from one constellation to another. Thus, they “visit” the twelve celestial drawings. The Sun travels its path over the course of a year, and the Moon takes just over 27 days. Hospitable “houses” that receive the light of day once every twelve months make up the Zodiac circle.

Pillars of Astrology

Perhaps everyone knows what constellations of zodiac signs exist. It is interesting that the celestial pattern in which the Sun is located in a particular month is always hidden from the observer and appears only six months later.

Zodiac signs have been known to mankind for a very long time. Some of their names sounded back in Mesopotamia, the cradle of one of the first civilizations. The very word "zodiac" Greek origin: zodiakos translated means “animal”. The twelve constellations are so named because most of them resemble animals.

The zodiac circle covers the orbit of not only the Moon, but also all the planets solar system. It is located at an angle to the celestial equator and intersects with it at two points corresponding to the spring and autumn equinox.

Poles of the World

You can answer the question of what constellations there are in different ways. To determine them, astronomers have developed special system coordinates The North Pole of the World has already been mentioned above. It is easy to assume that there is also a South one, which is pointed to. And where the poles are, there is the equator. In a coordinate system built on the sky, there is declination (latitude, distance to the equator) and right ascension (longitude).

The equator passes through certain constellations: Orion, Pisces, Whale, Taurus, Eridanus, Sextant, Eagle, Unicorn, Hydra, Ophiuchus, Canis Minor, Leo, Aquarius, Serpent. The peculiarity of these celestial drawings is that they can be observed almost anywhere in the world. This is possible precisely because of the location of the constellations.

North

There are several more classifications that complement our understanding of what a constellation is. All celestial patterns are divided into those belonging to the Northern or Southern hemisphere of the starry sky.

The list of constellations of the Northern Hemisphere includes images of three signs of the Zodiac: Gemini, Aries and Cancer. This also includes celestial drawings of animals: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Dolphin, Dragon, Giraffe, Hounds, Swan, Fox, Little Horse and Little Lion, Lynx and Lizard. Among the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere there are also those named after characters ancient mythology: Hair of Veronica, Andromeda, Cepheus, Perseus, Pegasus, Hercules, Cassiopeia, Bootes, and designating objects: Lyre, Sextant, Arrow, Triangle.

From the other side of the Earth

Now let's see what constellations are visible to an observer located in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of the celestial designs here are named after inanimate objects and their parts: Altar, Compass, Poop, Keel, Microscope, Bowl, Square, Octant, Telescope, Pump, Cutter, Sails, Furnace, Reticle, Compasses, Clock, Shield, Southern Crown, Southern Cross and Southern Triangle. Of the zodiac signs, the southern constellations include Capricorn, Scorpio and Sagittarius. Of the mythical characters, only the Phoenix and Cepheus are located here, but there are artists (Sculptor and Painter) and a representative of one of the nations (Indian), as well as the embodiment of a natural miracle (Table Mountain). There are also many animals here: Great Dog, Raven, Dove, Wolf, Flying, Golden and Southern Fish, Crane, Hare, Bird of Paradise, Peacock, Fly, Toucan, Chameleon, Southern Hydra.

Winter and summer

This does not exhaust the answer options to the question of what kind of constellation there are. Another principle of classification is the time of year in which the celestial pattern is best observed. After all, in summer, winter, spring and autumn, different images dominate your head.

In June, July and August, the sky is decorated with Lyra and Eagle, the brightest points of which form the Summer Triangle asterism. At this time of year, Bootes, Corona Borealis, Compasses, Hercules and several other celestial patterns are also available for observation.

In winter, the space above your head is no less beautiful than in summer. In the evening, the constellation Orion appears above the horizon. It is easy to find by three bright dots lined up in a row. This is an asterism Below and slightly to the right is Rigel, the most noticeable star in this celestial pattern. If the Belt continues to the left and down, then the straight line will soon run into Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris and the brightest star in the whole sky. Both Canis Major and Canis Minor are also winter constellations. From the other end, the straight line passing through Orion's Belt ends up with Aldebaran, which belongs to Taurus.

Autumn and spring

The end of summer is accompanied by a change in the main constellations of the sky. Now Pisces, Cassiopeia and Andromeda become best visible. Although their brightness is inferior to Orion and Cygnus, they decorate the sky no worse and are also worthy of attention.

In spring, the space above your head is illuminated by the stars of Ursa Major, Leo, Virgo, Bootes. Of course, they are noticeable in other periods, but spring is the time of their “reign” in the sky.

