Vega is a bright star just 25 light-years from Earth, visible in the summer sky of the Northern Hemisphere. The star is part of the constellation Lyra and forms an asterism with the stars Deneb and Altair that is known as the Summer Triangle. To a hypothetical observer in the Vega system, the Sun would …
The constellation Ursa Minor, the little bear, is visible in the northern hemisphere all year long. It is a circumpolar constellation, which means it is visible all night as it rotates around the north celestial pole. It is a small constellation covering an area of 256 square degrees. When we were researching we ran into …
If observed through the year, the constellations shift gradually to the west. This is caused by Earth’s orbit around our Sun. In the summer, viewers are looking in a different direction in space at night than they are during the winter. While I was researching we ran into the question “Why do some constellations appear …
This drawing, as well as those below, is from Sidney Hall’s set of drawings called Urania’s Mirror. Delphinus, on the left, is still a recognized constellation, but quite small and faint. Musca borealis, the bee, is a discarded constellation, sagitta, the bow and aries, and while more as well are a few additional ideas to …
Orion consists of seven major stars: two for his shoulders, two for his feet, and three for his belt. Each star has a name . Astronomers have measured bright and how far away each star is. Mu Orionis marks the elbow, Nu and Xi mark the handle of the club, and Chi 1 and Chi …
The constellations you can see at night depend on the time of year. Earth orbits around the Sun once each year. Our view into space through the night sky changes as we orbit. So, the night sky looks slightly different each night because Earth is in a different spot in its orbit. The stars are …
Orion is by far the quintessential constellation seen in the winter night sky, not only from the Northern hemisphere but from all corners of the world. However, it is during the winter when the mythological hunter reigns supreme among the constellations. The most prominent northern winter constellations are Auriga, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Carina, Eridanus, …
Pisces is one of the twelve zodiac constellations, and it is located in the northern celestial hemisphere. It is among the largest constellation in the sky, being the 14 th largest out of the 88 modern constellations. The constellation of Pisces is located between Aries constellation to the east and Aquarius to the west. The …
The constellations best seen in March are Cancer, Canis Minor, Carina, Lynx, Pyxis, Vela and Volans. Cancer, Canis Minor and Lynx are located in the northern celestial hemisphere, while Carina, Pyxis, Vela and Volans lie in the southern sky. March constellations, image: Wikisky. February Constellations The constellations best seen in February are Auriga, Camelopardalis, Canis …
The constellations have a practical purpose today too. They determine how stars are named. When astronomers go to conferences they like to share their research with others. And usually they will want to tell someone which stars or objects they may be looking at. Also, why do we use constellations? Constellations can be a useful …