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A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, ...
constellation A region on the celestial sphere surrounding a specific and identifiable grouping of stars. The names of constellations are assigned by tradition and often have an associated folklore based in mythology, while the modern demarcation of their borders was established by the International Astronomical Union in 1930. Compare asterism.
Constellations are colour-coded by family and year established. Constellation families are collections of constellations sharing some defining characteristic, such as proximity on the celestial sphere , common historical origin, or common mythological theme.
Caelum / ˈ s iː l əm / is a faint constellation in the southern sky, introduced in the 1750s by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille and counted among the 88 modern constellations.Its name means "chisel" in Latin, and it was formerly known as Caelum Sculptorium ("Engraver's Chisel"); it is a rare word, unrelated to the far more common Latin caelum, meaning "sky", "heaven", or "atmosphere". [3]
Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for maiden, and its old astronomical symbol is . Between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second-largest constellation in the sky (after Hydra) and the largest constellation in the zodiac. The ecliptic intersects the celestial equator within this constellation ...
The asterism was recognized as the constellation ASH.IKU "The Field" on the MUL.APIN cuneiform tablets from about 1100 to 700 BC. [13] Alpheratz is now only considered a part of the constellation Andromeda whereas formerly the star was a part of both constellations. The Bowl of Virgo is formed by the stars Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Eta ...
The constellations along the ecliptic are called the zodiac. When explorers mapped the stars of the southern skies, European astronomers proposed new constellations for that region, as well as ones to fill gaps between the traditional constellations. Because of their Roman and European origins, every constellation has a Latin name.
Constellations are groupings of stars as they are viewed, along a line-of-sight at a constant azimuth and elevation in the sky. This category identifies the 88 constellations currently recognised (areas of the sky) by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), plus some further subcategories.