Ancient cultures used mythology and everyday objects to name constellations, and modern astronomy recognizes 88 constellations. Some constellations are only visible part of the year as the Earth revolves around the Sun, but circumpolar constellations in the northern sky appear to circle around Polaris and can be seen all year. Astronomers measure stars' absolute and apparent magnitudes, parallax, distance in light-years, and determine temperature based on color, with hotter stars appearing blue-white and cooler stars orange or red.