The main constellations and names of stars have been known to us since antiquity. Since then, their list has been supplemented and modified. A list of 88 celestial drawings is a comprehensive answer to the question of what constellations there are. Their names give an idea of ​​the time when these star patterns appeared on star charts. Thus, almost all mythical characters shone in the era Ancient Greece and Rome. Most of the usual to modern man animals, as well as silhouettes of artistic figures and various instruments, are the result of a rethinking of the star chart in the 17th and 18th centuries. Finding constellations makes it easier to relate them to the celestial equator and the poles of the world.

> Constellations

Explore everything constellations in the sky of the Universe: diagrams and maps of constellations, names, list, description, characteristics with photos, asterisms, history of creation, how to observe.

Constellations- These are imaginary drawings in the sky, created based on the position here, which appeared based on the imagination of poets, farmers and astronomers. They used forms that are familiar to us and have been inventing them for the last 6,000 years. The main purpose of constellations is to quickly show the location of a star and tell its features. On a perfectly dark night, you will be able to spot 1000-1500 stars. But how do you know what you're looking at? This is why the brightest constellations are needed, dividing the heavens into identifiable sectors. For example, if you find three bright stars, you will realize that you are looking at part of Orion. And then it’s a matter of memory, because Betelgeuse is hidden in the left shoulder, and Rigel is hidden in the leg. Nearby you will notice the Canes Hounds and its stars. Use diagrams and maps of constellations that show the names, brightest stars, and location in the sky. Photos, pictures and interesting facts are presented for each constellation. Don't forget to look at the zodiac constellations in the starry sky.

All the world constellations are distributed by month. That is, their maximum level of visibility in the sky depends entirely on the season. Therefore, when classifying, groups are distinguished according to 4 seasons (winter, spring, summer and autumn). The main thing to remember is one point. If you track the constellations strictly according to the calendar, then you need to start at 21:00. When observing ahead of schedule, you need to push back half the month, and if you started after 21:00, then add half.

For navigation convenience, we have distributed everything names of constellations in alphabetical order. This is extremely useful if you are interested in a particular cluster. Do not forget that the diagrams only show brightest stars. To delve into more detail, you need to open a star chart or planisphere - movable version. More interesting information You can learn about constellations thanks to our articles:

Constellations of the sky in alphabetical order
Russian name	Latin name	Reduction	Area (square degrees)	Number of stars brighter than 6.0
	Andromeda	And	722	100
	Gemini	Gem	514	70
	Ursa Major	UMa	1280	125
	Canis Major	CMa	380	80
	Libra	Lib	538	50
	Aquarius	Aqr	980	90
	Auriga	Aur	657	90
	Lupus	Lup	334	70
	Boots	Boo	907	90
	Coma Berenices	Com	386	50
	Corvus	Crv	184	15
	Hercules	Her	1225	140
	Hydra	Hya	1303	130
	Columba	Col	270	40
	Canes Venatici	CVn	565	30
	Virgo	Vir	1294	95
	Delphinus	Del	189	30
	Draco	Dra	1083	80
	Monoceros	Mon	482	85
	Ara	Ara	237	30
	Pictor	Pic	247	30
	Camelopardalis	Cam	757	50
	Grus	Gru	366	30
	Lepus	Lep	290	40
	Ophiuchus	Oph	948	100
	Serpens	Ser	637	60
	Dorado	Dor	179	20
	Indus	Ind	294	20
	Cassiopeia	Cas	598	90
	Carina	Car	494	110
	Cetus	Set	1231	100
	Capricornus	Cap	414	50
	Pyxis	Pyx	221	25
	Puppis	Pup	673	140
	Cygnus	Cyg	804	150
	Leo	Leo	947	70
	Volans	Vol	141	20
	Lyra	Lyr	286	45
	Vulpecula	Vul	268	45
	Ursa Minor	UMi	256	20
	Equuleus	Equ	72	10
	Leo Minor	LMi	232	20

