This is a picture of what ancient people thought the constellation Leo looked like.
Click on image for full size
Image: (c)1995 Visual Language, All Rights Reserved

Constellations

Constellations are pictures made up of bright stars which appear close to each other on the sky. Like a game of connect the dots, if you use your imagination when you look at the stars, you may see a dog or a cat or some other interesting figure.

People long ago, like the ancient Greeks, did the same thing, although they saw the stars as pictures of gods and goddesses or of stories from their culture.

Many peoples noticed that the planets, the moon, and comets moved through the sky in a different way than the stars.

The motion of the Earth and the motion of the Sun in our sky affect the stars and the constellations that we see in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Some constellations never rise or set, and they are called circumpolar. All the other constellations can only be seen during certain seasons.

You might also be interested in:

Science, Evolution, and Creationism

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable....more

The Earth's Moon

The Earth may only have one Moon, but it's a big one! The Earth's Moon is the fifth largest in the whole solar system. But it is still smaller than the Earth, so objects weigh less on the Moon than they...more

Comets

Not too long ago, many people thought that comets were a sign that something terrible was about to happen. People didn't understand about how objects in the sky moved, so the sight of a comet must have...more

Windows Team Discovers Twelve Stars!

Windows Scientists found twelve new stars! No, not really! But they did create twelve new pages about some of the brightest stars in the night sky. Some of the constellations are Leo, Ursa Major and Virgo....more

Stars

The pinpoints of light that you see in the night sky are stars. Your ability to see the stars depends on how bright they are, as well as how close they are to Earth. Stars are giant balls of gas in space...more

Andromeda

The fall constellation Andromeda is a Princess. She looks like a "V"! Andromeda is close to the north pole, so only a few people in the Southern Hemisphere can see it in the spring. Andromeda's parents...more

Cancer

The constellation Cancer is a crab. Look for Cancer from December through June. It's hard to see Cancer because the stars are so dim. To find Cancer, first find Gemini and Leo. Cancer is right between...more

Ursa Major

Ursa Major is a very famous constellation. It is also called the Great Bear. Ursa Minor is the Little Bear. The body and tail of the Big Bear make up the Big Dipper. There are a lot of myths about this...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA