Questions tagged [constellations]

Questions about patterns formed by group of prominent stars in the night sky.

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Do the inner-Earth planets actually align with the constellations we see?

For example, because the Sun is the center of the solar system; when we think that the Sun is on the constellation of Aries, in actuality, isn't Earth lining up with the constellation opposite Aries: ...
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11 votes
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Small bright constellation on the photo

I did a photo of the night sky and wanted to find a constellation on it. I've suggestion that it is Delphinus constellation. Could you please help me figure it out. Also, I'm curios about good way to ...
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Finding ones way around the sky

Thinking about this recent question Identify T-shaped constellation the first thing I have to say is that I applaud the poster for actually looking up and noticing the stars: something that becomes ...
9 votes
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Identify T-shaped constellation

What is this T-shaped constellation? Never seen it before and it’s not on the map. The photo is made from south-west London facing west at 23-15 on 25.02.2023.
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1 answer
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What is this drawing about in "kitab al bulhan"?

Kitab al bulhan or "book of surprises" is medieval Persian manuscript written in Arabic. According to Wikipedia: The contents include subjects on astronomy, astrology and geomancy, ...
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3 votes
1 answer
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Knowing what time to observe a constellation

Suppose you observe a particular constellation at 11 PM on a particular day at what time will you need to observe 2 months later to find the constellation in the same position as in the sky chart?
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7 votes
1 answer
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Locate stars in sky from list of (x, y) co-ordinates

Imagine we have a photographic plate that clearly shows a few stars, but we do not know where in the sky these stars are located. We can digitize the location of stars on this plate and now have a set ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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The constellations in “Powers of Ten”

I watched a video called Powers of Ten made in the 70s. It starts from a view of an area in Chicago and moves the "camera" away from the ground towards the space. At 3m15s of the video, the ...
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4 votes
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Software to create star maps with custom asterism lines?

I would like to be able to create star maps and charts, but define my own sets of “constellation” lines. I imagine I would need to provide an input file containing pairs of stars which would be ...
6 votes
2 answers
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Identifying Constellations from Sky Maps

In Such sky maps How to identify constellation in those blocks?The just seems to me like Random figures. Please suggest some good sources where I can study this?
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1 answer
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Why are there 12 zodiac signs?

My friend and I are arguing whether it is because there are 12 months or there are 12 constellations along this path. It makes more sense to me that, since there are 12 months, they divided the path ...
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3 votes
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On other planets, does the sun appear to pass through the same zodiac constellations?

Seen from Earth, the sun travels on a year-long orbit across the celestial sphere, passing through the twelve zodiac constellations. As I understand it, this path depends on our orbital plane---if our ...
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Constellation search from April 22 2007 [duplicate]

I need help. I am trying to find the night sky on April 22, 2007, over Memphis, TN. I know that there has to be some way to find it, and I am at a loss.
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What is use of Greek Letters in Astronomy? [closed]

We see letters such as $\epsilon$ or $\alpha$ or $\beta$ or $\eta$ etc... (possibly all Greek letters) Can Somebody state the use of all Greek letters in astronomy?
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How did the ancients know the constellation in which the sun is located?

The zodiac constellations lie along the plane of the ecliptic. In Spring equinox, sun lies in Pisces constellations. So Pisces is not visible during the day (because the sun light) and not visible in ...
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18 votes
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How are constellations intact if the stars are rotating around galactic nuclei?

From what I understood, the Milky Way (or stars in the Milky Way) doesn't rotate like a collection of points in a disc due to the presence of some invisible matter. In theory, the angular velocities ...
2 votes
1 answer
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How do I find out when a constellation reached its zenith?

I found this website to look at the sky at the specific time and location: http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Yoursky - you can insert latitude and longitude and time to see how the skies looked at any ...
5 votes
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Constellation a celestial body is in

Given its right ascension and declination, find out the constellation a celestial body is in. Does anyone know of an algorithm (C#, js) for that? It would read the constellation boundaries (e.g. ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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Has this image of the Draco Constellation been altered

Have the stars in this photo of the Draco Constellation been magnified so as to help me see the Draco or not? Also I really like [this image][2] of Orion; if someone knows of a site with a lot of ...
9 votes
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What Constellation Is This? (Photo Included)

Observed on 9th of Jan 2021 in Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK) looking WSW at a little after Midnight.
5 votes
3 answers
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What is this constellation?

Every night I see this constellation from my window but I can't identify it. What is this constellation called? Also, it would be helpful if you could clarify on the other stars as well. Actual photo: ...
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14 votes
3 answers
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Does this photo show the "Little Dipper" and "Big Dipper"?

There are two clusters of stars that I always thought were the Big Dipper and Little Dipper. But after looking at images of the Little Dipper and Big Dipper online, I am not too sure if that's what ...
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1 answer
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Why isn't the constellation of that month's zodiac prominent or even visible during that month?

For instance, the month of October is called the month of Leo, but you will mainly see Aries, Taurus and the Southern skies during October, Leo isn't very prominent. So how is the zodiac decided?
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How can planet (WD 1856b) revolve around its smaller mass WD 1856?

WD 1856 has smaller mass than WD 1856b. So how WD1856 making WD 1856b revolve in the orbit? Its clear violating space-time curvature.
3 votes
1 answer
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Searching dataset for Constellation detection

I need to develop an Machine Learning (ML) model for predicting constellation seen in a picture taken from a mobile. This I need to develop from scratch. Firstly, I need help finding a database which ...
11 votes
2 answers
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When the sun "enters" a constellation, doesn't it make it impossible to see that constellation?

