Great Bear, Big Dipper, and Little Dipper are amongst the easiest constellations that you can locate in the night sky with basic knowledge of astronomy.Great Bear, also known as the Ursa Major constellation, is one of the easiest constellations in the night sky to identify with the naked eye if you live in the northern hemisphere. Its most prominent seven stars are often referred to as the Big Dipper, where the two most notable bright stars, Merak and Dubhe, are regarded amongst the 50 brightest stars in the night sky.With naked eyes, you might not be able to distinguish between the stars and the planets, but you can connect them in your imagination to form the star constellations that have been studies for centuries. So from little bear to great bear, from the zodiac signs to the easy constellations, there are many interesting things to learn and discover about the night skies. For example, did you know that Polaris, the North Star, is not the brightest star in the night sky, even though it is famously used to navigate?Constellations are not a concept born today. The creativity of the human brain has long imagined more than just the stars when gazing up at night, creating patters and images with the imagination. While we all might have done star gazing at some point in the lives, there are some clusters of stars are recognised around the world. From defining the concept of constellations to some major constellations, there is a lot to be learned about the brightest stars and constellations.What is a Constellation?Constellations have been a part of human culture for thousands of years. Constellations have been used for various purposes by different individuals and civilizations. While sailors used constellation as a navigation tool, astronomers used constellations to identify and locate different stars in the sky.The human interest in constellations has only increased with time and this is the reason that experts have identified 88 constellations in the night sky which are used for different purposes.So what actually is a constellation? Well, a constellation is an area in the night sky that is filled with stars that form a specific shape. Often the brightest stars, or even planets, in the sky are a key part of a constellation and spotted these is a great was to find constellations.These stars are connected through an imaginary line system to form a certain figure or object. This shape can be an animal, mythological character, or even an inanimate object. While many people and especially kids, love to comprehend different shapes in the stars, there are specific patters that are registered with the International Astronomical Union as constellations.If we try to trace the history of the origin of constellations, then it will lead to prehistoric times, when different countries named different constellations according to themselves. It was only during the late 20th century when the present-day constellations becomes recognized internationally. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union accepted 88 constellations formally. Later in 1928, the boundaries of these constellations were set which covered the sky. These constellations help in the navigation of the night sky. While the boundaries were set, some stars are common to two different constellations. There are also asterisms, that are not formally in the list of constellations but are used as a navigation source.Different Types of ConstellationAs we have just discovered, there are 88 formally registered constellations, which are located within 88 sections of the night sky. Any star that lies within the boundaries of a section is considered as part of that constellation, even if that star is not playing any significant role in the formation of that constellation. These 88 constellations can be divided into ancient and modern constellations. While the former has 50 constellations, 38 constellations are considered to be modern.There are also the zodiac constellations, although these are not formally recognized within the internationally accepted 88 constellations.If you are interested in knowing about some of the most easily recognised constellations, then there are five constellations that you must try and locate in the night sky.Orion, a well known constellation, is famous for its standout feature, Orion’s belt which features three bright stars in an almost straight line. Orion the hunter is regarded as the grandest of all constellations.The Great Bear, also known as the Ursa Major, constellation is always above the hoizon in northern latitudes. A pattern of stars commonly known as the Big Dipper is located within the Great Bear constellation. The Bid Dipper is a pan-shaped constellation and can be used to help locate the North Star.The Little Bear, also known as Ursa Minor is one of the easiest constellations to find in the night sky featuring seven stars. The little dipper features Polaris, the North Star, which is one of the brightest stars in the night sky.Taurus is a constellation which is also known as Taurus the bull. The bull’s horns feature the bright large red star the Aldebara. The Pleiades star cluster is also located close to the Taurus constellation.Gemini constellation represents twins Castor and Pollux whose mother was Leda. Castor’s father was a mortal king from Sparta, though Pollux’s father was King Zeus. It is regarded as one of the constellations of the zodiac. Gemini is located in the northern celestial hemisphere and can be observed with naked eye most easily during the winter months, when it is higher above the horizon. What is Ursa Major and Ursa Minor?While it will be practically impossible to know about all of the constellations unless you spends many hours studying them, there are some very common constellations everyone should know about. While we will be discussing these major constellations in the later sections, under this section we will be looking at Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.Ursa MajorThis constellation is commonly known as the great bear and lies in the northern sky and is the third-largest constellation among the 88 officially recognised. The word Ursa Major, which is a Latin term, can be translated to ‘great she-bear’, or larger bear. This constellation dates back to prehistoric times and is also a part of the present system. The bordering constellations are Draco, Camelopardalis, Lynx, Leo Minor, Leo, Bootes, Canes Venatici, and Coma Berenices.Ursa MinorUrsa Minor is a Latin name which means lesser bear, or smaller bear, in English, and is located in the northern sky near to Ursa Major. This constellation consists of the north pole star or the Polaris, thus having been used by marine sailors for navigation for a long time. The neighbore constellations are Draco, Cepheus, and Camelopardalis.Common ConstellationsWhile we discussed two very common constellations in the section above, here we will be looking at some more of the common constellations that you may have heard of.Hydra or Water SnakeThis is the biggest constellation in the celestial sky. The most important stars in the formation are Alpha Hydra, Xi Hydra, and Gamma, while a large number of small clusters can also be seen. This constellation can be found in the southern hemisphere.VirgoWith an average area of 1294 sq degrees, this is the second-largest constellation. Situated at the equator this one is sandwiched between Leo and Libra.AquariusAquarius can be translated to ‘water carrier’ or ‘cup carrier’ and can be best viewed in October. While many of the other constellations are bigger and easier to find, Aquarius is faint. Another major point of this constellation is that it doesn’t have any bright stars making it harder to find in the night sky.GeminiGemini translated to mean twins in English. This constellation can be best viewed in the winter sky in the northern hemisphere. The twins that form the constellation can be found sitting next to Orion, which should make finding this constellation in the sky fairly easy.OrionThe Orion constellation was named after a famous Greek hunter and is one of the easiest constellations to find in the northern hemisphere. The Orion’s belt is often the first part to find, made up of three bight stars in a line. Orion’s belt is an example of an Asterism, which is a pattern of stars found within a recognised constellation.Big DipperThe Big Dipper is in fact also an asterism, but it is one of the most recognisable star patterns in the night sky, situated in the northern hemisphere. Another name for it is Asterism, and anyone searching for the famous bucket or pan should look to this group of stars.TaurusTaurus means a bull and can be best looked at in January. It has some interesting stories and myths associated with it. A total of five stars makes a very prominent ‘V’, quite accurately while two stars form its horns.ScorpiusThere are many myths and interesting stories associated with this constellation, which is shaped like a scorpion. One is about Orion claiming that he could kill all the animals, but then loses to the scorpion. The head and claws of the scorpion and represented by 5 stars in an almost straight line.
Great Bear, Big Dipper, and Little Dipper are amongst the easiest constellations that you can locate in the night sky with basic knowledge of astronomy.
