Constellations

Latest about Constellations

a wispy nebula colored red, blue, orange and pink against a black background speckled with stars.

Nebula: Definition, location and variants

By Andrew May last updated

Reference Among the most spectacular sights in the sky, nebula come in a range of different types.

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stalks of corn rise from the bottom, stretching halfway up the image, before a vast dark sky of stars.

Will the constellations ever change?

By Elizabeth Fernandez published

BepiColombo spotted an outpour of carbon and oxygen atoms in Venus' fragile magnetic environment

Constellations
cancer constellation is the dimmest of the zodiac constellations.

Cancer constellation: Facts about the crab in the zodiac

By Rebecca Sohn last updated

Reference Cancer the Crab is the dimmest constellation of the Zodiac yet it contains one of the brightest star clusters.

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the sun shines through a blue cloudy sky over stonehenge surrounded by rolling grassy fields

What did ancient humans know about astronomy?

By Paul Sutter published

Humanity's ability to track and monitor celestial cycles stretches back into prehistory, long before the invention of telescopes and astrolabes.

Constellations
Scorpius constellation graphic illustration showing bright stars in the formation of a scorpion.

Scorpius constellation: Facts about the Scorpion

By Rebecca Sohn, Kim Ann Zimmermann last updated

Reference The Scorpius constellation is one of the 13 zodiac constellations and one of the brightest constellations in the sky. We explore the Scorpion in more detail here.

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Pleiades star cluster appears as a group of bright blue stars surrounded by hazy clouds.

The Pleiades: Facts about the "Seven Sisters" star cluster

By Rebecca Sohn, Adam Mann last updated

Reference The Pleiades is a bright star cluster and a popular skywatching target. We take a look at where it is located and the mythology behind the famous asterism.

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graphic illustration of the gemini constellation in the night sky.

Gemini constellation: Facts, location and myth

By Stefanie Waldek last updated

Reference Gemini, one of Ptolemy's ancient constellations, is named for the Greek twins Castor and Pollux, which are also the names of two of its stars.

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graphic illustration depicting the aries constellation in the night sky with a faint white line joining major stars in the constellation.

Aries constellation: Facts, location and myth

By Stefanie Waldek last updated

Reference Aries is one of Ptolemy's ancient constellations and is named for the Greek legend of the ram with the golden fleece sacrificed by Phrixus for Zeus.

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Virgo constellation graphic illustration.

Virgo constellation: Location, stars and mythology

By Briley Lewis last updated

Reference Virgo is the largest constellation of the Zodiac and contains the bright star Spica, many exoplanets and deep-space objects.

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an illustration showing a comet near Ursa Minor, the little dipper

How to see comet E1 ATLAS high in the night sky in July near the Little Dipper

By Brett Tingley published

A comet discovered just months ago will make for an easy-to-spot, if somewhat dim, target for summer skywatchers eager to see a snowball streak through the solar system.

Constellations
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