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The Constellations
Origin of the Constellations
Ever since people first wandered the Earth, great significance has been given to the celestial objects seen in the sky. Throughout human history and across many different cultures, names and mythical stories have been attributed to the star patterns in the night sky, thus giving birth to what we know as constellations.
When were the first constellations recorded? Archaeological studies have identified possible astronomical markings painted on the walls in the cave system at Lascaux in southern France. Our ancestors may have recorded their view of the night sky on the walls of their cave some 17 300 years ago. It is thought that the Pleiades star cluster is represented alongside the nearby cluster of the Hyades. Was the first ever depiction of a star pattern made over seventeen millennia ago? (Rappenglück 1996)
The ancient Greeks were the first to describe over half of the 88 constellations recognised by the IAU today. Forty eight of the constellations we know were recorded in the seventh and eighth books of Claudius Ptolemy’s Almagest, although the exact origin of these constellations still remains uncertain. Ptolemy’s descriptions are probably strongly influenced by the work of Eudoxus of Knidos in around 350 BC. Between the 16th and 17th century AD, European astronomers and celestial cartographers added new constellations to the 48 previously described by Ptolemy; these new constellations were mainly “new discoveries” made by the Europeans who first explored the southern hemisphere. Those who made particular contributions to the “new” constellations include the Polish-born, German astronomer Johannes Hevelius; three Dutch cartographers, Frederick de Houtman, Pieter Dirksz Keyser and Gerard Mercator; the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille; the Flemish mapmaker Petrus Plancius and the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
IAU and the 88 Constellations
Originally the constellations were defined informally by the shapes made by their star patterns, but, as the pace of celestial discoveries quickened in the early 20th century, astronomers decided it would be helpful to have an official set of constellation boundaries. One reason was to aid in the naming of new variable stars, which brighten and fade rather than shine steadily. Such stars are named for the constellation in which they reside, so it is important to agree where one constellation ends and the next begins.
Eugène Delporte originally listed the 88 “modern” constellations on behalf of the IAU Commission 3 (Astronomical Notations), in Délimitation scientifique des constellations. (Delporte, 1930)
Constellation Figures
In star maps it is common to mark line “patterns” that represent the shapes that give the name to the constellations. However, the IAU defines a constellation by its boundary (indicated by sky coordinates) and not by its pattern and the same constellation may have several variants in its representation.
The constellations should be differentiated from asterisms. Asterisms are patterns or shapes of stars that are not related to the known constellations, but nonetheless are widely recognised by laypeople or in the amateur astronomy community. Examples of asterisms include the seven bright stars in Ursa Major known as “the Plough” in Europe or “the Big Dipper” in America, as well as “the Summer Triangle”, a large triangle, seen in the summer night sky in the northern hemisphere and composed of the bright stars Altair, Deneb and Vega. Whilst a grouping of stars may be officially designated a constellation by the IAU, this does not mean that the stars in that constellation are necessarily grouped together in space. Sometimes stars will be physically close to each other, like the Pleiades, but constellations are generally really a matter of perspective. They are simply our Earth-based interpretation of two dimensional star patterns on the sky made up of stars of many differing brightnesses and distances from Earth.
Constellation Names
Each Latin constellation name has two forms: the nominative, for use when talking about the constellation itself, and the genitive, or possessive, which is used in star names. For instance, Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation Aries (nominative form), is also called Alpha Arietis (genitive form), meaning literally “the alpha of Aries”.
The Latin names of all the constellations, their abbreviated names and boundaries can be found in the table below. They are a mix of the ancient Greek patterns recorded by Ptolemy as well as some more “modern” patterns observed later by more modern astronomers.
The IAU adopted three-letter abbreviations of the constellation names at its inaugural General Assembly in Rome in 1922. So, for instance, Andromeda is abbreviated to And whilst Draco is abbreviated to Dra.
Pronunciation of Constellation Names
Experienced astronomers, both professional and amateur, pronounce constellation names in many different ways, but have no trouble understanding each other. There is no single correct way of pronouncing a constellation name, and there are several sources that address the issue. (See also Covington (2002), Davis (1942), The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). See for instance:
- Sky&Telescope web page on constellations names and pronunciation
- Davis, G. A.; Barton, S. G. & McHugh, I. “Pronouncing Astronomical Names ” in Popular Astronomy, August 1942
- The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition
- Covington , M. A. Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes, pages 80–84. A link to the text “Latin Pronunciation Demystified “ is available on http://www.ai.uga.edu/mc/latinpro.pdf
Charts and tables
The charts below were produced in collaboration with Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg). Alan MacRobert's constellation patterns, drawn in green in the charts, were influenced by those of H. A. Rey but in many cases were adjusted to preserve earlier traditions.
