We explain what a constellation is in astronomy and what the main ones are. We also tell you what family constellations are. Please read other MTV articles for more information. If you share it, it will be of little help to us.
What is a constellation?
In astronomy, a constellation is a grouping of different stars in a portion of the celestial vault, which apparently evokes a specific shape or silhouette, from which it is given a name. These are completely arbitrary associations, often responding to figures and symbols derived from culture, and therefore vary from one society to another.
The first constellations were identified in ancient times, when the early cultures of the Euphrates Valley dedicated themselves to observing the sky more closely, and recognized the recurring presence of the same stars in the same regions of the firmament.
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The various ancient peoples gave this fact their own pseudo-religious explanations, commonly linked to their founding stories. Thus, for example, the ancient Greeks saw their heroes and gods in them, while the ancient Chinese distinguished a set of celestial houses and mansions, and the Incas a set of sacred animals.
In the case of Western astronomy, the constellations established by Greco-Roman ancestors, primarily those from Greek mythology, are considered to exist.
In fact, the word constellation is an inheritance from the Latin constellatus, composed of the words com- (“together” or “union”) and stella (“star”); This language is also used to name the constellations and their constituent stars, using the Latin declensions of the nominative and possessive genitive. Thus, the constellation of the centaur is called centaurus, but the main star of the group is called alpha centauri, meaning “the first of the centaur.”
How many constellations are there?
According to the International Astronomical Union, 88 constellations are formally recognized. Of these, 47 were identified and named by the Greek astronomer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100–c. 170 AD), who compiled a celestial catalog in 150 AD with more than 1,000 stars grouped into their respective constellations. Forty-one more were added later, throughout the 16th and 18th centuries, largely thanks to the guidance they provided to navigators and explorers.
The total number of constellations is fixed, but the observable constellations vary depending on the planet’s hemisphere from which they are observed. Thus, the Northern Hemisphere contains 36 constellations and the Southern Hemisphere contains 52.
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What are the main constellations?
Some of the best-known constellations in the sky are the following:
Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere:
Andromeda Constellation
It represents the princess of the same name, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, who, according to Greek mythology, was chained to a rock to be devoured by Ceto, a sea monster, but later rescued by Perseus. This constellation, one of the largest known, has 152 stars, of which the brightest is Alpheratz (Alpha Andromedae).
Orion Constellation
It represents the greatest hunter of Ancient Greece, visible as a warrior holding his weapon and shield. This hunter was the protagonist of numerous Greek myths, in some of which he was the pursuer of the Pleiades, the daughters of the Titan Atlas. This constellation is visible from both the northern and southern hemispheres and is recognizable by the three nearby stars that make up its belt. In total, Orion consists of 204 stars, of which Rigel (Beta Orionis) is the principal and brightest.
Constellation of Cassiopeia
It represents Cassiopeia, wife of the king of Ethiopia according to Greek mythology, whose beauty and vanity incurred the wrath of the god Poseidon, who sent a sea monster to plague the shores of his kingdom. This constellation consists of 157 stars, of which the brightest is Tsih (Gamma Cassiopeiae).
Perseus Constellation
It represents the classical Greek hero of the same name, responsible for decapitating Medusa and rescuing Andromeda, his future wife, from the jaws of a sea monster. The famous Perseid meteor shower occurs within it, and consists of a total of 158 stars, of which Mirfak (Alpha Persei) is the brightest.
Triangle Constellation
As its name suggests, it represents a triangle, in which the ancient Greeks saw the letter delta (𝛥). This is a minor constellation, at least in Greek mythology, and should not be confused with the constellation Triangulum Australe, in the southern hemisphere. There are only 25 stars in this constellation, of which Deltotum (Beta Trianguli) is the main one.
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Constellations of the Southern Hemisphere:
Crux Constellation
As its name suggests, it represents a cross, but since it belongs to the southern hemisphere, it is popularly known as the “Southern Cross.” It is one of the most useful constellations for navigation, as its main axis always points toward the South Pole. This constellation has 49 stars, of which Acrux (Alpha Crucis) is the brightest.
Canis Major Constellation
In Greek mythology, it represents the hunter Orion’s dog, which is why it seems to always be following its owner’s path in the sky. This constellation has 147 stars, of which Sirius (Alpha Canis majoris) is the brightest (in fact, it is the brightest in the sky).
Hydra Constellation
It represents the mythological monster Hydra, a multi-headed reptile that grew two new heads each time the hero decapitated one with his sword. It is one of the largest modern constellations, extending on both sides of the Earth’s equator, both south and north. It consists of 238 stars, the brightest of which is Alphard (Alpha Hydrae).
Southern Crown Constellation
It represents the laurel wreath that belonged to the wise Chiron, the centaur who was the teacher of numerous Greek heroes in mythology. It is a small constellation, very close to Sagittarius, consisting of 46 stars, of which Beta coronae australis is the brightest and largest.
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Constellations of the Zodiac
Among all the constellations, there are 12 that occupy a particular place in the celestial vault: an imaginary band 18 degrees wide, centered on the ecliptic (that is, the apparent path of the sun across the Earth’s sky) and divided into twelve sectors of 30 degrees of ecliptic longitude, each corresponding to a single sign.
This band is known as the zodiac (from the Greek zodion, “small animal image”) because the Greeks identified the constellations located in this strip of the sky with different figures and animals. These twelve constellations determine people’s astral signs, depending on which of them (or their surrounding spaces, known as “houses”) the Sun is in when a person is born.
