These are called circumpolar as they are close to the celestial poles, the imaginary point in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres where the line of Earth’s axis extends out into space to meet the celestial sphere. Some constellations are visible all year round and never sink below the horizon so you can see them whenever there is a clear sky. These are similar to latitude and longitude, but don’t worry, you can easily find the constellations just by recognising the pattern. In 1930, the International Astronomical Union formally recognised 88 constellations that can be identified on the celestial sphere: an imaginary globe that surrounds Earth.Įach constellation can be found using celestial coordinates: right ascension, and declination. Credit: Michael Breite/Stefan Heutz/Wolfgang Ries/ How many constellations are there? You will need a bit of imagination as you try to identify each one as the constellation often looks nothing like its name! The distinctive ‘W’ shape of Cassiopeia is one of the easiest constellations to spot in the winter night sky. Quite simply they are grouped patterns of stars in our night sky.įor thousands of years our ancestors looked to the sky, observed and named them after animals, objects and mythological characters. If you’re a complete beginner to constellations, you may be wondering what they are. The changing of the seasons brings a change in the constellations, slowly nudged from east to west as we continue our journey around the Sun. Best constellations visible in the winter night sky
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