Constellations

Constellations are images in the sky created by stars. They are the ones with names, such as Orion and Draco. There are the "classical" or better known ancient constellations, that were created thousands of years ago by the peoples of the middle east. Although their stories are long forgotten, they were passed through time to the hands of the acient greeks. The greeks transformed these lengends into ones of their owns, and were then told through narratives. Many have Latin names that were given during the Roman era.

There are 48 ancient constellations, they are the most brightest of patterns created in the sky. Beginning in the 1600's to about the 1800's astronomers began to find new constellations, this means they made news one up. These so called "Modern" constellations consisted of the fainter stars lying between the ancient constellations, as well as the southern sky, which could not be seen by the middle east.

Orion

The constellation Orion is often referenced to as The Hunter, and is one of the most prominent constellations in the sky. It is one of the largest making it easy to recongnize, thus becoming one of the best known constellations. The location of Orion is unique that it is formed on the celestial equator, making it visible throughout the world. The way to recongnize Orion is through his belt. There are three bright stars of medium brightness located in the mid-section of the constellation, right where his belt should go. They are located in a straight line and this makes it easy to spot. From mid-northern latitudes, Orion is visible in the evening from November to early May and in the morning from late July to November.

There is a legend passed down through the romans, that Orion is standing next to the river Eridanus with his two hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor, and he is fighting Taurus the bull. On the other side a small constellation known as the Seven sisters, and Zeus placed the bull, the constellation creating a V in the sky between Orion and the girls.

Draco

This constellation has many stories behind it. Most commonly known as Draco, because it looks like a dragon. In the most famous of the myths, Draco represents Ladon, the hundred-eyed dragon who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides. The eleventh of The Twelve Labours of Heracles was to steal the golden apples. Heracles killed Ladon with a poisoned arrow, allowing him to freely take the golden apples. According to the legend, Hera later placed the dragon in the sky as the constellation Draco. Due to its position and nearby constellations in the zodiac sign of Libra, it can be seen to tell the tale of the eleventh labour.

In another Greek legend, Draco represents the dragon killed by Cadmus before founding the city of Thebes, Greece. In a third legend, it represents the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece and was killed by Jason. The fact that the stars of this circumpolar constellation never set plays an important part in its mythologies.

The Little Dipper

The Little Dipper, meaning Little Bear in Latin, is also known as Ursa Minor. This constellation is located in in the northern sky. It is one of the 88 modern constellations. This constellation is also easliy recongnized as it consists of four stars creating a box, and then a few stars curving away creating the handle, thus the name. At the very end of the handle is the North Star.

The constellation of Ursa Minor, when including less visible stars which are still visible to the naked eye, vaguely resembles a bear, with an unusually long tail. In consequence, together with the nearby Ursa Major, it formed the basis of the myth of Callisto.

In even earlier times, Ursa Minor was considered to be just seven close stars, and mythologically was regarded, as such, as sisters. In early Greek mythology, the seven stars in Ursa Minor were considered to be the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas. Together with other constellations in the zodiac sign of Libra it may have formed the origin of the myth of the apples of the Hesperides, which forms part of the Twelve Labours of Heracles.

The Big Dipper

The Big Dipper also known as Ursa Major, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. Its name means Great Bear in Latin, and is associated with the legends of Callisto and Cynosura.

One of the few star groups mentioned in the Bible, Ursa Major was also pictured as a bear by both the Hebrews and most North American peoples. However, as bears do not have long tails, they considered the stars, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid to be either three cubs following their mother or three hunters.

The Iroquois Native Americans also interpreted Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid as three hunters pursuing the Great Bear. According to one version of their myth, the first hunter, Alioth is carrying a bow and arrow to strike down the bear. The second hunter, Mizar carries a large pot on his shoulder in which to cook the bear while the third hunter, Alkaid hauls a pile of firewood to light a fire beneath the pot.

The Milky Way

The Milky Way, is our home galaxy. This is where our solar system is located. Our galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy, and is visble from earth. You can see it in the sky as a band of light, and this appearance has inspired the name The Milky Way.


Visible from Earth as a hazy band of white light that is seen in the night sky, arching across the entire celestial sphere, the visual phenomenon of the Milky Way (as seen in the night sky) originates from stars and other material which lies within the galactic plane.