Star map with constellation names - description. Interesting facts about constellations (15 photos) What is a constellation for children definition

Constellations have been accompanying a person since ancient times: they were guided along the way, planned chores, guessed. Today, people are less dependent on celestial bodies, but their study does not stop. continue to appear and amaze astronomy lovers.

1. Previously, figures that form stars were considered constellations, but today these are sections of the celestial sphere with conditional boundaries and all celestial bodies on their territory. In 1930, the number of constellations was fixed - 88, of which 47 were described before our era, but the names and names given to star figures in antiquity are still used.
2. The southern side of the firmament began to be carefully studied with the beginning of the Great geographical discoveries, but the northern side was not left without attention. By the end of the 17th century, atlases of the starry sky were published with descriptions of 22 new constellations. A Triangle, an Indian, a Bird of Paradise appeared on the map of the sky of the southern hemisphere, a Giraffe, a Shield, a Sextant and other figures were highlighted above the northern side. The last figures were formed over the South Pole of the earth and their names often contain the names of different devices - Clock, Pump, Telescope, Compass, Compass.

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3. In the list of Claudius Ptolemy, an astronomer of the 2nd century BC, there are 48 names of constellations, 47 of them have survived to this day. The lost cluster was called the Ship or Argo (the ship of the hero of Hellas Jason, who obtained the Golden Fleece). In the 18th century, the Ship was divided into 4 smaller figures - Stern, Kiel, Sail, Compass. On ancient star charts, the place of the Compass was occupied by a mast.

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4. The static nature of the stars is deceptive - without special instruments it is impossible to detect their movement relative to each other. Changes in location would become noticeable if a person had the opportunity to see the constellations after at least 26 thousand years.

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5. Zodiac signs are usually distinguished by 12 - this distinction occurred more than 4.5 thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt. Today, astronomers have calculated that in the period from November 27 to December 17, another zodiac constellation, Ophiuchus, rises on the horizon.

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6. Hydra is considered the largest of the stellar figures., it occupies 3.16% of the starry sky and stretches over a quarter of the sky in a long strip, located in the northern and southern hemispheres.

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7. The brightest stars in the northern hemisphere belong to Orion, 209 of which are visible to the naked eye. The most interesting space objects of this section of the sky are the “Orion Belt” and the Orion Nebula.
8. The brightest constellation in the southern sky and the smallest of all existing clusters is the Southern Cross.. Its four stars were used by sailors for orientation for several thousand years, the Romans called them the "Throne of the Emperor", but as an independent constellation the Cross was registered only in 1589.
9. The closest constellation to the solar system is the Pleiades., fly to it only 410 light years. The Pleiades consists of 3000 stars, among which 9 are particularly bright. Scientists find their images on objects in different parts of the world, since many peoples in ancient times ardently revered the Pleiades.

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10. The constellation with the lowest brightness is Table Mountain. It is located far to the south, in the region of Antarctica, and consists of 24 stars, the brightest of which reach only the fifth magnitude.

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11. The star closest to the Sun, Proxima, is in the constellation Centaurus, but after 9 thousand years it will be replaced by Barnard's star from the constellation Ophiuchus. The distance from the Sun to Proxima is 4.2 light years, from Barnard's Star - 6 light years.

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12. The oldest constellation map dates back to the 2nd century BC. Created by Hipparchus of Nicaea, it became the basis for the work of astronomers of a later time.

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13. Some astronomers tried to divide large constellations in order to get new ones, give them their own names, usually associated with the names of rulers and generals, and become famous. The clergy tried to replace pagan names with the names of saints. But these ideas did not take root, and apart from the Shield, which was previously called the "Shield of Jan Sobieski", in honor of the Polish commander, none of the names survived.
14. Since ancient Rus', the characteristic bucket of the Big Dipper was associated with a horse. In the old days, it was called "Horse on a joke", and Ursa Minor was not considered a separate constellation - its stars formed a "rope" with which the horse was "tied" to the Polar Star - a joke.

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15. Star figures adorn the flags of New Zealand and Alaska. The four-star Southern Cross was adopted as part of the Zeeland flag in 1902. The flags of Alaska are decorated with the Big Dipper and the North Star.

