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Equatorial

  • Tau - Taurus the Bull

    IAU Constellation

    Tau - Taurus the Bull

    Size

    17 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Zodiac
    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Taurus the Bull is easily spotted. Its head is the Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars. His horns point outward from the V. Aldebaran is the red eye of the Bull as he charges down upon us.

  • Aql - Aquila the Eagle

    IAU Constellation

    Aql - Aquila the Eagle

    Size

    22 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Between Cygnus and Sagittarius, with Altair (its brightest star) making the south end of the Summer Triangle (along with Deneb of Cygnus and Vega of Lyra). As the night sky changes, Aquila the Eagle and Cygnus the Swan swing slowly westward across the sky towards the horizon. The Eagle sets tail first, followed closely by the Swan, who dives beak first below the western horizon.

  • Aqr - Aquarius the Water Carrier

    IAU Constellation

    Aqr - Aquarius the Water Carrier

    Size

    10 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Zodiac
    Southern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Water jar pattern near Pegasus.

  • CMi - Canis Minor the Little Dog

    IAU Constellation

    CMi - Canis Minor the Little Dog

    Size

    71 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Procyon, the brightest star of Canis Minor, serves as the vertex of the Winter Hexagon lying between Gemini and Sirius.

  • Cet - Cetus the Sea Monster or Whale

    IAU Constellation

    Cet - Cetus the Sea Monster or Whale

    Size

    4 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Southern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    South of Aries and Pisces, one of the largest constellations. Trace to the second-magnitude star Beta-Ceti (Diphda, near the flukes) by following a line southward from Alpheratz (the corner of Pegasus and Andromeda) through gamma-Pegasi, across Pisces and Cetus.

  • Eri - Eridanus the River

    IAU Constellation

    Eri - Eridanus the River

    Size

    6 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Southern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    The River Eridanus flows northward (like the Nile) from the bright star Achernar (Arabic for "End of the River") to Kursa (beta-Eridani) near Rigel in Orion. Eridanus is the longest (not largest) constellation, spanning over 50 degrees of declination, and its many faint stars glitter like reflecting light off the surface of its waves.

  • Hya - Hydra the Water Snake

    IAU Constellation

    Hya - Hydra the Water Snake

    Size

    1 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Southern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Hydra the Water Snake is the largest and longest of the constellations, stretching from Cancer to Libra. Several constellations and asterisms ride on its back; from head to tail they are Sextans the Sextant, Crater the Cup, Corvus the Crow, and Noctua the Owl.

  • Leo - Leo the Lion

    IAU Constellation

    Leo - Leo the Lion

    Size

    12 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Zodiac
    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    East of the Gemini twins lies Leo the Lion.

    Find the bowl of the Big Dipper. A line running through the two stars of the bowl of the Big Dipper on the side nearest the handle points almost directly to two other notable stars. Follow them below the bowl of the Dipper to Regulus.

    Leo’s mane looks like a backward question mark, or sickle. Regulus, the "dot" at the bottom of the mark, lies nearly on the ecliptic.

    His flank is a triangle of stars farther east.

  • Mon - Monoceros the Unicorn

    IAU Constellation

    Mon - Monoceros the Unicorn

    Size

    35 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Equatorial
    Southern
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    The Unicorn is running up behind Orion, who has not heard it coming (a sign of its magical nature).

  • Oph - Ophiuchus, the Serpent Handler

    IAU Constellation

    Oph - Ophiuchus the Serpent Handler

    Size

    11 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Zodiac
    Southern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    Between Scorpius and Hercules.

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Tau - Taurus the Bull

IAU Constellation

Tau - Taurus the Bull

Size

17 of 88

Astronomical Regions

Zodiac
Northern
Equatorial

Intro and Visual description

Taurus the Bull is easily spotted. Its head is the Hyades, a V-shaped cluster of stars. His horns point outward from the V. Aldebaran is the red eye of the Bull as he charges down upon us.

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| And | Ant | Aps | Aql | Aqr | Ara | Ari | Aur | Boo | Cae | Cam | Cap | Car | Cas | Cen | Cep | Cet | Cha | Cir | CMa | CMi | Cnc | Col | Com | CrA | CrB | Crt | Cru | Crv | CVn | Cyg | Del | Dor | Dra | Equ | Eri | For | Gem | Gru | Her | Hor | Hya | Hyi | Ind | Lac | Leo | Lep | Lib | LMi | Lup | Lyn | Lyr | Men | Mic | Mon | Mus | Nor | Oct | Oph | Ori | Pav | Peg | Per | Phe | Pic | PsA | Psc | Pup | Pyx | Ret | Scl | Sco | Sct | Ser | Sex | Sge | Sgr | Tau | Tel | TrA | Tri | Tuc | UMa | UMi | Vel | Vir | Vol | Vul |

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Kerry Magruder, Brent Purkaple, and Aja Tolman, editors, "The Sky Tonight: Cultural Archaeology of the Stars" (December 21, 2019 - ongoing), skytonight.org.


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