Constellations are groupings of stars that appear to form patterns in the night sky. Ancient cultures like the Babylonians and Greeks studied constellations and used them to mark seasons and in their myths and religions. Today, 88 constellations are recognized by astronomers, including Ursa Major, Orion, and Scorpius. Certain constellations like Ursa Major can be seen all year from any location in the northern hemisphere and are called circumpolar, while others like Orion are only visible during certain seasons.

2.  Constellations are apparent groupings of stars that make optical
projections at different times of the year.
 Ancient people used to observe constellations to distinguish seasons;
thye made constellations a significant part of their culture and
religion.
 Samarians and Babylonians were the first people to have a notion of
the constellations and their ideas reached Greece.
 Aratus wrote Phaenomena which accounts 43 constellations and
named 5 individuals stars.
 Almagest of Ptolemy accounts 48 constellations; it became the basis
for modern constellation systems.
 88 constellations are now recognized by astronomers (star patterns)

3.  Constellations, viewed from the Earth, shows apparent groupings of
stars (not the actual physical groupings in space)
 Polaris (the North Star) points the observers to the North Pole.
 Polaris has a constant position all throughout the year and it is
aligned with Earth’s rotation.
 To locate Polaris, locate the North Pole and find the handle of the
Little Dipper.
 Asterism are figures that can be easily seen the heavens but are
only parts of a constellation. (eg. Big Dipper is an asterism of the
constellation Ursa Major.)

4. The Circumpolar Constellations
Constellations that are found around the North Pole
 Ursa Major and Ursa Minor
 Cassiopeia
 Cepheus
 Draco
The Noncircumpolar Constellations
 Found lower in the sky
 Orion
 Canis Major
 Canis Minor
 Scorpius

5. URSA MAJOR
Also called the Big Bear
One of the most famous constellations
Third to the largest constellation
The Big Bear was a woman named Calisto, the beautiful
hunter whom Zeus, the king of the gods fell in love with.
Hera, Zeus’ wife got jealous and turned Calisto into a
bear
Calisto found her son Arcas, but Arcas was about to kill
her with spear but Zeus turned him to a small bear,
Zeus pulled the bears by their tails and lifted them to
the heavens and pulled their tails long.

7. URSA MINOR
Little Bear
Made up of five relatively faint stars
The tail is the Little Dipper (easily seen
because the end is near Polaris).

9. CASSIOPEIA
Looks like the letter W or the letter M depending on the
time of year
The W or M represents its throne
The five major stars which are very bright-Shedir, Caph,
Gamma, Cassiopeiae, and Ruchbah make up Cassiopeia
(with many nebula clouds).
Cassiopeia was the vain an powerful queen of Ethiopia.
She was set in the skies as a punishment for her vanity
and for claiming that she was more beautiful than the
nymph goddesses.

11. CEPHEUS
27th largest constellation
Cassiopeia’s husband
Identified by the “Home Plate” asterism
Some of the stars of the Cepheus include
Alderamin, Alfirk, Alrai, and Garnet.

13. DRACO
Made up of 9 stars (including Etamin, Aldibain,
Rastaban, Altais, and Aldhibah.
Etamin is the brightest star that shines in Draco; it rests
between the Big and the Little Dippers.
Draco is the hardest circumpolar constellation to find
because its stars rise and set.
Draco represents the dragon named Ladon (who guards
the golden apple tree owned by the goddess Hera, when
Hecules her husband needed a golden apple as part of is
12 labors, he had to slay Ladon).
In his honor Hera placed in the skies.

15. ORION
 Orion the Hunter appears during the winter season
 It can be found by locating the three very close stars (which make
up the belt) and by finding the trapezium asterism
 Orion contains two of the brightest stars in the sky- Rigel and
Betelgeuse.
 The Greek mythology tells that Orion was a very good hunter and
he bragged about it to Artemis, the Earth goddess, and his mother
Leto.
 Artemis sent a giant scorpion to kill him and his mother. He died
defending his mother.

17. CANIS MAJOR
Represents a bigger dog following Orion
Home of Sirius, the brightest star
In myth, Canis Major represents Laelaps, the fastest
dog.

19. CANIS MINOR
Represents a another dog (a smaller dog) following Orion
Home of Procyon, the 8th brightest star
In myth, Canis Major represents Laelaps, the fastest
dog.

21. SCORPIUS
One of the oldest constellations identified by
human civilization
Shows a scorpion figure
In Scorpius, the brightest star is Antares.

23. ASTRONOMY
Deals with the study of all celestial bodies such as
planets, stars, comets, asteroids, and galaxies.
It aims to explain their origin, existence, and the
changes that happen to them.
Deals with astronomical concepts.

24. ASTROLOGY
A pseudoscience (“pseudo” means false)
It aims to relate the path of the constellations to a
person’s fate
It uses a system called zodiac to make predictions.
Zodiac refers to an imaginary band that is the center of
the path that the Sun travels through in its annual
motion.
There are 12 constellations that can be found in the
zodiac, depending on what time of the year it is.