Quick links : And , Ant, Aps, Aqr, Aql, Ara, Ari, Aur, Boo, Cae, Cam, Cnc, CVn, CMa, CMi, Cap, Car, Cas, Cen, Cep, Cet, Cha, Cir, Col, Com, CrA, CrB, Crv, Crt, Cru, Cyg, Del, Dor, Dra, Equ, Eri, For, Gem, Gru, Her, Hor, Hya, Hyi, Ind, Lac, Leo, LMi, Lep, Lib, Lup, Lyn, Lyr, Men, Mic, Mon, Mus, Nor, Oct, Oph, Ori, Pav, Peg, Per, Phe, Pic, Psc, PsA, Pup, Pyx, Ret, Sge, Sgr, Sco, Scl, Sct, Ser, Sex, Tau, Tel, Tri, TrA, Tuc, UMa, UMi, Vel, Vir, Vol, Vul , Chart text legend
Charts Graphical Legend
Charts
| Name / Pronunciation |
Abbr. | English Name | Genitive / Pronunciation |
Downloads |
Andromedaan-DRAH-mih-duh |
And | the Chained Maiden | Andromedae an-DRAH-mih-dee |
Constellation boundary |
AntliaANT-lee-uh |
Ant | the Air Pump | Antliae ANT-lee-ee |
Constellation boundary |
| Apus APE-us, APP-us |
Aps | the Bird of Paradise |
Apodis APP-oh-diss |
Constellation boundary |
|
uh-QUAIR-ee-us |
Aqr | the Water Bearer |
Aquarii uh-QUAIR-ee-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
ACK-will-uh, uh-QUILL-uh |
Aql | the Eagle |
Aquilae ACK-will-ee, uh-QUILL-ee |
Constellation boundary |
|
AIR-uh, AR-uh |
Ara | the Altar |
Arae AIR-ee, AR-ee |
Constellation boundary |
|
AIR-eez, AIR-ee-yeez |
Ari | the Ram |
Arietis uh-RYE-ih-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
aw-RYE-guh |
Aur | the Charioteer |
Aurigae aw-RYE-ghee |
Constellation boundary |
|
bo-OH-teez |
Boo | the Herdsman |
Boötis bo-OH-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
SEE-lum |
Cae | the Engraving Tool |
Caeli SEE-lye |
Constellation boundary |
|
cuh-MEL-oh- PAR-duh-liss |
Cam | the Giraffe |
Camelopardalis cuh-MEL-oh- PAR-duh-liss CANE-um (CAN-um) ve-nat-ih-COR-um |
Constellation boundary |
|
CAN-ser |
Cnc | the Crab |
Cancri CANG-cry |
Constellation boundary |
|
CANE-eez (CAN-eez) ve-NAT-iss-eye |
CVn | the Hunting Dogs | Canum Venaticorum |
Constellation boundary |
|
CANE-iss (CAN-iss) MAY-jer |
CMa | the Great Dog |
Canis Majoris CANE-iss (CAN-iss) muh-JOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
CANE-iss (CAN-iss) MY-ner |
CMi | the Lesser Dog |
Canis Minoris CANE-iss (CAN-iss) mih-NOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
CAP-rih-CORN-us |
Cap | the Sea Goat |
Capricorni CAP-rih-CORN-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
cuh-RYE-nuh, cuh-REE-nuh |
Car | the Keel |
Carinae cuh-RYE-nee, cuh-REE-nee |
Constellation boundary |
|
CASS-ee-uh-PEE-uh |
Cas | the Seated Queen |
Cassiopeiae CASS-ee-uh-PEE-ye |
Constellation boundary |
| Centaurus | Cen | the Centaur | Centauri |
Constellation boundary |
| Cepheus | Cep | the King | Cephei |
Constellation boundary |
|
SEE-tus |
Cet | the Sea Monster |
Ceti SEE-tie |
Constellation boundary |
|
cuh-MEAL-yun, cuh-MEAL-ee-un |
Cha | the Chameleon |
Chamaeleontis cuh-MEAL-ee-ON-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
SER-sin-us |
Cir | the Compass |
Circini SER-sin-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
cuh-LUM-buh |
Col | the Dove |
Columbae cuh-LUM-bee |
Constellation boundary |
|
COE-muh BER-uh-NICE-eez |
Com | the Bernice's Hair |
Comae Berenices COE-mee BER-uh-NICE-eez |
Constellation boundary |
|
cuh-ROE-nuh aw-STRAL-iss3 |
CrA | the Southern Crown |
Coronae Australis cuh-ROE-nee aw-STRAL-iss3 |
Constellation boundary |
|
cuh-ROE-nuh bor-ee-AL-iss3 |
CrB | the Northern Crown | cuh-ROE-nee bor-ee-AL-iss3 |
Constellation boundary |
|
COR-vus |
Crv | the Crow |
Corvi COR-vye |
Constellation boundary |
|
CRAY-ter |
Crt | the Cup |
Crateris cruh-TEE-riss |
Constellation boundary |
|
CRUCKS, CROOKS |
Cru | the Southern Cross |
Crucis CROO-siss |
Constellation boundary |
|
SIG- SIG-nu |
Cyg | the Swan |
Cygni SIG-nye |
Constellation boundary |
|
del-FINE-us, del-FIN-us |
Del | the Dolphin |
Delphini del-FINE-eye, del-FIN-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
duh-RAH-do |
Dor | the Swordfish |
Doradus duh-RAH-dus |
