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November

  • 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.

  • And - Andromeda the Princess of Ethiopia

    IAU Constellation

    And - Andromeda the Princess of Ethiopia

    Size

    19 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    Andromeda contains one corner of the Great Square of Pegasus (the star Alpheratz). Andromeda’s dress flows outward from the corner along three pairs of stars, with each pair slightly farther apart than the previous pair. Perhaps she is petting Pegasus, who bore the hero Perseus across the ocean on his mighty wings to save her from the sea monster Cetus.

  • Ari - Aries the Ram

    IAU Constellation

    Ari - Aries the Ram

    Size

    39 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Zodiac
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    A small zodiac constellation with only two easily visible stars.

  • Cae - Caelum the Engraver's Chisel

    IAU Constellation

    Cae - Caelum the Engraver's Chisel

    Size

    81 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Southern

    Intro and Visual description

    A tiny, faint constellation, located south of Orion, barely visible from 35 degrees north latitude in December and January.

  • Cas - Cassiopeia the Queen of Ethiopia

    IAU Constellation

    Cas - Cassiopeia the Queen of Ethiopia

    Size

    25 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Circumpolar (northern)
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    Trace an imaginary line from the Big Bear’s pointers on past Polaris. At an equal distance on the opposite side from the Big Dipper is Cassiopeia (KASS-ee-oh-PAY-uh), an ancient Queen of Ethiopia.

    As she sits on her W-shaped throne she circles round and round the pole. Like the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia is circumpolar and therefore visible no matter what the season or time of night. In the fall Cassiopeia is in the shape of a W and in the Spring she is in the shape of a M.

  • Cep - Cepheus the King of Ethiopia

    IAU Constellation

    Cep - Cepheus the King of Ethiopia

    Size

    27 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Circumpolar (northern)
    Northern

    Intro and Visual description

    The Ethiopian king, Cepheus (SEE-fee-us), is a circumpolar constellation that sits atop the Milky Way on a throne near his queen Cassiopeia. The legs and seat of his throne make a rough square on the Ursa Major side of Cassiopeia. Cepheus looks like a house (or throne) sitting on the Milky Way. The back of the seat comes to a point at the top above his head.

  • 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.

  • For - Fornax the Furnace

    IAU Constellation

    For - Fornax the Furnace

    Size

    41 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Southern

    Intro and Visual description

    A small constellation of faint stars nestled within a bend of the river (Eridanus), low in the south.

  • Hor - Horologium the Pendulum Clock

    IAU Constellation

    Hor - Horologium the Pendulum Clock

    Size

    58 of 88

    Astronomical Regions

    Southern

Pagination

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IAU Constellation Main Page

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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