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> 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 are imaginary drawings in the sky, created based on the position here, which appeared on the basis of the imagination of poets, farmers and astronomers. They used forms familiar to us and invented them for the last 6000 years. The main purpose of the constellations is to quickly show the location of the star and tell its features. On a perfectly dark night, you can see 1000-1500 stars. But how do you know what you're looking at? For this, 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 considering part of Orion. And then it’s a matter of memory, because Betelgeuse is hiding in the left shoulder, and Rigel is in the leg. Nearby notice the Hounds Dogs and its stars. Use charts and constellation maps that list names, brightest stars, and locations in the sky. For each constellation, photos, pictures and interesting facts are presented. Do not forget to consider the zodiac constellations of the starry sky.

All constellations around the world are distributed by months. 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 moment. If you track the constellations strictly according to the calendar, then you need to start at 21:00. When observing ahead of time, you need to push back half the month, and if you started after 21:00, then add half.

For navigational convenience, we have distributed all constellation names in alphabetical order. This is extremely useful if you are occupied by a specific cluster. Do not forget that only the brightest stars are displayed on the diagrams. To delve into more detail, you need to open a star chart or planisphere - a movable option. You can learn more interesting information about the constellations thanks to our articles:

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

Most 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 the 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 Nicolas Louis de Lacaille into Carina, Sails and Stern. It was officially entered into the catalog in 1763.

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

Moreover, remoteness also means a time lag, because we observe them in the past, which means that now they can be completely different. For example, Antares in Scorpio is 550 light-years away from us, which is why we see it as it was before. The same goes for the 3D 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 that creates a certain shape. Or one of 88 officially cataloged configurations. Some dictionaries insist that it is any one of a certain grouping of stars that represents a being in the sky and has a name.

constellation history

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

For example, Orion and Taurus have been revered by various cultures for many centuries and have a number of legends. As soon as astronomers began to create the first maps, they took advantage of existing myths.

The word "constellation" originates from the Latin constellatiō - "many with stars." According to the Roman soldier and historian Ammianus Marcellinus, it began to be used in the 4th century. It came into English in the 14th century and at first referred to planetary unions. Only in the middle of the 16th century did it begin to take on its modern meaning.

The catalog is based on 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 belong to antiquity, and some even affect the Bronze Age.

The Greeks adopted Babylonian astronomy, so the constellations began to overlap 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. Later they were included in the star atlas of Johann Bayer "Uranometry" (1603).

Bayer added 11 constellations including Toucan, Fly, Dorado, Injun and Phoenix. In addition, he gave about 1564 stars Greek letters, giving them a value for brightness (beginning with Alpha). They have survived to this day and take their place among the 10,000 stars that can be seen 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 Nicholas Louis de Lacaille. His catalog was published in 1756. He scanned the southern sky and found 13 new constellations. Notable among them are Octant, Painter, Furnace, Table Mountain and Pump.

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

The history of the starry sky

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

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

If you are a beginner and just knocking on the doors of amateur astronomy, then you will not budge if you do not 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 start and where to look. Of course, the first attempts to understand all this celestial array can be frightening, but it is quite real.

Do you remember your first day at school? Many unfamiliar faces, unknown objects and environment. But surely even then, you managed to start a conversation with someone. And so gradually, day by day, you adapted until you became your own. So the constellations are friends who open the way to a new world, so you need to make friends with them, and not be afraid.

The night skies are always eye-catching, but most of all you want to keep your eyes on them when the sky is strewn with stars.

A large number of them are grouped into certain constellations that have their own names. Each of them got its name thanks to a fascinating legend.

To independently distinguish between star clusters, you can use a special astrological chart that will help you recognize the signs of the Zodiacs.

The list of constellations in alphabetical order will tell you how many popular groups of celestial bodies there are in the Universe.

Any large-scale event or adventure, as well as the origin of their names, is associated with myths and legends.

The names of celestial bodies are also inextricably linked with myths, according to which one can learn their history. The shapes of all the constellations gave rise to the name.

The way a person observes the stars does not mean at all that this is how they are located in the sky: each star is at a great distance from each other.

A few myths about the origin will help to understand their names:

1. Cassiopeia. The story tells how the proud wife of Cepheus, the ruler of Ethiopia, boasted to the sea nymphs of her beauty and the beauty of her daughter.

   In response, they asked Poseidon to punish her. Ethiopia was attacked - Poseidon sent a huge monster; Cepheus and Cassiopeia, not knowing how to save Ethiopia, sent their daughter to her death.