Constellation boundary |
|
DRAY-co |
Dra | the Dragon |
Draconis druh-CONE-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
eh-QUOO-lee-us |
Equ | the Little Horse |
Equulei eh-QUOO-lee-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
ih-RID-un-us |
Eri | the River |
Eridani ih-RID-un-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
FOR-naks |
For | the Furnace |
Fornacis for-NAY-siss |
Constellation boundary |
|
JEM-uh-nye, JEM-uh-nee |
Gem | the Twins |
Geminorum JEM-uh-NOR-um |
Constellation boundary |
|
GRUSS, GROOS |
Gru | the Crane |
Gruis GROO-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
HER-kyuh-leez |
Her | the Hercules |
Herculis HER-kyuh-liss |
Constellation boundary |
|
hor-uh-LOE-jee-um |
Hor | the Clock |
Horologii hor-uh-LOE-jee-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
HIGH-druh |
Hya | the Female Water Snake |
Hydrae HIGH-dree |
Constellation boundary |
|
HIGH-drus |
Hyi | the Male Water Snake |
Hydri HIGH-dry |
Constellation boundary |
|
IN-dus |
Ind | the Indian |
Indi IN-dye |
Constellation boundary |
|
luh-SER-tuh |
Lac | the Lizard |
Lacertae luh-SER-tee |
Constellation boundary |
|
LEE-oh |
Leo | the Lion |
Leonis lee-OH-niss |
Constellation boundary |
|
LEE-oh MY-ner |
LMi | the Lesser Lion |
Leonis Minoris lee-OH-niss mih-NOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
LEEP-us, LEP-us |
Lep | the Hare |
Leporis LEP-or-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
LEE-bruh, LYE-bruh |
Lib | the Scales |
Librae LEE-bree, LYE-bree |
Constellation boundary |
|
LOOP-us |
Lup | the Wolf |
Lupi LOOP-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
LINKS |
Lyn | the Lynx |
Lyncis LIN-siss |
Constellation boundary |
|
LYE-ruh |
Lyr | the Lyre |
Lyrae LYE-ree |
Constellation boundary |
|
MEN-suh |
Men | the Table Mountain |
Mensae MEN-see |
Constellation boundary |
|
my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-um |
Mic | the Microscope |
Microscopii my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
muh-NAH-ser-us |
Mon | the Unicorn |
Monocerotis muh-NAH-ser-OH-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
MUSS-cuh |
Mus | the Fly |
Muscae MUSS-see, MUSS-kee |
Constellation boundary |
|
NOR-muh |
Nor | the Carpenter's Square |
Normae NOR-mee |
Constellation boundary |
|
OCK-tanz |
Oct | the Octant |
Octantis ock-TAN-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
OFF-ee-YOO-kus, OAF-ee-YOO-kus |
Oph | the Serpent Bearer |
Ophiuchi OFF-ee-YOO-kye, OAF-ee-YOO-kye |
Constellation boundary |
|
oh-RYE-un, uh-RYE-un |
Ori | the Hunter |
Orionis or-eye-OH-niss |
Constellation boundary |
|
PAY-vo |
Pav | the Peacock |
Pavonis puh-VOE-niss |
Constellation boundary |
|
PEG-us-us |
Peg | the Winged Horse |
Pegasi PEG-us-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
PER-see-us, PER-syoos |
Per | the Hero |
Persei PER-see-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
FEE-nix |
Phe |
the Phoenix
|
Phoenicis fuh-NICE-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
PICK-ter |
Pic | the Painter's Easel |
Pictoris pick-TOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
PICE-eez, PISS-eez |
Psc | the Fishes |
Piscium PICE-ee-um, PISH-ee-um |
Constellation boundary |
|
PICE-iss (PISS-iss) aw-STRY-nus |
PsA | the Southern Fish |
Piscis Austrini PICE-iss (PISS-iss) aw-STRY-nye |
Constellation boundary |
|
PUP-iss |
Pup | the Stern |
Puppis PUP-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
PIX-iss |
Pyx | the Compass |
Pyxidis PIX-ih-diss |
Constellation boundary |
|
rih-TICK-yuh-lum |
Ret | the Reticle |
Reticuli rih-TICK-yuh-lye |
Constellation boundary |
|
suh-JIT-uh |
Sge | the Arrow |
Sagittae suh-JIT-ee |
Constellation boundary |
|
SAJ-ih-TARE-ee-us |
Sgr | the Archer |
Sagittarii SAJ-ih-TARE-ee-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
SCOR-pee-us |
Sco | the Scorpion |
