List of constellations
|
|
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) divides the sky into 88 official constellations with precise boundaries, so that every direction belongs to exactly one constellation. These are mostly based upon the constellations of the ancient Greek tradition, passed down through the Middle Ages. The modern list is based on a list derived from the Romans,
Template:ConstellationsListedByPtolemy
In more recent times this list has been added to, both to fill gaps between Ptolemy's patterns (the Greeks considered the sky as including both constellations and dim spaces between, rather than composed of constellations as divisions) and also to fill up the previously hidden southern sky, as European explorers had journeyed to where they could see it.
Template:ConstellationsChangedByBayer Template:ConstellationsByBayer Template:ConstellationsByBartsch
| Constellations changed by the frenchman Augustin Royer in 1679 |
| Canis Major | split into | Canis Major | Columba |
Template:ConstellationsByHevelius Template:ConstellationsNLDLAltered Template:ConstellationsByLacaille
Other proposed constellations didn't succeed in becoming recognised, most notably Quadrans Muralis (now part of Boötes) for which the Quadrantid meteors are named. Various other less official patterns have existed alongside the constellations called asterisms, and include:
- the Big Dipper in Ursa Major;
- the Plough and the Little Dipper in Ursa Minor;
- the Teapot in Sagittarius,
- Orion's belt;
- the Summer Triangle (Deneb, Altair, and Vega, or α Cygni, Aquilae, and Lyrae);
- the Great Square of Pegasus (which includes α Andromedae);
- the Urn in Aquarius;
- the Sickle in Leo.
Some ancient asterisms, for example Coma Berenices, Serpens, and portions of Argo Navis, are now officially constellations.
See also:
et:Tähtkujude loend fa:فهرست پیکرهای آسمانی it:Lista delle costellazioni lb:Lëscht vu Stärebiller sl:seznam ozvezdij th:รายชื่อกลุ่มดาว he:רשימת קבוצות כוכבים vi:Danh sách các chòm sao