constellation: Quick Facts

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Oct. 4, 2026

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Photos and Videos

Circular astronomical map of the northern sky showing major constellations, with constellation names and star patterns marked. The outer edge is labeled with months to indicate when constellations are visible at night throughout the year.

Circular astronomical map of the southern sky showing major constellations, with constellation boundaries and star patterns marked. The outer ring is labeled with months to indicate which constellations are visible at different times of year.

Engraved star map from Bode's 1801 Uranographia showing the constellations Indus, Grus, and Pavo with illustrated mythological figures and labeled stars.

Night sky with constellation lines drawn over stars, highlighting Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, and Orion above a dark landscape with silhouetted trees.

Star chart in German showing constellations and celestial coordinates in a circular pattern, with white dots for stars on a blue background and constellation names labeled.

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Topics

decan lunar mansion Cassiopeia–Taurus Group zodiac asterism triplicity nakshatra Zodiac Sign Calculator celestial globe celestial sphere star solar system star cluster cosmic microwave background quasar planet X-ray source black hole radio source intergalactic medium

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astronomical map: Introduction

Key People

Lacaille, detail from an engraving

Nicolas Louis de Lacaille

French astronomer

Orion

Johann Bayer

German astronomer

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Benjamin Apthorp Gould

American astronomer

Johannes Hevelius.

Johannes Hevelius

Polish astronomer

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

Astronomy and Space Quiz

constellation virgo, astronomy

Constellations of the Zodiac and Their Signs Quiz

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy

View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).

The Night Sky: Galaxies and Constellations

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy

Ursa major constellation illustration art. (Big Dipper) stars, space, night sky)

Stars: Explosions in Space

The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet

Space Odyssey

1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.

Brightest Star in the Solar System

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

All About Astronomy