	Canis Minor	CMi	183	20
	Microscopium	Mic	210	20
	Musca	Mus	138	30
	Antlia	Ant	239	20
	Norma	Nor	165	20
	Aries	Ari	441	50
	Octans	Oct	291	35
	Aquila	Aql	652	70
	Orion	Ori	594	120
	Pavo	Pav	378	45
	Vela	Vel	500	110
	Pegasus	Peg	1121	100
	Perseus	Per	615	90
	Fornax	For	398	35
	Apus	Aps	206	20
	Cancer	Cnc	506	60
	Caelum	Cae	125	10
	Pisces	Psc	889	75
	Lynx	Lyn	545	60
	Corona Borealis	CrB	179	20
	Sextans	Sex	314	25
	Reticulum	Ret	114	15
	Scorpius	Sco	497	100
	Sculptor	Scl	475	30
	Mensa	Men	153	15
	Sagitta	Sge	80	20
	Sagittarius	Sgr	867	115
	Telescopium	Tel	252	30
	Taurus	Tau	797	125
	Triangulum	Tri	132	15
	Tucana	Tuc	295	25
	Phoenix	Phe	469	40
	Chamaeleon	Cha	132	20
	Centaurus	Cen	1060	150
	Cepheus	Cep	588	60
	Circinus	Cir	93	20
	Horologium	Hor	249	20
	Crater	Crt	282	20
	Scutum	Sct	109	20
	Eridanus	Eri	1138	100
	Hydrus	Hyi	243	20
	Corona Australis	CrA	128	25
	Piscis Austrinus	PsA	245	25
	Crux	Cru	68	30
	Triangulum Australe	TrA	110	20
	Lacerta	Lac	201	35

Clear boundaries between the constellations were drawn only at the beginning of the 20th century. There are 88 in total, but 48 are based on the Greek ones captured by Ptolemy in the 2nd century. The final distribution took place in 1922 with the help of American astronomer Henry Norris Russell. The boundaries were created in 1930 by the Belgian astronomer Egen Delport (vertical and horizontal lines).

Most have retained the names of their predecessors: 50 are Rome, Greece and the Middle East, and 38 are modern. But humanity has existed for more than one millennium, so constellations appeared and disappeared depending on the culture. For example, the Wall Quadrant was created in 1795, but later divided into the Dragon and Bootes.

The Greek constellation Ship Argo was divided by Nicholas Louis de Lacay into Carina, Velae and Puppis. It was officially cataloged in 1763.

When we talk about stars and objects, scientists mean that they lie within the boundaries of these constellations. The constellations themselves are not real, because in reality all stars and nebulae are separated from each other by great distances and even planes (although from the Earth we see straight lines).

Moreover, remoteness also means a lag in time, because we observe them in the past, which means they can be completely different now. For example, Antares in Scorpio is 550 light years away from us, which is why we see it as before. The same applies to the three-dimensional Sagittarius Nebula (5200 light years). There are also more distant objects - NGC 4038 in the constellation Raven (45 million light years).

Constellation definition

This is a group of stars creating a certain form. Or one of the 88 official configurations listed in the catalog. Some dictionaries insist that it is any of a specific grouping of stars that represents a being in the heavens and has a name.

History of the constellations

Ancient people, looking at the sky, noted the figures of various animals and even heroes. They started making up stories for them to make it easier to remember the location.

For example, Orion and Taurus have been revered for many centuries different cultures and had a number of legends. As soon as astronomers began creating the first maps, they took advantage of already existing myths.

The word "constellation" originates from the Latin constellātiō - "many with stars." According to the Roman soldier and historian Ammianus Marcellinus, it began to be used in the 4th century. IN English language it came in the 14th century and first referred to planetary conjunctions. It was only in the mid-16th century that it began to take on its modern meaning.

The catalog is based on the 48 Greek constellations proposed by Ptolemy. But he only listed what the Greek astronomer Eudoxus Cnidus discovered (he introduced astronomy to Babylon in the 4th century BC). 30 of them date back to antiquity, and some even extend back to the Bronze Age.

The Greeks adopted Babylonian astronomy, so the constellations began to intersect and overlap. Many of them could not be found by the Greeks, Babylonians, Arabs or Chinese because they were not visible. The southern ones were recorded at the end of the 16th century by the Dutch navigators Federico de Houtman and Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser. They were later included in Johann Bayer's star atlas Uranometria (1603).

Bayer added 11 constellations, including Toucan, Fly, Dorado, Indian and Phoenix. In addition, he gave approximately 1,564 stars Greek letters, giving them a value based on their brightness (starting with Alpha). They have survived to this day and take their place among the 10,000 stars that are visible without the use of instruments. Some have full names, because they had extremely strong brightness (Aldebaran, Betelgeuse and others).

Several constellations were added by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. His catalog was published in 1756. He scanned the southern sky and found 13 new constellations. Notable among them are the Octant, the Painter, the Furnace, the Table Mountain and the Pump.

