Every culture known to history and anthropology has seen in the
heavens distinctive patterns, called constellations, formed by the
stars. Constellations are usually comprised of bright stars which
appear close to each other. Most of the constellations visible from
the northern hemisphere which are "officially" recognized are of
ancient Greek derivation. Ancient poetry indicates that the Greek
system of constellations was well known by 2700 B.C. and that it
probably originated around 3000 B.C. It is important to recognize,
however, the cultural bias introduced in our vision of the sky by the
selection of these constellations, while those of western civilization
are usually comprised of the brighter stars, oriental cultures (the
ancient Chinese, for example) formed intricate patterns from some of
the faintest stars, creating hundreds of constellations where the West
saw only a few. A few constellations, such as Orion, the hunter, and
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, represent the same image to widely
separated cultures.
Because of the rotation of the Earth and it's orbit around the Sun, it is convenient to divide the constellations into two groups: those which never rise nor set, the circumpolar constellations, and all the rest, which are divided into ``seasonal'' constellations. As the Earth revolves about the Sun, the Sun appears to move through the constellations. Therefore, different constellations will be visible in our night sky at different times of the year. Which constellations will be circumpolar and which seasonal depends on your latitude. From the North or South Poles, there are no seasonal constellations; all are circumpolar. From the Equator, no constellations are circumpolar.
Click here to learn about the
constellations which are visible in the Spring for people who live North
of the Equator and in the Fall for people who live South of the Equator.
An Introduction to the Night Sky
Every culture known to history and anthropology has seen in the
heavens distinctive patterns, called constellations, formed by the
stars. Constellations are usually comprised of bright stars which
appear close to each other. Most of the constellations visible from
the northern hemisphere which are "officially" recognized are of
ancient Greek derivation. Ancient poetry indicates that the Greek
system of constellations was well known by 2700 B.C. and that it
probably originated around 3000 B.C. It is important to recognize,
however, the cultural bias introduced in our vision of the sky by the
selection of these constellations, while those of western civilization
are usually comprised of the brighter stars, oriental cultures (the
ancient Chinese, for example) formed intricate patterns from some of
the faintest stars, creating hundreds of constellations where the West
saw only a few. A few constellations, such as Orion, the hunter, and
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, represent the same image to widely
separated cultures.
Because of the rotation of the Earth and it's orbit around the Sun, it is convenient to divide the constellations into two groups: those which never rise nor set, the circumpolar constellations, and all the rest, which are divided into ``seasonal'' constellations. As the Earth revolves about the Sun, the Sun appears to move through the constellations. Therefore, different constellations will be visible in our night sky at different times of the year. Which constellations will be circumpolar and which seasonal depends on your latitude. From the North or South Poles, there are no seasonal constellations; all are circumpolar. From the Equator, no constellations are circumpolar.
Click here to learn about the
constellations which are visible in the Spring for people who live North
of the Equator and in the Fall for people who live South of the Equator.
Every culture known to history and anthropology has seen in the
heavens distinctive patterns, called constellations, formed by the
stars. Constellations are usually comprised of bright stars which
appear close to each other. Most of the constellations visible from
the northern hemisphere which are "officially" recognized are of
ancient Greek derivation. Ancient poetry indicates that the Greek
system of constellations was well known by 2700 B.C. and that it
probably originated around 3000 B.C. It is important to recognize,
however, the cultural bias introduced in our vision of the sky by the
selection of these constellations, while those of western civilization
are usually comprised of the brighter stars, oriental cultures (the
ancient Chinese, for example) formed intricate patterns from some of
the faintest stars, creating hundreds of constellations where the West
saw only a few. A few constellations, such as Orion, the hunter, and
Ursa Major, the Great Bear, represent the same image to widely
separated cultures.
Because of the rotation of the Earth and it's orbit around the Sun, it is convenient to divide the constellations into two groups: those which never rise nor set, the circumpolar constellations, and all the rest, which are divided into ``seasonal'' constellations. As the Earth revolves about the Sun, the Sun appears to move through the constellations. Therefore, different constellations will be visible in our night sky at different times of the year. Which constellations will be circumpolar and which seasonal depends on your latitude. From the North or South Poles, there are no seasonal constellations; all are circumpolar. From the Equator, no constellations are circumpolar.
Click here to learn about the
constellations which are visible in the Spring for people who live North
of the Equator and in the Fall for people who live South of the Equator.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). ©1995-1999, 2000 The Regents of the University of Michigan; ©2000-01 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer