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Cet - Cetus the Sea Monster or Whale

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Psc - Pisces the Fishes

    IAU Constellation
    Psc - Pisces the Fishes

    Size

    14 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Zodiac
    Northern
    Equatorial

    Intro and Visual description

    South of Pegasus and Andromeda, near Aquarius. Pisces represents two fish tied together by two cords:

    • The western fish, a pentagon of stars just south of Pegasus, is an asterism known as the circlet.
    • The other fish lies on the opposite side of Pegasus, just under Andromeda.

    The brightest star, alpha-Piscium, is known as El-Rischa or the "knot" because it ties the two cords together with the two fish on the opposite ends. Alpha-Piscium lies nestled up next to Mira, a bright variable star of the constellation Cetus the Whale.

  • Scl - Sculptor the Sculptor's Workshop

    IAU Constellation
    Scl - Sculptor the Sculptor's Workshop

    Size

    36 of 88
    Astronomical Regions
    Southern

    Intro and Visual description

    Located south of the flukes of Cetus the Whale. Trace to it by following a line southward from Alpheratz (the corner of Pegasus and Andromeda) through gamma-Pegasi, across Pisces and Cetus. This line will run through Beta-Ceti (Diphda) just before reaching the faint stars of Sculptor (alpha-Sculptoris is only magnitude 4.3). Look for it from northern latitudes barely visible low in the south during September and October.

  • M77 - Cetus A

    Object image

    M77, Fabian RRRR, original work based on Hubble Legacy Archive (cc by-sa)

    Object image source

    Fabian RRRR, original work based on Hubble Legacy Archive (cc by-sa)
    Permission
    cc-by-sa
  • Urania's Mirror (1825) card: Cetus

    Image

    UM-1825-Cetus

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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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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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