Constellation Facts & Information A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived outline or pattern. The way in which they are represented varies and can be anything from an animal to a mythological person or creature. Browse to find out more facts and information on Constellations.
StarChild Question of the Month for May 1999 Question: What are constellations? Answer: There is a word for a pattern of stars in the sky which appears to be so distinctive that it is easily identifiable and remembered. That word is "asterism". In ancient times, people saw asterisms and made up all kinds of stories about mythological creatures and characters which they associated with the star ...
The constellation of Crux is the smallest out of all the 88 modern constellations, stretching for around 68 square degrees in the sky. Keep reading for more
Introduction: 1. Review the difference between a star, a constellation and a galaxy 2. Read several short examples of myths explaining constellations. There are several short myths on-line in the Universe activity section of StarChild. For a longer, more in-depth introduction, read a book such as Quillworker: A Cheyenne Legend by Terri Cohlene. 3. Show picture examples of constellations ...
Cassiopeia is among the 48 constellations first listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy, in the 2nd century CE. Keep reading for even more interesting facts.
Civilizations come and go, with some lasting mere decades while others endure for millennia. But what rarely changes, at least on human timescales, are the stars above us. Nonetheless, past cultures ...