Of the 88 constellations, 36 are located in the northern sky and 52 in the southern sky.

History of the starry sky

Astrophysicist Anton Biryukov about Ptolemy's catalog, Christian constellations and the final list:

Constellations can become an indispensable tool in studying the stars scattered throughout the sky. Just combine them and admire the incredible wonders of space.

If you are a beginner and just knocking on the door of amateur astronomy, then you will not move unless you overcome the first obstacle - the ability to understand the constellations. You won't be able to find the Andromeda Galaxy if you can't figure out where to even start or where to look. Of course, the first attempts to understand this entire celestial massif can be scary, but it is quite possible.

Humanity has always looked to the sky. The stars have long been guides for sailors, and they remain so today. A constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are united by one name. However, they may be at different distances from each other. Moreover, in ancient times the name of the constellations often depended on the shapes taken by the celestial bodies. This will be discussed in more detail in this article.

General information

There are a total of eighty-eight recorded constellations. Of these, only forty-seven have been known to mankind since ancient times. We should say thanks to the astronomer Claudius Ptolemy, who systematized the known constellations of the starry sky in the treatise "Almagest". The rest appeared at a time when people began to intensively study the world around them, travel more and record their knowledge. So, other groups of objects appeared in the sky.

The constellations in the sky and their names (photos of some of them will be presented in the article) are quite diverse. Many have several names, as well as ancient legends of origin. For example, there are quite a few interesting legend about the appearance of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor in the sky. In those days when the gods ruled the world, the most powerful of them was Zeus. And he fell in love with the beautiful nymph Callisto, and he took her as his wife. In order to protect her from the jealous and dangerous Hera, Zeus took his beloved to heaven, turning her into a bear. This is how the constellation Ursa Major came about. The little dog Callisto became Ursa Minor.

Zodiacal constellations of the Solar System: names

The most famous constellations for humanity today are the zodiacal ones. Those that meet on the path of our Sun during its annual journey (ecliptic) have long been considered as such. This is a fairly wide strip of celestial space, divided into twelve segments.

Name of constellations:

1. Aries;
2. Calf;
3. Twins;
4. Virgo;
5. Capricorn;
6. Aquarius;
7. Fish;
8. Scales;
9. Scorpion;
10. Sagittarius;
11. Ophiuchus.

As you can see, unlike the signs of the Zodiac, there is one more constellation here - the thirteenth. This happened because the shape of celestial bodies changes over time. The Zodiac signs were formed quite a long time ago, when the sky map was slightly different. Today, the position of the stars has undergone some changes. Thus, another constellation appeared on the path of the Sun - Ophiuchus. In its order, it stands just after Scorpio.

The spring equinox is considered to be the starting point of the solar journey. At this moment, our luminary passes along the celestial equator, and day becomes equal to night (there is also the opposite point - autumn).

Constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

One of the most famous constellations in our sky is Ursa Major and its companion, Ursa Minor. But why did it happen that not the most demanding constellation became so important? The fact is that the Ursa Minor cluster of celestial bodies contains the Polar Star, which was a guiding star for many generations of sailors, and remains so today.

This is due to its practical immobility. It is located near the North Pole, and the rest of the stars in the sky revolve around it. This feature of it was noticed by our ancestors, which is reflected in its name among different nations(Golden Stake, Heavenly Stake, Northern Star, etc.).

Of course, there are other main objects in this starry constellation, the names of which are listed below:

• Kohab (Beta);
• Ferhad (Gamma);
• Delta;
• Epsilon;
• Zeta;

If we talk about the Big Dipper, then it more clearly resembles a ladle in shape than its small counterpart. According to estimates, with the naked eye alone there are about one hundred and twenty-five stars in the constellation. However, there are seven main ones:

• Dubhe (Alpha);
• Merak (Beta);
• Phekda (Gamma);
• Megrets (Delta);
• Alioth (Epsilon);
• Mizar (Zeta);
• Benetnash (Eta).

Ursa Major has nebulae and galaxies, as do numerous other star constellations. Their names are presented below:

• Spiral galaxy M81;
• Owl Nebula;
• Spiral Galaxy "Column Wheel"
• Barred spiral galaxy M109.

