The Constellations

Man has looked to the heavens for centuries. The stars have guided ships, forecasted changing seasons, and taken on human characteristics and meanings. As man has searched for answers to many questions they felt they could not possibly understand, they looked skyward. Of course, if is fantasy to think the constellations have any purpose for man on earth, but the study of constellations are interesting and magical concepts just the same. Below are listings of just a few constellations and nebulas. Enjoy browsing.Draco




In 1729, British astronomer James Bradley used its brightest second-magnitude star, Etamin (Gamma (ã) Draconis) as an object of measurement in his discovery of the aberration of light.
Factoid about the North Star: In 7500 AD, the North Star will be Alpha (á) Cephei in the constellation Cepheus; in 15,000 AD, the North Star will be Vega in the Constellation Lyra; in 24,000 AD Polaris will once again take its place as the North Star.

Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper)
The handle of the Little dipper is marked by its brightest second-magnitude star, the North Star (Alpha (á) Ursae Minoris) and is positioned less than 1o from the North Pole.
Facts about the North Star: This star is the nearest point to the direction of Earth's axis, or, the marker of the Earth's North Pole. Sailor's have used the North Star to guide them for thousands of years. As Earth's axis moves with its own processional motion, the celestial poles change as well, causing the North star to take different positions in the constellations.

Ursa Major
Ancient Greeks: The Bear & the Wagon
Ancient Romans: The Great Bear & Seven Plowing Oxen (Septentriones)
Europeans: The Plow, Charlemagne's Wain, & The Wagon
Hindus: The Seven Holy Sages (Rishis)
Facts about the Big Dipper's Stars: It contains seven stars; one third magnitude and six second magnitude stars (two of which are called the Pointers, alpha (á) and beta (â) Ursa Major). It also contains Mizar, or zeta (î) Ursa Major, a double star discovered in 1889. In 1908, the additional constituent was found to be a spectroscopic double.

Cepheus
Its brightest star is a third magnitude star called Aldermin. It also contains a star of the class of Cepheid variables, the faint Delta Cephei.

Canis Major
Its brightest star is Sirius (the Greek word for scorching) aka the Dog Star, can be seen best in midsummer. For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius was a sign of a good harvest to come and they even built the pyramids so that Sirius's light could shine in. The phrase "Dog Days" are attributed to Sirius because it rises in the very hottest part summer.

Cassiopeia
This constellation contains five stars. In 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe discovered the brightest supernova in recorded history within this constellation. For an astonishing 16 months, Cassiopeia was brighter than Venus.

Centaurus
Within the constellation is Alpha Centauri, a triple star system called Rigil Kent, and appears to be a single bright star. This cluster is the brightest in the sky. It is made up of Alpha Centauri A, B, C. A and B make up a "double star" and take 80 years to orbit one another. The third star, the faint Alpha Centauri C, Proxima Centauri, is 4.3 light-years from earth and takes about 1 million years to rotate around the other two.

Cygnus
This constellation is believed to have the most potent radio emissions and x-ray emanations in the sky. Within the constellation are the stars 61 Cygni, Cygnus A, and Cyg X-1. Cyg X-1 is a dense body (that was once a star) with an extremely powerful gravitational field and is believed to be a black hole.

Bootes
The brightest star in this constellation is Arcturus, a monster that is 23 times larger and about 40 light-years from our sun.

Hercules
This constellation, nearly 34,000 light-years away, contains Messier 13, a cluster of 50,000 3rd magnitude stars (or fainter) and is best seen in the summer.

Lyra
This constellation contains the 1st magnitude white star Vega and the Annular Nebula (The Ring) and lies between Hercules and Cygnus. It also contains the quadruple star Epsilon Lyrae and Beta, a double star.

Orion
Orion contains the stars Betelgeuse (Alpha (á) Orionis) and Rigil (Beta (â) Orionis), some of the brightest nebulas in the skies. Within this constellation lies the Orion Nebula, a gas and dust cloud that is approximately 1600 miles away.

Andromeda
This constellation and galaxy are 2.2 million light-years away from earth.
"The Local Group" contains both our own Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy that is a part of the Virgo Cluster.