   Andromeda was saved by Perseus, and they eventually got married. This is how Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda, Cepheus, Pegasus and Kit were formed.

2. Veronica's hair. The interesting name of the constellation in the sky was obtained due to an equally interesting myth.

   Tales say that the Egyptian queen Veronica, sending her husband to war, swore to the gods that she would give up her beautiful hair.

   And so she had to do when her husband returned home unharmed.

3. Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. The story tells how the princess Callisto was fascinated by the beauty of Zeus.

   His wife Hera found out about this and turned her into a clumsy Bear. The grown-up son of lovers Arkad, once met this bear in the forest, wanted to kill her.

   However, Zeus stopped him. Then Arkad raised his mother to heaven, making her a constellation. For Ursa Minor, Arkad presented his beloved dog to his mother.

Such interesting legends surprise with their fabulousness: having found the constellations in the sky from a photo, you can find confirmation of some myths.

List of constellations alphabetically and photo

Almost all the names were given in honor of the mythological heroes of Ancient Greece, animals, significant objects of our time.

Astronomers often named clusters of celestial bodies according to the shape they represent.

Note! The sky map is strewn with hundreds of stars, with the help of its photo you can easily find the required constellation if you go outside on a clear night.

Thanks to the names, modern scientists can better understand the way of life and the type of thinking of people who lived before us.

Consider a selection of names in alphabetical order with photographs:

How to find the constellation of your zodiac sign on the sky map

Many children and adults are concerned about the question of how to find their own constellation in the sky? To do this, you can use a special map of the starry sky.

The space is conditionally divided into the southern and northern hemispheres, each of which contains certain clusters of stars:

• Aries of stars looks like a tick, symbolizing the creature's horns.
• Taurus is made up of 14 clearly visible stars: it looks like two separate constellations.
• Gemini really look like figures of two little men in the sky.
• The constellation Cancer resembles a triangle, from which a strip departs.
• Leo is considered the brightest constellation, the figurine really resembles the silhouette of an animal.
• Virgo is considered the largest sign, it resembles a disproportionate rectangle with 4 stripes.
• Scales look like a triangle with rays extending from it.
• Scorpio contains 17 stars, in the sky the constellation resembles a fork.
• 14 bright stars are shown in the sky of Sagittarius - it looks like a complex composition of celestial bodies.
• Winter Capricorn can be recognized by its characteristic heart-shaped cluster.
• Aquarius is a set of rays.
• At the point of the Pisces Zodiac on Earth, the day of the vernal equinox comes - it looks like an incomplete triangle.

To discover the most popular constellations on your own, go outside on a clear night and try to find the Big Dipper - you can try to identify other clusters of stars from it.

Important! In different regions of residence, you can detect the glow of stars in varying degrees of power.

The symbols of the Zodiacs used today in horoscopes do not correspond to their real shape in the sky.

Tales of the constellation Orion

The surrounding world is filled with a large number of mysteries, legends and tales. Many of them tell about the origin of clusters of stars.

One of the most interesting series of fairy tales are stories about the constellation Orion.

This group of stars represents one of the most beautiful constellations in the southern hemisphere of the sky.

There are several tales about this cluster of celestial bodies:

1. Orion was the son of Poseidon in mythology: according to legend, he was able to defeat all the animals, for which Hera sent a Scorpio to him.

   Orion died from the bite of a creature in an unequal struggle for the heart of Princess Merope.

   According to legend, a person will never be able to see two constellations in the sky at the same time - Orion and Scorpio.

2. South American Indians also have a favorite tale about Orion. It speaks of three brothers, two of whom were single.

   One of the unmarried brothers was more beautiful than the other, it seemed to him that the relative was jealous.

   Because of this, the handsome man killed his brother. His soul went to heaven and became the constellation of Orion.

Such fairy tales can be told to kids to acquaint them with the culture of different peoples. How many constellations, so many legends exist in the world.

To enjoy the beauty of the night sky, it is not necessary to know all the mythology for sure.

Useful video

Mankind has always looked to the sky. The stars have long been the guides of sailors, and they remain so today. A constellation is considered a group of celestial bodies, which are united by one name. However, they can be located at different distances from each other. Moreover, in ancient times, the name of the constellations often depended on the outlines taken by the celestial bodies. More details about this will be discussed in this article.