Scorpii SCOR-pee-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
SCULP-ter |
Scl | the Sculptor |
Sculptoris sculp-TOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
SCOOT-um, SCYOOT-um |
Sct | the Shield |
Scuti SCOOT-eye, SCYOOT-eye |
Constellation boundary |
|
SER-punz |
Ser | the Serpent |
Serpentis ser-PEN-tiss |
Constellation boundary (Serpens Caput)
Constellation boundary (Serpens Cauda) |
|
SEX-tunz |
Sex | the Sextant |
Sextantis sex-TAN-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
TOR-us |
Tau | the Bull |
Tauri TOR-eye |
Constellation boundary |
| Telescopium | Tel | the Telescope | Telescopii |
Constellation boundary |
|
try-ANG-gyuh-lum |
Tri | the Triangle |
Trianguli try-ANG-gyuh-lye |
Constellation boundary |
|
try-ANG-gyuh-lum aw-STRAL-ee |
TrA | the Southern Triangle |
Trianguli Australis try-ANG-gyuh-lye aw-STRAL-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
too-KAY-nuh, too-KAH-nuh |
Tuc | the Toucan |
Tucanae too-KAY-nee, too-KAH-nee |
Constellation boundary |
|
ER-suh MAY-jur |
UMa | the Great Bear |
Ursae Majoris ER-suh muh-JOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
ER-suh MY-ner |
UMi | the Little Bear |
Ursae Minoris ER-suh mih-NOR-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
VEE-luh, VAY-luh |
Vel | the Sails |
Velorum vee-LOR-um, vuh-LOR-um |
Constellation boundary |
|
VER-go |
Vir | the Maiden |
Virginis VER-jin-iss |
Constellation boundary |
|
VOH-lanz |
Vol | the Flying Fish |
Volantis vo-LAN-tiss |
Constellation boundary |
|
vul-PECK-yuh-luh |
Vul | the Fox |
Vulpeculae vul-PECK-yuh-lee |
Constellation boundary |
Charts Text Legend
Each constellation comes with the following basic information:
- Name
- Pronunciation of the name
- Abbreviation
- English Name
- Genitive
- Pronunciation of the genitive
- Chart for screen view (GIF)
- Chart for printing (PDF in A4 format)
- Boundary coordinates (TXT)
Explanation of the fields:
- The name is the Latin name adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1930.
- Pronunciation as described above.
- Abbreviation, the standard three-letter form of the Latin name.
- The popular name in English.
- The genitive is the possessive form of the constellation’s name in Latin. For example, alpha Orionis is the alpha star in the constellation of Orion.
- Pronunciation as described above.
- Chart in GIF format, 1000 pixels wide.
- Chart in PDF format, to be printed in A4 format.
- A text file containing a set of coordinates that defines the boundaries of the constellations in the sky. The format is:
HH MM SS.SSSS| DD.DDDDDDD|XXX
Where:
HH MM SS.SSSS defines the right ascension hour, minute and second with J2000 coordinates
DD.DDDDDDD defines the declination with J2000 coordinates
XXX is the abbreviation of the constellation name
| is the separator of the fields
Example:
22 57 51.6729| 35.1682358|AND
References
- COVINGTON, M. A. Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes .Cambridge University Press, 2002. pp. 80-84.
- DAVENHALL, A. C.; LEGGETT, S. K. Constellation Boundary Data (Davenhall+ 1989). VizieR On-line Data Catalog: VI/49, 1997 (Online data: http://vizier.cfa.harvard.edu/viz-bin/VizieR?-source=VI/49 )
- DELPORTE, E. Délimitation scientifique des constellation s. Cambridge University Press, 1930.
- FLANDERS, T. Constellation Names and Abbreviations . Sky & Telescope, link: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/letsgo/helpdesk/Constellation_Names.html
- RAPPENGLÜCK, M. A. The Pleiades in the “Salle des Taureaux”, Grotte de Lascaux (France). Does a Rock Picture in the Cave of Lascaux Show the Open Star Cluster of the Pleiades at the Magdalénien Era, ca. 15.300 B.C.? Actas del IV Congreso de la SEAC/Proceedings of the IVth SEAC Meeting "Astronomy and Culture". C. Jaschek and F. Atrio Barandela (eds.). Salamanca, 1996, pp. 217-225.
- RIDPATH, I. The IAU list of constellations webpage:
http://www.ianridpath.com/iaulist1.htm