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**What are Constellations? What are the uses of them?**
Constellations are known to be groups of stars that form into shapes, patterns, etc. in the sky from the human’s imagination, that’s why in many cases they are said to be not real. From the view on Earth, the stars seem to be close to each other, so they can be easily connected. However, in space, the stars are not necessarily close to each other. There are 88 officially recognized constellations meaning that the 88 are famously recognized around the world (ex. The Big Dipper), but this does not mean that there aren’t more. The famously known ones usually consists at least one of the top brightest stars in the universe. Constellations in general are usually named after mythical figures, people, animals, objects, and so on. The famously known ones in the Northern Hemisphere are named after heroes and heroines of Greek mythology. When you head to the Southern Hemisphere, the constellations are named after animals. To keep constellations updated, they would be characterized by their Latin (original) name, English name, the abbreviations, and the meaning of the constellations. They were used for thousandths of years as a calendar, timekeeper, and a majority of the time as a director. Early civilization used constellations to guild them around. That’s when constellations began receiving names, usually after their discoverer.

**How do you Find a Particular Constellation?**
To find a particular constellation, you would have to do some memorization and a little research to begin with. The popular known constellations are usually easier to locate, for example, the Big Dipper is like a shape of a spoon, so you would be looking for a handle-like and a rectangular shape connected with each other. Another way to recognize a particular constellation would be to know when it would appear in the night sky, such as: ‘What season would this certain constellation appear?’, ‘Which direction will I have to look?’, ‘Approximately what time does this constellation appear?’ and so on. Furthermore, throughout the year, they tend to gradually swift west. This tends to make you examine at the different directions in a different season, just to catch a glimpse of the constellation.

**Who had Discovered Constellations?**
Many different early civilizations had discovered constellations. The ancient Greeks are known to claim a majority of the 88 recognized star groups. Arabs, Egyptians, and the Babylonian are credited as well for creating a number of famous constellations. Usually, farmers are not credited for any, but it’s believed that farmers also have a huge impact in constellation development. They had always used them as an aid for navigation. The first constellation description was developed in a poem written by a Greek poet around 270 B.C. But, there are beliefs that it had been discovered much before then.

**Seasonal & Circumpolar Constellations**
There are different constellations in different seasons. The constellations that are involved in this pattern are known to be called, “Seasonal Constellations”. They change when the season changes, because of the constant movement of Earth rotating around the Sun in a clockwise direction. With 365 days in a year and 360 degrees as a full turn circle, it is believed that the stars would shift approximately one degree west each night. However, there are star groups that can be viewed all year round; they are known to be “Circumpolar Stars”. This means that the constellations can be viewed from both the Northern Hemisphere and/or the Southern Hemisphere. Look at Table 1 for examples of the commonly known seasonal and circumpolar constellations.

UMa || Ursae Majoris || The Great Bear || 7 || All Year || UMi || Ursae Minoris || The Little Bear || 7 || All Year || //Table 1: Examples of seasonal constellations in the Northern Hemisphere//
 * **Name** || **Abbre-**
 * viation** || **Genitive Name** || **Meaning** || **Number of Stars** || **Season** ||
 * The Big Dipper(Ursa Major) ||
 * The Little Dipper(Ursa Minor) ||
 * Cassiopeia || Cas || Cassiopeiae || The Seated Queen || 5 || All Year ||
 * Bootes || Boo || Bootis || The Plowman || 7 || Spring ||
 * Gemini || Gem || Geminorum || Twins || 8 || Spring ||
 * Virgo || Vir || Virginis || The Virgin || 9 || Spring ||
 * Leo || Leo || Leonis || The Lion || 9 || Spring ||
 * Lyra || Lyr || Lyrae || The Lyre || 5 || Summer ||
 * Aquila || Aql || Aquilae || The Eagle || 8 || Summer ||
 * Cygus || Cyg || Cygni || The Swan (Latin) || 9 || Summer ||
 * Sagittarius || Sgr || Sagittarii || The Archer || 12 || Summer ||
 * Perseus || Per || Persei || Perseus || 6 || Fall ||
 * Andromeda || And || Andromedae || Women Chained || 12 || Fall ||
 * Pegasus || Peg || Pegasi || A Winged Horse || 13 || Fall ||
 * Canis Major || CMa || Canis Majoris || The Greater Dog || 7 || Winter ||
 * Canis Minor || CMi || Canis Minoris || The Little Dog || 2 || Winter ||
 * Orion || Ori || Orionis || The Hunter || 10 || Winter ||
 * Taurus || Tau || Tauri || The Bull || 9 || Winter ||

**Famously Known Constellations**


The **Ursa Majo**r (Figure 1) is one of the most popular known constellations in the world. It is popularly known as “The Big Dipper” in North America and “Plough” in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It contains 7 bright stars and it is the third largest constellation in the universe. This constellation symbolizes the Great Bear. However, many people remember it as a spoon-like figure. This is one of the low numbers of constellations that can be seen all year round and can be located in the Northern Hemisphere. In appreciation, Alaska had featured the Big Dipper’s stars on its official flag.





The **Ursa Minor** (Figure 2) is another popularly known constellation after the Ursa Major. It is also smaller in size compared to the Ursa Major. It is known as The Little Dipper in North America and it symbolizes The Little Bear. As opposite as the Ursa Minor sounds compared to the Ursa Major, it still contains the same number of stars (7) of the Ursa Major. This constellation is a special constellation because it contains the North Star of the universe, which is known as Polaris. Ursa Minor can be seen all year round, but it’s been recommended to see it during the month of June.



The **Orion** (figure 3) is one of the popular and oldest constellations as well, but it is not as well known as the Big Dipper or the Little Dipper. It was named after a Hunter, because it is usually interpreted as a man in a belt and a sword. This constellation was discovered by Sumerian and Babylonian astronomers approximately 4000 years ago and is found in the Northern Hemisphere. This constellation consist 8 stars in total and contains a number of the brightest stars in the universe. This is a seasonal constellation, which can be seen during the winter season, but is best recommended to find it during January.

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