Like its nearby neighbor Sagittarius, the constellation Scorpio never rises far above the southern horizon of skygazer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Scorpio constellation is located near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Within the constellation are ten stars with known planets.
Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac. Because this constellation is located low in the sky, it is best viewed where there is a clear southern horizon during the summer months. It has a very distinctive shape; some call it a teapot because of the outline found in the middle area of the constellation, [...]
The constellation Bootes is easily visible. Simply look down from the tail of the Big Dipper. Bootes looks like a giant kite with a bright red star at the narrow end. Bootes is also known as the Bear Driver because it leads the Great Bear as it revolves around the North Star. Bootes is usually [...]
Virgo is a constellation in the southern hemisphere. It is the second largest constellation in the sky, smaller only than Hydra. Virgo is an open equatorial constellation with its brighter stars well distributed, occupying the ecliptic between Leo and Libra. Virgo appears as a few strings of dim stars strung out over a large area [...]
The constellation Andromeda is attached to one of the four corners of the great square of Pegasus. As such, both the Andromeda and Pegasus constellations share one bright star. Officially, the star belongs to the Andromeda constellation and is named alpha Andromedae. The constellation appears as two lines of stars coming out of a common [...]
Leo is one of the larger constellations in the northern hemisphere and it does resemble a crouching lion, hence the absence of legs. Leo is made up of a fair number of bright stars. The part of the constellation that forms Leo’s mane is called, the “Sickle”. Leo’s backside and tail are represented by a [...]
Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac. The Gemini constellation is easy to see because its stars form an almost perfectly symmetric image in which one side mirrors the other. Gemini Mythology The Greeks believed that Gemini represented twin brothers, thanks to the mirror image effect of this unique constellation.
Constellation Canis Major, The Great Dog The constellation of the Great Dog is better known by its Latin name Canis Major. Ths constellation isn’t difficult to spot since it is dominated by Sirius (or alpha Canis Major), which is the brightest star in the sky with an apparent magnitude of –1.4. Sirius is a white [...]
At the core of the constellation Taurus is a small “V” formed by five stars. One unique feature of these stars is that four of are travelling at the same speed in the same direction. This is unusual because over time, the major constellations change shape because the stars that form them travel at different [...]
The constellation Orion is of particular interest to many backyard astronomers. The constellation includes some of the sky’s brightest stars and because Orion is positioned astride the celestial equator, it can be seen from almost any place on Earth. The three bright stars appearing in a short line in the center of Orion are known [...]
Aquila is a bird of the sky, just like his neighboring Cygnus constellation. While the Aquila constellation is similar to Cygnus, it is easier to spot because its stars are brighter. The constellation pattern is also simpler, where clear straight lines can be visualized. The constellation Aquila has three of its brighter stars in a [...]
Pegasus’ shape can be discerned with ease. The more prominent feature of the Pegasus constellation is the great square of Pegasus which consists of four widely separated stars forming an almost perfect square. The Great Square of Pegasus is actually an asterisms, meaning it is a pattern formed with a portion of the full constellation. [...]
The constellation Lyra depicts the musical instrument (a Lyre) that was crafted by the god Hermes and offered to Orpheus, the musician of the Argonauts. Lyra’s music would help nearby Hercules pass the time away. Lyra contains an extremely bright star called Vega, also known as alpha Lyrae. Vega is very bright because is two [...]
The constellation Cygnus is known as the swan. The Arabs call it the Flying Eagle. The brighter stars of the constellation make it appear as a large cross because the wings are completed by some dimmer stars. This is the reason why Cygnus is also known as the “Northern Cross” to distinguish it from the [...]
If you ever spotted what looks like a simple dog house in the sky, you may have been staring at the Cepheus constellation. Picture a square with a peaked roof and this is the general shape of Cepheus. You can find the apex of the roof near to Polaris. Unlike the other major constellations, Cepehus [...]
