Chapter 15, Annex U CONSTELLATIONS

CONSTELLATIONS
Figure U-1 Figure U-1  The Big Dipper in Constellation Ursa Major
Catching the Light: Astrophotography by Jerry Lodriguss, 1998. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.astropix.com/HTML/C_SPRING/BIGDIP.HTM
Figure U-1  The Big Dipper in Constellation Ursa Major
Figure U-2 Figure U-2  Orientations of the Big Dipper
T. Dickinson, NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, Firefly Books Ltd. (p. 31)
Figure U-2  Orientations of the Big Dipper
Figure U-3 Figure U-3  Big Dipper as the Key to the Night Sky
T. Dickinson, NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe, Firefly Books Ltd. (p. 31)
Figure U-3  Big Dipper as the Key to the Night Sky
Figure U-4 Figure U-4  Constellations
Constellations, by National Research Council of Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/docs/education/planisphere_e.pdf
Figure U-4  Constellations

Constellations are patterns of stars partitioned and named long ago by our ancestors. Of the 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union approximately one quarter of these are in the southern sky and not visible from mid-northern latitudes. About half of the remaining constellations are faint and hard to distinguish. Many of the visible and well-known constellations are shown in this handout. All constellations, including Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), circle the sky every 24 hours, with Polaris – the North Star – at the centre of the circle.

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