General information

There are eighty-eight registered constellations in total. 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 a person began to intensively study the world around him, travel more and write down his 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 is a rather 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 Hera, who is jealous and dangerous in her anger, Zeus took her beloved to heaven, turning her into a bear. So it turned out the constellation Ursa Major. The dog Callisto became Ursa Minor.

Zodiac constellations of the solar system: names

The most famous constellations for humanity today are the zodiac. Since ancient times, those who meet on the path of our Sun during its annual journey (the ecliptic) have been considered as such. This is a rather wide strip of celestial space, divided into twelve segments.

Constellation name:

1. Aries;
2. Taurus;
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 another constellation here - the thirteenth. This happened because over time the shape of celestial bodies changes. The signs of the Zodiac were formed a long time ago, when the sky map was somewhat different. To date, the position of the stars has undergone some changes. So, on the path of the Sun, another constellation appeared - Ophiuchus. In its order, it stands just after Scorpio.

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

Constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

One of the most famous constellations in our firmament is Ursa Major and its accompanying Minor. But why did it happen that not the most pretentious constellation became so important? The fact is that in the composition of the cluster of celestial bodies Ursa Minor there is the North Star, which was a guiding light for many generations of sailors, and it 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 even by our ancestors, which was reflected in its name among different peoples (Golden stake, Heavenly stake, North Star, etc.).

Of course, there are other main objects in this constellation of the starry sky, 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 bucket in its shape than its small counterpart. According to estimates, only with the naked eye in the constellation there are about one hundred and twenty-five stars. However, there are seven main ones:

• Dubhe (Alpha);
• Merak (Beta);
• Fekda (Gamma);
• Megrets (Delta);
• Aliot (Epsilon);
• Mizar (Zeta);
• Benetnash (This).

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

• Spiral galaxy M81;
• Nebula "Owl";
• Spiral galaxy "Pinwheel;
• 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, in addition to 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. Many legends and myths are associated with it. In ancient Egypt, the movement of this star was very carefully monitored, there are even suggestions by some scientists that the African pyramids are aimed specifically at it with their tip.

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

A rather interesting star that can be seen in the sky of Antarctica is Alpha Centauri. This is the closest similar luminary to Earth. In its structure, this body contains three stars, two of which may well have terrestrial-type planets. The third, Proxima Centauri, according to all calculations, cannot have such, since it is rather 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 safely be called the Hydra. This constellation occupies an area of ​​the starry sky of 1302.84 square degrees. Obviously, that is why it got such a name, all in appearance it resembles a thin and long strip, which occupies a fourth of the stellar space. The main place where the Hydra is located is south of the line of the celestial equator.

According to its stellar composition, Hydra is rather dim. It includes only two worthy objects that stand out significantly in the sky - these are Alphard and Gamma Hydra. You can also note the 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 the Centauri, and only in 1589 it was singled out separately. As part of the Southern Cross, even with the naked eye, about thirty stars are visible.

In addition, there is a dark nebula in the constellation called the Coal Sack. It is interesting in that the processes of star formation can take place 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 also changes from time to time. For example, in summer you can clearly see:

• Lyra;
• Eagle;
• Hercules;
• Snake;
• Chanterelle;
• Dolphin etc.

The winter sky is characterized by other constellations. For example:

• Big Dog;
• Small Dog;
• Auriga;
• Unicorn;
• Eridan and others

The autumn sky is the following constellations:

• Pegasus;
• Andromeda;
• Perseus;
• Triangle;
• Keith and others

And the following constellations open the spring sky:

• Small Lion;
• 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 consider which of them are characteristic of the northern hemisphere:

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

constellations of the southern hemisphere

The names of the stars and the constellations they belong to are also different for the southern hemisphere. Let's consider 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 is the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the second is the Small. These two objects are truly amazing.

The large cloud in its appearance is very similar to the Segner's wheel, and the Small cloud looks like a punching bag. They are quite large in terms of their area in the sky, and observers note their similarity with the Milky Way (although they are much smaller in real size). They seem to be part of it, which separated in the process. However, in their composition they are very similar to our galaxy, in addition, the Clouds are the systems of stars closest to us.

The surprising factor is that our galaxy and Clouds can rotate 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 name of the constellations is quite diverse 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 a global catastrophe, then there is the possibility of conquering and exploring space, building new and more powerful instruments and ships to gain knowledge. In this case, we will not only know the name of the constellations, but we will also comprehend much more.