The constellations of the zodiac are as follows:
Aries (from the Latin aries)
Represents the head and horns of a ram, corresponding in Greek mythology to the ram that saved the lives of the Argonauts Phrxius and Helle, who in return sacrificed it to the god Ares, who raised it to the firmament. Its fur would later become the Golden Fleece. This constellation is made up of 86 stars, of which Hemal (alpha arietis) is the brightest.
Taurus (from the Latin taurus)
Represents the Cretan Bull and, at the same time, the form Zeus took to kidnap the Phoenician princess Europa and take her to Crete to be his lover. This constellation is made up of 223 stars, the brightest of which is Aldebaran (alpha tauri).
Gemini (from the Latin gemini)
It represents the mythological twins Castor and Pollux, known as the Dioscuri and brothers of the famous Helen of Troy. This constellation consists of 119 stars, the two brightest of which are, precisely, Pollux (beta geminorum) and Castor (alpha geminorum).
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Cancer (from the Latin cancer)
It represents a crab, an animal present in numerous ancient mythological traditions. It can be found in the Egyptian temple of Hathor at Dendera; but also in the Greek tale of the Labors of Hercules, in which the goddess Hera sends a crab to sabotage the hero’s efforts to kill the Lernaean Hydra. This constellation consists of 104 stars, the brightest of which is Tarf (beta cancri).
Leo (from the Latin leo)
Represents a lion, an animal of symbolic and mythological importance to many ancient peoples, especially the Mesopotamians. In the 1st century AD, this constellation was reinterpreted to refer to the Nemean Lion, a creature defeated by Hercules in Greek mythology. This constellation consists of 300 stars, the brightest of which is Regulus (alpha leonis).
Virgo (from the Latin virgo)
Represents Astraea, a virgin Titaness from Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus and Themis, representative of earthly justice (hence called Iustitia by the Romans) and the last immortal to live among human beings. This constellation consists of 169 stars, of which Spica (alpha virginis) is the brightest.
Libra (from the Latin libra)
Represents a scale, an ancient symbol of justice and fairness, attributed in Greek mythology to the Titaness Astraea, who embodied earthly justice. This constellation, quite inconspicuous compared to the rest of the zodiac, consists of only 83 stars, of which Zubeneschamali (beta librae) is the brightest.
Scorpio (from the Latin scorpio)
Represents a scorpion, an animal widely present in the imaginations of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek antiquities. In Egyptian culture, it is part of the myth of the hunter Orion, who swore to the gods that he would kill every last animal on planet Earth and was punished by a scorpion, which chased him around the world until it killed him with its sting. This is how the Greeks explained that the constellation of Scorpio emerges in the celestial vault when the Orion constellation sets. The constellation of Scorpio consists of 167 stars, the brightest of which is Antares (alpha scorpii).
Sagittarius (from the Latin sagittarius)
Represents a centaur holding a bow and arrow, and its name means “the archer” in Latin. In Greek mythology, this centaur corresponds to Chiron, the wise teacher of numerous Greek heroes, whom Hercules accidentally killed with an arrow poisoned with hydra venom. This constellation has 194 stars, of which Kaus Australis (epsilon sagittarii) is the brightest.
Capricorn (from the Latin capricornius)
It represents a male goat or a female goat, associated in the 1st century AD with Aegyptum, a hybrid creature of goat and fish, which the ancient Greeks considered related to the rural god Pan. His ascension to the firmament, according to Greek mythology, was due to the discovery of the musical conch, an instrument with which he helped frighten the Titans during their war against the Olympian gods. This constellation has only 81 stars, of which Deneb Algedi (delta capricorni) is the brightest.
Aquarius (from the Latin aquarius)
Represents a human figure, sometimes male and sometimes female, holding a jug of water. In some mythological traditions, he is the god of storms, rain, or the personification of the universal flood, whose role is to purify the Earth; however, in Greek mythology, he is associated with Ganymede, the cupbearer of the Olympian gods. This constellation consists of 172 stars, the brightest of which is Sadalsuud (beta aquarii).
Pisces (from the Latin pisces)
Represents a pair of fish, creatures universally present in the world’s mythological traditions, but in Greco-Roman tradition, it alludes (according to Eratosthenes in 276 BC) to the great fish that saved Dercetus, one of Aphrodite’s daughters, from drowning in a lake into which she had fallen. According to other versions, it is said to be Venus and Cupid, when mother and son were fleeing the monster Typhon, transformed into fish, but tied with a rope so as not to get lost in the immensity of the sea. This constellation has 150 stars, of which Kullat Nunu (Nu Piscium) is the brightest.
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Family Constellations
Family constellations are a pseudotherapeutic method that proposes the existence of recognizable patterns in people’s families, unconsciously perceived and memorized, and then reproduced in intimate relationships in adulthood.
This theory, proposed by various German psychiatrists in the 20th century but harshly criticized from a scientific point of view, is distantly related to psychoanalysis, as it proposes the reenactment of family ties as a way to identify harmful emotional patterns learned in childhood.
References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- Constellation on Wikipedia.
- Etymology of Constellation in the Online Spanish Etymological Dictionary.
- Eight Legendary Stories You Can Read About the Constellations on ABC (Spain).
- Constellation (astronomy) in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
- Constellation definition, Concept and list of the most important ones – concepto.de
