CONSTELLATIONS

What is a constellation??? A group of stars in a region of the sky

with well defined borders. Most form recognizable patterns. The “Big Dipper” is not its own

constellation it is part of Ursa Major. The “Big Dipper” is what we call an

asterism.

88 named constellations

Earth rotates from west to east to stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west.

The night sky varies most with latitude, (longitude changes nightly).

The altitude of the celestial pole in your sky is equal to your latitude.

The night sky changes throughout the year because the Earth’s changing position in its orbit around the sun.

Constellations along the ecliptic are called constellations of the zodiac.

Ecliptic = the plane in which the Earth, Sun, and Moon move across

http://www.space.com/15722-constellations.html