The night starry sky captivates the eye, especially in clear cloudless weather. I would look at him and look, trying to identify various configurations, familiar shapes. And they are really defined. Involuntarily the question arises of how many constellations are in the sky. We will try to find the answer now.
Ancient astronomers about the stars
Greek astronomers were the first to combine stars in constellations several millennia ago. They did this on the principle of similarity with any mythical heroes, animals, birds. For this, the brightest stars or groups located close to each other were selected. The names, of course, did not always reflect the essence of the emerging figure. However, today it is difficult for us to judge this. We just know that there are the
constellations of Andromeda, Pegasus, Hercules, Centaurus, Cassiopeia and others in the sky.
So how many constellations are in the sky? Ancient Greek astronomers have identified 48. But that was far from all.
Starry sky or celestial sphere
The modern concept of "constellation" differs from the former. Ancient astronomers under this concept meant figures formed by stars. Sometimes it turned out that the same stars could belong to different constellations, and where there were few stars or they were very pale, there were none at all.
So how many constellations is the sky divided today? Currently, this term refers to areas or areas into which the celestial sphere is divided in order to make it more convenient to navigate in the sky.
The division of borders between the constellations was carried out at the beginning of the XIX century. The International Astronomical Union carried out this work from 1922 to 1935. As a result, both the boundaries between the constellations and their number were finally determined. And then it became known how many total constellations in the sky. There are 88 of them.
Do not throw a look at them
The Greeks might have discovered more constellations, but they mostly observed the sky, accessible from the south of Europe, that is, its northern hemisphere. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, the study continued.
Astronomers have noticed that it is impossible to see all the constellations at the same time. As our planet revolves around the Sun, new groups of stars become visible. Constellations located near the pole are visible for a whole year. Some can only be seen at certain times, for example, in summer or winter, spring or autumn.
Where to look for constellations?
Now you can no longer be afraid of the question of how many constellations are in the sky. The answer is known. But in which hemispheres of the sky are they located? It turns out that 31 is located in the North, and 48 are located in the South. Another 9 constellations captured both celestial hemispheres and located on both sides of the celestial equator. These are Pisces, Orion, Whale, Unicorn, Virgo, Sextant, Snake, Eagle, Ophiuchus.
The brightest
Constellations vary in magnitude and degree of brightness. So how many constellations are the brightest in the sky?
Of 88, only 30 stand out well with their clear contours and bright stars.
The largest of the brightest is the constellation Ursa Major, which covers an area of about 1300 square degrees. In it, you can count, in addition to the seven bright stars that make up the bucket, another 118, which are visible to the naked eye from the Earth.
The smallest, again brightest, must be sought in the southern hemisphere of the sky. Unfortunately, it is not visible on the territory of the Russian Federation. This beautiful constellation of the Southern Cross covers an area of 68 square degrees and consists of five bright and twenty-five faint stars.
The largest number of bright stars contains the constellation Scorpio. There are 12 of them in it.
Nevertheless, the constellation Orion can be safely called the most beautiful . It has 120 visible stars, seven of them stand out in bright splendor.
How many constellations are in the zodiac?
The twelve constellations through which the Sun moves in its annual turnover, with the exception of Ophiuchus, are called zodiacal. They are located along the ecliptic. This is the name of the circle of the celestial sphere, along which the Sun makes a revolution during the year. It passes approximately 1 degree per day. Each month corresponds to a certain constellation in which the Sun is at that moment. But due to the movement of the vernal equinox over more than two thousand years, the luminary now now appears every month in two adjacent constellations.
The longest, 44 days, the Sun moves through the constellation Virgo, the least it is in Scorpio - only six days.
A few stories about the zodiac constellations
How many constellations in the sky and how many in the zodiac, we found out. But why does Taurus take one of the leading places among the zodiac constellations? Everything is simple. In ancient times, the development of livestock was given great importance. The bull (Taurus) was very revered by people and was even considered a sacred animal. Therefore, it was he who was associated with the constellation in which the Sun finally conquers winter and heralds the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature.
The origin of the name Cancer is even associated with several legends. But classical ancient mythology says: when Hercules fought with Hydra, he was also attacked by a huge Cancer. The hero crushed him, but the goddess Hera in revenge placed Cancer in heaven.
Libra is the only constellation in the zodiac that is not related to animals or semi-animals. About two thousand years ago in Libra was the point of the autumnal equinox. Perhaps because of the equality of day and night, this name arose. According to other versions, the daughter of Zeus and Themis Astrea, the goddess of justice, weighed the fate of people with the help of Libra, which her father placed in heaven.
The constellation Scorpio was named not only because of the external similarity, but also because the Sun entered into it in the late autumn, when nature fell asleep or died, as if bitten by a poisonous reptile.
How many constellations in the sky, so many unusual names that hide a secret meaning. This is especially true of those names that were given in antiquity.