I was reading on NASA's website about how the Babylonians came up with dividing the sky into different slices and picked a pattern of stars in each slice to represent it. This ties in to astrological ...
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1 answer
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Unable to detect stars and constellations in simulation of stars from the Hipparcos catalogue

I am creating a planetarium program using Unity3D and C# to plot out stars from the Hipparcos catalogue. Using the Plx, _RA.icrs and _DE.icrs columns of the dataset, I have managed to work the ...
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1 answer
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Is this star group a constellation recognized by the IAU?

Below is an arrangement of stars I've found in a TV series. As an amateur astronomer I cannot identify if this is a constellation, after having looked through what is recognized by the IAU. Is this ...
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Does the average person in China know the constellations by the traditional Chinese system or Hellenic designation

As discussed in the International Dunhuang Project website, in traditional Chinese astronomy "the Chinese sky was divided into five great regions or palaces called gong 宫," and "Chinese astronomers ...
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2 votes
2 answers
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Finding Quintuple Planetary Alignments with SkyField

I am working on a python script that will use the SkyField and SciPy libraries to find quintuple planetary conjunctions and their corresponding constellation location. Specifically I am looking for ...
8 votes
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Are there any galaxies visible in the night sky around the Orion constellation?

I'm writing a story for NaNoWriMo, and in it there is an extraterrestrial race whose home galaxy is visible from Earth. This home galaxy is visible (or even partially visible or barely visible) in the ...
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2 votes
2 answers
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Overhead (galactic North) view of the stars in and around the Vela Constellation with distance

I am working on a project and would like to have a star map--seen from "above" (Galactic North?) that calls out the stars in the Vela constellation and shows their distance from sol / earth. I ...
4 votes
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Where can I find permissibly licensed database of stars and constellations?

I'm working on a game engine of sorts, and one thing I did for a previous game which was under the GPL was I had a night sky with the constellations visibly connected and I'd like to do that again. I ...
11 votes
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On the consistency of different well-polished astronomy software

I have purchased a custom wedding band from a seller that claims the ring will show the constellations visible at the horizon on a specific date at a certain date and time. However, I have fired up ...
1 vote
0 answers
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Could you tell me this constellation name? [closed]

Hi Everyone please check this pictures could you tell me this constellation name ?
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If the axis of the Earth was through Greenland, what would the north celestial pole be? [closed]

If the axis of the Earth was through Greenland, what would the north celestial pole be?
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1 answer
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Will the shape of the constellations change if we observe from another planet, say Mars? [duplicate]

Constellations are dominant features of night sky. But these are basically group of stars that forms particular shapes when viewed from Earth. How much the shape of a constellation will change if we ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Why do most of the myths behind constellations originate from Greek? [closed]

Why do most of the myths regarding constellations happen to have begun from Greek civilization? Why not other civilizations? Most people who lived in the past era probably observed star patterns in ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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At what latitude could Orion's belt and Aldebaran be ~10 degrees above the horizon at the same time?

In his appearance on television contained in the video The Mystery That Keeps Neil deGrasse Tyson Up At Night, in the backdrop behind astronomer and educator Neil deGrasse Tyson and the talk-show host,...
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1 vote
2 answers
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Why oddly shaped constellation areas?

Can somebody tell me why the constellations I've marked here have areas that resemble pieces of a puzzle, with very varying width and height and shapes, instead of being logically/evenly laid out on ...
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2 votes
1 answer
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Which direction do the constellation revolve in?

If I am standing looking towards the East from the Northern Hemisphere, do the constellations appear to rotate towards the West via the North or the West via the South or am I completely off target ...
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1 answer
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What are the "lines" in a constellation or asterism called?

Is there a technical term for the "lines" in a constellation or asterism? Alternatively, is there an astronomy related coloquialism or any informal term that refers specifically to these lines, and ...
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How could I determine what areas of the Milky Way will be visible?

There is a new moon on Saturday, and the forecast in my area of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada calls for clear skies on that night. I would like to take a widefield astrophotograph. I have no idea what ...
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If we could travel far enough would we be able to see a constelation in reverse?

I am enjoying Orion high in the sky this winter as always. I wondered if I could travel beyond it, say 2730 light years* and turn around, would I see Orion in reverse? If so, what of the neighboring ...
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Stars in multiple constellations

Are there examples of single stars that are a part of multiple constellations? What about stars that are part of one Western constellation and one non-Western? Thanks in advance!
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What is the oldest known prediction of constellation positions?

Would someone know of a good reference on the oldest known predictions of constellation positions? How far ahead could accurate positions be predicted? For example, could current constellation ...
3 votes
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Where can I find a visible star dataset?

I'm trying to do a project for a databases class where I have a user enter their current location and I tell them what constellations/planets/etc are visible in their area. I've seen this data ...
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Exactly how does Canis Minor look like a dog?

Here's what Canis Minor looks like. To me, all I see is two stars. Canis Minor is a constellation of the giant Orion's hunting dog. Two stars can give quite a meaning. Two stars can mean a stick, a ...
3 votes
1 answer
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360 degree equirectangular projection of all naked eye stars with precessional motion for simulating

For many years now I've been using Voyager sky simulator by Carinasoft. The projection selections are great, but Equirectangular doesn't seem to one one of them. Is there a program out there that does ...
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Stars in constellation patterns by catalogue number?

I need a resource that can tell me the stars that make up a constellation (pattern), preferably by Henry Draper or some catalogue number? All i can find is lists of every star in a constellation (area)...
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