Auriga
Within Auriga is Capella (Latin for "she-goat"), a 1st magnitude star that is a part of a spectroscopic binary system and is far larger than our own sun. Capella is a giant yellow star that is about 40 light-years from earth. In Roman mythology, Capella suckled the god Jupiter when he was an infant.

Aquila
According to the Christian Bible, Aquila was a 1st century Jew who was tossed out of Rome in AD 49 with his wife Prisca. He was befriended and helped by St. Paul and later converted to Christianity. A humanitarian, Aquila is noted in Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Corinthians 1, Timothy 2, and Acts 18:1-3.
Another famous man by the same name is Aquila of Pontus. He translated the Old Testament into Greek, called the Septuagint by the Jews and the Ebionites.

Cetus
Its brightest stars are the 2nd magnitude star called Beta Ceti (aka Deneb Kaitos meaning "tail of the whale" in Arabic), a 3rd magnitude star called Alpha Ceti (aka Menkar meaning "nose" in Arabic), and a variable star 220 million miles in diameter discovered in 1596 called Omicron Ceti (aka Mira meaning "wonderful"). Mira is larger than the ORBIT of the earth! That is one gigantic star! In Greek mythology, the god Neptune sent Cetus to decimate Andromeda but the plan failed when good old Perseus slayed the creature.

Corvus
This constellation boasts a few bright stars: 2.8 magnitude Gienah (aka Gamma Corvi) and three 3rd magnitude stars, Delta, Epsilon Corvi, and Beta. Aside from its nickname the Crow or Raven, people have been known to call it the Sail due to its shape.

Eridanus
In the 2nd century AD in Greece, Alexandrian astronomer Ptolemy discovered the constellation. The 1st magnitude Achernar is its brightest star. In 1783, British astronomer Sir William Hershel discovered Eridanus's triple star system and recognized it contained a dim double satellite of the star o2 Eridani.

Cancer
In Greek mythology, as Hercules attacked the Hydra the Crab fought Hercules.
When the sun is 23o27' north it enters Cancer at the summer solstice, thus this parallel of latitude is called the tropic of Cancer. An aspect of the constellation Cancer is what is called the "Beehive" (Praesepe), which is a cluster of over 300 faintly seen stars.

Capricorn
This constellation may be seen as a multiple of two separate 3rd magnitude stars (called Alpha Capricornus) in June in the Northern Temperate Zone, near the southern horizon.

Gemini
In ancient Egypt Gemini represented two young goats (a pair of twins).
In ancient Arabia Gemini was depicted by peacocks.
In ancient Greece Gemini was symbolized by twin human children.
This constellation includes a small star cluster with the most predominant being Castor and Pollux, which can be seen on moonless evenings.

Libra
Zubengenubi (aka Kiffa Australis) is the brightest double star in the constellation.

Leo
This constellation's brightest star, the 1st magnitude Regulus (aka Alpha Leonis) can be easily seen. In certain circles Regulus is known as the heart of the lion and thus called Cor Leonis. Another famous star in this constellation is known in Arabic as "the tail of the lion", or Denebola.

Pisces
Between mid March and mid April, the sun passes through this constellation.

Sagittarius
Out of eight stars, Rukbat (aka Alpha Sagittarii) is this constellations brightest 4th magnitude star.

Scorpio
In Greek mythology, the goddess Diana sent a scorpion to kill Orion, the god who ordered all insects killed. Knowledge of Scorpio predates the ancient Greeks and can be traced back to the Sumerians. Its brightest star is the 1st magnitude red giant Antares.

Taurus
In Greek mythology, the King of the gods, Zeus, transformed himself into a white bull to woo Europa. It worked and they were later wed.
This constellation is very interesting. First, it contains the supernova AD1054, located within the Crab Nebula. Second, it contains Aldebaran and the Pleiades, located in two separate star groups called the Hyades.

Virgo
In ancient times this constellation represented human fertility and a fruitful harvest. Virgo contains more than 500 Nebulas and many variable stars (stars which brighten and dim occasionally). Its brightest star is the 1st magnitude Spica (aka á Virginis).

Crab Nebula
A nebula is born when a supernova star explodes and its cloud of gaseous material expands. This nebula was born when a star exploded within the Milky Way galaxy, discharging its light through a spinning pulsar. This light reflects off the particles, creating a cloudy facade. This particular nebula's light did not even reach the earth until 1054 AD.

Flame Nebula
Located in a gas and dust cloud in the constellation Orion, the Flame nebula (aka NGC 2024) may be beginning to create stars.

Horsehead Nebula
Also located in the constellation Orion, the Horsehead Nebula is located in front of radiant gas and stars, making it visible from earth. It is an incredible 1000 light years from earth.

Vega
It has been determined that this 1st magnitude star is encircled by swirling particles, indicating that it is the sun in its solar system, even though it is not confirmed that it the dust particles around it have yet condensed into planets. It is 26 light-years from earth.

Vela
The stars of Vela, the Sails (of Argo, the Ship) sprawl across the picture from center to the left. Bright Regor also carries the more traditional name Suhail al-Muhlif. The northern stars of Carina, including Canopus, lie toward lower right. Naos is in Puppis in whose photograph Canopus can also be found. The stars of southern Canis Major are at upper right.

Volans
Volans, the Flying Fish, whose original name was Piscis Volans, is the kite-shaped figure just above center. Alpha Volantis is the brightest star just to the left of center, while Gamma Volantis (the constellation's brightest star) is up and to the right of center. Only 20 degrees from the South Celestial Pole, Volans is surrounded to the left by Carina of Argo. The fuzzy set of stars near the upper left edge is the cluster NGC 2516 in Carina. Photo by Greg Dimijian.

Camelopardalis
Though it sprawls across most of the picture, Camelopardalis, the Giraffe, is represented by only a few modest stars near its western end. No star has a proper name and only three carry Greek letter names. Beta is the constellation's brightest star. At right lower edge is Capella in Auriga, at the right edge Mirfak in Perseus and at the upper left corner Polaris in Ursa Minor. The stars of western Lynx (the Lynx) appear near the lower edge.

Chameleon
the Chameleon, seen rising, lies not far from the South Celestial Pole. Alpha Chamaeleontis is the brighter of the pair of stars toward upper right center. Carina is at the upper left corner, while Musca is at lower left. The bright star to the lower right is Delta Octantis, of Octans, the Octant, which hold the southern pole itself. Photo by Greg Dimijian.

Coma Berenices
Though the formal constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenices's Hair) is focused on the Coma Berenices Cluster (seen just to the right of center), it covers much more territory, and includes. Diadem (Alpha Comae), and Beta (un-named). Of the three indicated stars, only Gamma is part of the cluster. Coma Berenices is just south of Canes Venatici the two constellations seen to the west of Bootes. Coma Berenices contains the North Galactic Pole (NGP), the northern perpendicular to the Milky Way. The South Galactic Pole is in Sculptor.

Sculptor
The modern constellation Sculptor (the Sculptor's Studio) sprawls to the east of Pisces Austrinus, northeast of Grus, and north of Phoenix. Alpha Sculptoris is the bright star near the far left edge. The bright star near bottom center is Ankaa, Alpha Phoenicis. The "X" marks the position of the South Galactic Pole, the southern perpendicular to the plane of the Galaxy (seen as the Milky Way). The North Galactic Pole is in Coma Berenices.

Triangulum
The classic triangle, Triangulum, lies at the center of the picture, the Alpha star Mothallah to the right. Mirach and Almach of Andromeda. (Beta and Gamma Andromedae) lie at the top, Mirach at right. Hamal in Aries is at bottom. Under ideal conditions, the "Triangulum Spiral" (M 33), a nearby galaxy, can be seen with the naked eye.

Velpecula
The upside-down "W" of the main portion of the modern constellation Vulpecula, the Fox, lies just down and to the right of center. Anser, Alpha Vulpeculae, is down and to the right of Albireo in Cygnus. Note its reddish color and its line of sight "companion," 8 Vulpeculae, just barely up and to the left. The stars of eastern Sagittarius lie in the lower right corner. The Coathanger Cluster is just a line-of-sight coincidence.