The most amazing stars

Of course, our sky has quite remarkable constellations (photos and names of some are presented in the article). However, besides them, there are other amazing stars. For example, in the constellation Canis Major, which is considered ancient, since our ancestors knew about it, there is the star Sirius. There are many legends and myths associated with it. In Ancient Egypt, they very carefully monitored the movement of this star; there are even suggestions by some scientists that the African pyramids are aimed at it with their tip.

Today, Sirius is one of the stars closest to Earth. Its characteristics exceed those of the sun twice as much. It is believed that if Sirius were in the place of our star, then life on the planet in the form it is now would hardly be possible. With such intense heat, all the surface oceans would boil away.

A rather interesting star that can be seen in the Antarctic sky is Alpha Centauri. This is the closest similar star to Earth. According to its structure, this body contains three stars, two of which may well have terrestrial planets. The third, Proxima Centauri, according to all calculations, cannot have such properties, since it is quite small and cold.

Major and minor constellations

It should be noted that today there are fixed large and small constellations. Photos and their names will be presented below. One of the largest can be safely called Hydra. This constellation covers an area of ​​the starry sky of 1302.84 square degrees. Obviously, this is why it received such a name, all appearance it resembles a thin and long strip that occupies a quarter of the stellar space. The main place where Hydra is located is south of the celestial equator line.

Hydra is quite dim in its star composition. It includes only two worthy objects that stand out significantly in the sky - Alphard and Gamma Hydra. You can also note an open cluster called M48. The second largest constellation belongs to Virgo, which is slightly inferior in size. Therefore, the representative of the space community described below is truly small.

So, the smallest constellation in the sky is the Southern Cross, which is located in the Southern Hemisphere. It is considered an analogue of the Big Dipper in the North. Its area is sixty-eight square degrees. According to ancient astronomical chronicles, it used to be part of Centauri, and only in 1589 it was separated separately. In the Southern Cross, about thirty stars are visible even to the naked eye.

In addition, the constellation contains a dark nebula called the Coalsack. It is interesting because star formation processes can occur in it. Another unusual object is the open cluster of celestial bodies - NGC 4755.

Seasonal constellations

It should also be noted that the name of the constellations in the sky changes depending on the time of year. For example, in summer the following are clearly visible:

• Lyra;
• Eagle;
• Hercules;
• Snake;
• Chanterelle;
• Dolphin et al.

The winter sky is characterized by other constellations. Eg:

• Great Dog;
• Small Dog;
• Auriga;
• Unicorn;
• Eridanus et al.

The autumn sky is the following constellations:

• Pegasus;
• Andromeda;
• Perseus;
• Triangle;
• Keith et al.

And the following constellations open the spring sky:

• Little Leo;
• Crow;
• Bowl;
• Hounds Dogs, etc.

Constellations of the northern hemisphere

Each hemisphere of the Earth has its own celestial objects. The names of the stars and the constellations they belong to are quite different. So, let's look at which of them are typical for the northern hemisphere:

• Andromeda;
• Auriga;
• Twins;
• Veronica's hair;
• Giraffe;
• Cassiopeia;
• Northern Crown and others.

Southern Hemisphere Constellations

The names of the stars and the constellations they belong to are also different for the southern hemisphere. Let's look at some of them:

• Crow;
• Altar;
• Peacock;
• Octant;
• Bowl;
• Phoenix;
• Centaurus;
• Chameleon and others.

Truly, all the constellations in the sky and their names (photo below) are quite unique. Many have their own special history, beautiful legend or unusual objects. The latter include the constellations Dorado and Toucan. The first contains the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the second contains the Small Magellanic Cloud. These two objects are truly amazing.

The Big Cloud is very similar in appearance to a Segner wheel, and the Small Cloud is very similar to a punching bag. They are quite large in terms of their area in the sky, and observers note their resemblance to Milky Way(though according to actual sizes they are much smaller). They seem to be a part of him that separated in the process. However, in their composition they are very similar to our galaxy, moreover, the Clouds are the star systems closest to us.

The amazing factor is that our galaxy and the Clouds can revolve around the same center of gravity, which forms a triple star system. True, each of this trinity has its own star clusters, nebulae and other space objects.

Conclusion

So, as you can see, the names of the constellations are quite varied and unique. Each of them has its own interesting objects, stars. Of course, today we do not know even half of all the secrets of the cosmic order, but there is hope for the future. The human mind is quite inquisitive, and if we do not die in global catastrophe, that is, the possibility of conquering and exploring space, building new and more powerful instruments and ships to obtain knowledge. In this case, we will not only know the name of the constellations, but also comprehend much more.

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