The constellation Ursa
Major (Great Bear)is certainly one of the most
famous constellations; it includes the familiar asterism
Big Dipper (the Britsh call it the Plow, the Wain or the
Wagon; in German it is known as the "Große
Wagen"). Ursa Major is an excellant staring point to
explore the night sky.
The group of stars, which form the Ursa
Minor , the Little Bear is often called Little
Dipper for its form strongly reminds one on an
oldfashioned cream ladle or gravy spoon.
One of the very few constellation, who really resembles
the figure it was named after, is Draco ,
the dragon.
The constellation of the Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs,
consists of two bright stars. A modern view is, that
these two "dogs" are hunting the Great Bear.
The Bear Driver Bootes is
sometimes called the Herdman. It lies south and east of
the Great Bear.
The constellation Coma Berenices has it name after the
beautiful Egyptian Queen Berenice, i.e. after the shorn
locks.
A wunderful circlet is being formed by Corona Borealis, lying between
Boötes and Hercules.
In a region where stars are few the constellation of Camelopardalis
(the Giraffe) can be found.
Lynx
(the Lynx), likewise in a barren region, forms a sort of
fence in front of the Great Bear.
North of the constellation Leo lies the Leo
Minor, the Smaller Lion.
The last three constellations are modern astronomical
images providing identification for a few fainter stars
unattacged to the older groups.
The Zodiacal
Family
As the name implies
belong to this familiy the twelve constellations of the
zodiac.
(One remark here: Actually, nowadays there are two more
constellation through which the sun passes along the
ecliptic: Ophiuchus and Cetus, the Whale.)
Looking like the king of beasts is the constellation of Leo,
the Lion; it forms an arched mane.
South of Coma Berenice lies the group forming Virgo,
the Virgin.
The stars of Libra, the Scale, remind of the claws
of an old scale.
On the edge of the Milky Way there can be the realistic
form of the Scorpius, the Scorpion, be found.
Sagittarius,
the Archer, represents a Centaur holding an bow.
Pisces,
the Fishes, occupy a region of the sky which is largely
devoted to water creatures of the sea.
According to greek mythology an expedition of the
Argonauts went out to get the golden fleece of the Aries,
the Ram.
With its long curved horns and its bright red eye (the
star Aldebaran) the constellation of Taurus,
the Bull, is most impressive in the sky. The Bull moves
continuously away from the advancing Hunter Orion.
The Twins Gemini are again a reference to the
greek mythology. The both leading stars are named Castor
and Pollux after the twin sons of Zeus.
The constellation Cancer, the Crab, is not only part of
the Zodiacal Family but as well associated with the Hercules
Family.
The Perseus
Family
The heavenly W, the constellation Cassiopeia
(sometimes called "The Lady of the Chair) is one of
those constellations which can be easily found in the
northern sky. In the latidude of Central Europe it
appears nearly in the zenith.
Cepheus,
the royal consort of Cassiopeia, lies to the north and
west of the Lady.
Near the stern of the ship flies the Dove Columbia.
The Bayer Group
The following
constellations got their name from the astronomer Johann
Bayer (early 17th century). He followed the tradition and
gave them names related to sea creatures:
In order to fill the
star poor regions between the Bayer Group and the other
families the astronomer La Caille (well known for his catalog
of nebulous objects) conceived
the following 13 constellations. He broke with the
tradition and gave them scientific names (with one
exception: Mensa):