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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, ...
In modern astronomical writing, all the constellations, including the 12 of the zodiac, have dedicated three-letter abbreviations, which specifically refer to constellations rather than signs. [105] The zodiac symbols are also sometimes used to represent points on the ecliptic, particularly the solstices and equinoxes.
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]
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra. α Lyrae ( Latinised to Alpha Lyrae ) is the star's Bayer designation . The traditional name Vega (earlier Wega [ 15 ] ) comes from a loose transliteration of the Arabic word wāqi' ( Arabic : واقع ) meaning "falling" or "landing", via the phrase an-nasr al-wāqi' ( Arabic ...
Castor appears singular to the naked eye, but it is actually a sextuple star system organized into three binary pairs. Although it is the 'α' (alpha) member of the constellation, it is half a magnitude fainter than 'β' (beta) Geminorum, Pollux .
In this list, a star is identified by a lower-case letter of the Greek alphabet, followed by the Latin name of its parent constellation. The Bayer designation uses the possessive form of a constellation's name, which in almost every case ends in is, i or ae; um if the constellation's name is plural (see genitive case for constellations). In ...
IAU designated constellations in equirectangular projection (epoch B1875.0) In contemporary astronomy, 88 constellations are recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). [1] Each constellation is a region of the sky bordered by arcs of right ascension and declination, together covering the entire celestial sphere. Their boundaries ...
All stars but one can be associated with an IAU (International Astronomical Union) constellation. IAU constellations are areas of the sky. Although there are only 88 IAU constellations, the sky is actually divided into 89 irregularly shaped boxes as the constellation Serpens is split into two separate sections, Serpens Caput (the snake's head) to the west and Serpens Cauda (the snake's tail ...