About Constellations:
Constellations are recognizable patterns formed in the sky by stars. Generally, the stars in a given constellation are not related to one another except for lying in the same direction from our point of view on planet Earth - if we could get a "top view" of them, some would be relatively close to us and some very far away, despite falling in the same constellation.

How Many Constellations?
Astronomers divide the entire celestial sphere into 88 sections surrounding the 88 "official" constellations, giving every star or deep-space object a location within a constellation. Stars are named for the constellation in which they are located.

Constellations vs. Asterisms
An asterism is any pattern formed by a group of stars that is not one of the official constellations. Usually an asterism is part of a larger constellation. Some important asterisms stargazers use are:

• the Big Dipper (in the constellation Ursa Major)
• the Little Dipper (in Ursa Minor)
• the Northern Cross (in Cygnus)
• the Keystone (in Hercules).

"But it doesn't look like a..."
Some constellations do - and most of them can be made to - form outlines or stick-figures resembling their namesake beast or mythological character. However, the names of many constellations may derive more from the season heralded by the return of a particular group of stars than from their shape. For example, most people don't immediately recognize a human figure in Virgo. But Virgo's bright star Spica ("sheaf" - of grain) was an important seasonal marker; its appearance in the evening sky in spring indicated planting time, and its departure from the evening sky coincided with harvest. The pattern we know as Virgo likely developed as a way to recognize when Spica was due.

Viewing Constellations Through the Year

Over the course of a year, 55 of the 88 constellations come into view in the night sky from our latitude, as listed below. The charts divide the heavens into 4 sections - circumpolar, north of the ecliptic, along the ecliptic, and south of the ecliptic - and give their visibility by month (based on star charts for mid-month at 10 pm April-September and 9 pm October-March).

Constellations in bold type are relatively bright and the easiest to learn. We actually have a pretty good location for learning constellations. In a very dark sky, there can be so many stars visible that it is hard to pick out the patterns; from Haggart, we can usually see stars down to only 3rd or 4th magnitude (6th is the naked-eye limit). This simplifies the major constellations - so learn those here, then venture into a dark-sky viewing area to see the fainter ones!