Constellations in the Sky - An Introduction


Northern Hemisphere	Southern Hemisphere

Some Tidbits About the Constellations

A bear figure has been connected with the constellation Ursa Major since the Ice Ages.
The ancient Babylonians and Egyptians had constellation figures before the Greeks.
Ancient poets identified the Milky Way as the "road of the gods."
The constellation of the Hunter (Orion) is accompanied by his hunting dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor.)
The Babylonians and Greeks each identified the five visible planets with one of their gods.
The Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) were a seasonal sign common to many ancient civilizations.
Triangulum is the only geometric shape among the Greek and Roman constellation figures.
Three animals are represented twice among the constellations:
Canis Major/Canis Minor, Ursa Major/Ursa Minor, Pisces/Piscis Austrinus.
The constellation figures of the northern hemisphere are over 2000 years old.

But, what are constellations??