What are the constellations: names, characteristics. List of constellations

Looking at the night sky as a child, we try to understand what constellations are. We are interested in the names formed by the stars of the figure, but not the definition of the concept of "constellation". Meanwhile, even becoming adults, we do not always understand what really lies behind this familiar word.

Projection

A spaceship that flies into space will never reach any of the existing celestial drawings. The reason for this is that the stars that lie, as it seems to us, on the same plane, are in reality far removed from each other for long distances. The constellation is a projection of a separate fragment of the celestial sphere with all the cosmic objects located on it.

A bit of history

Representations about what constellations are, in different centuries differed. Today, 88 celestial drawings are singled out, but this was not always the case. The ancient constellations and their names were arranged and described by Ptolemy in his famous treatise Almagest. His list included 48 celestial drawings. All of them, with the exception of one, have retained their names so far. The large constellation of Argo (Argonauts' ship) was later divided into three smaller ones: Kiel, Korma and Sail. Initially, the heavenly drawings, called today the ancients, were described four centuries before Ptolemy, in 245 BC. E. This was also done by the Greek - the poet Arat.

The need to supplement the existing list came in the days of the Great Discoveries: the stars marked on the maps did not help navigate the vast expanses of the ocean. At the end of the 16th century, travelers Frederic de Hautman and Peter Keizer combined the stars into 12 more heavenly drawings. Among them were the Chameleon, Phoenix, South Hydra. A dozen constellations can still be found on the map of the southern hemisphere of the starry sky.

In 1613 Peter Plancius painted several new heavenly drawings on his globe, and in 1624, thanks to the German astronomer, doctor and mathematician Jacob Barchu, they were used throughout the scientific world. Today on the map of the starry sky there are only two of them - the Giraffe and the Unicorn.

Final formation

The list of constellations on this was not completed. Jan Hevelius in the 17th century singled out seven more star drawings (Sextant, Little Lion, Lizard, Shield, Lynx, Chanterelle, Hounds Dogs). In the following, the 18th century, Nicolas Louis de Lacaille contributed his contribution. He depicted 17 constellations that completed the formation of the list.

However, this did not end the history of the names of the constellations. Ancient celestial drawings tried several times to rename, replacing the Greek gods and heroes with Christian saints. Sometimes the glory of the Olympians wanted to feel the reigning people and military leaders. Nevertheless, all these attempts were unsuccessful.

Borders

By the end of the 18th century, a modern understanding of what constellations were finally established. The names of the celestial images are also more or less settled. It remained only to determine the boundaries.

Today, under the constellation is understood not only certain luminaries, creating a recognizable silhouette. To it carry all "territory" near these stars. The constellations are separated by boundaries approved in 1935 after a long joint work of several famous astronomers.

Continuous movement

On the map, the constellations were somehow fixed, but if you watch the stars all night, it's easy to see that the celestial drawings are constantly moving. Some move around a single center, others describe an arc and hide behind the horizon. This change in position was called the daily rotation. If the observer is in the Northern Hemisphere and faces south, then the stars for him will move clockwise, rising in the east and disappearing to the west. The highest constellations rise above the southern part of the horizon. If you watch the movement of stars, facing north, the picture changes somewhat. Some of the stars do not go beyond the horizon, but describe a circle in the sky. Its center is the so-called North Pole of the world. Near it is the North Star.

At the same time, the same bright spot always rises and sets in a strictly defined place, unlike the Sun and the Moon, the places of sunrise and sunset are shifted every day. The Earth's satellite and the daylight "travel" from one constellation to another. So, they "visit" the twelve celestial drawings. The sun goes its way through the year, and the moon - for 27 with a small day. Hospitable "houses", which take the daylight once every twelve months, constitute the zodiac circle.

Pillars of astrology

Perhaps, everyone knows what constellations of the zodiac signs exist. It is interesting that the heavenly figure in which the Sun is in a particular month is always hidden from the observer and appears only after six months.

Zodiac signs are known to mankind for a very long time. Some of their names were heard in the Mesopotamia, the cradle of one of the first civilizations. The very word "zodiac" of Greek origin: zodiakos in translation means "bestial". Twelve constellations have received this name because most of them are similar to animals.

The zodiac circle encompasses the orbit not only of the Moon, but of all the planets of the Solar System. It is located at an angle to the celestial equator and intersects with it at two points corresponding to the spring and autumn equinox.

The Pole of the World

It is possible to answer in different ways the question of what constellations are. Astronomers for their determination have developed a special coordinate system. We have already mentioned the North Pole of the world. It is easy to assume that there is also the South, pointed out by the constellation Southern Cross. And where the poles, there is the equator. In the coordinate system built on the sky, there is a declination (latitude, distance to the equator) and a right ascension (longitude).

The equator passes through certain constellations: Orion, Pisces, Kit, Taurus, Eridan, Sextant, Eagle, Unicorn, Hydra, Ophiuchus, Small Dog, Lion, Aquarius, Snake. A feature of these celestial drawings is accessibility for observation practically anywhere in the world. This is possible because of the location of the constellations.

North

There are several more classifications that complement our notion of what constellation is. All heavenly drawings are divided into those belonging to the Northern or Southern hemisphere of the starry sky.

The list of constellations of the Northern Hemisphere includes images of the three signs of the Zodiac: Gemini, Aries and Cancer. This includes the heavenly drawings of animals: Big and Little Dipper, Dolphin, Dragon, Giraffe, Dogs, Swan, Fox, Little Horse and Little Lion, Lynx and Lizard. Among the constellations of the Northern Hemisphere there are also named after the characters of ancient mythology: Hair of Veronica, Andromeda, Cepheus, Perseus, Pegasus, Hercules, Cassiopeia, Volopas, and denoting objects: Lyra, Sextant, Arrow, Triangle.

On the other side of the Earth

Now let's see what constellations can be seen for an observer in the Southern Hemisphere. Most celestial drawings here are named after inanimate objects and their parts: Altar, Compass, Forage, Kiel, Microscope, Bowl, Squire, Octant, Telescope, Pump, Cutter, Sails, Stove, Grid, Compass, Clock, Shield, South Crown, The Southern Cross and the South Triangle. From the signs of the Zodiac to the southern constellations include Capricorn, Scorpio and Sagittarius. Of the mythical characters here are located only Phoenix and Cepheus, but there are figures of art (Sculptor and Painter) and a representative of one of the peoples (Indian), as well as the embodiment of the miracle of nature (Table Mountain). There are many here and animals: Big Dog, Raven, Dove, Wolf, Flying, Gold and South Pisces, Crane, Hare, Paradise Bird, Peacock, Fly, Toucan, Chameleon, South Hydra.

Winter and summer

This is not the only way to answer the question of what constellation is. Another principle of classification is the time of the year in which the heavenly pattern is best observed. After all, in summer, winter, spring and autumn, different images dominate overhead.

In June, July and August, the sky is adorned with the constellations Cygnus, Lyra and the Eagle, whose brightest points form the asterism Summer Triangle. At this time of year also available for observation Bootes, North Crown, Compasses, Hercules and several more celestial drawings.

In winter, the space above your head is no less beautiful than in the summer. In the evening, above the horizon appears the constellation Orion. It is easy to find on three bright points lined up in a row. This is asterism Orion Belt. Below and just to the right of it is Rigel, the most notable star in this heavenly figure. If the belt continues to the left and down, then the line will soon rest against Sirius, Alfa the Great Dog and the brightest star in the whole sky. Both Big and Small Dog also refer to winter constellations. On the other end, the straight line, passing through the Orion Belt, rests on Aldebaran, referring to Taurus.

In autumn and spring

The end of the summer is accompanied by a change in the main constellations of the sky. Now, the best are the Fish, Cassiopeia and Andromeda. Although their brightness is inferior to Orion and Lebed, they decorate the sky no worse and are also worthy of attention.

In spring, the space above the head is illuminated by the stars of the Big Dipper, the Lion, the Virgin, and Bootes. Of course, they can be seen in other periods, but it is spring - the time of their "reign" in the sky.

The main constellations and names of the stars are known to us from the time of antiquity. Since then, their list has been supplemented and modified. A list of 88 celestial drawings is an exhaustive answer to the question of what constellations there are. Their names give an idea of the time of the appearance of these stellar drawings on the maps of the starry sky. So, almost all mythical characters shone in the era of ancient Greece and Rome. Most of the animals that are familiar to modern humans, as well as the silhouettes of artists and various instruments, are the result of rethinking the star map in the 17th and 18th centuries. The search for constellations facilitates their relationship with the celestial equator and the poles of the world.