CONSTELLATIONS

Constellations and signs: What’s the difference?

What is the difference between the signs of the zodiac and the constellations of the zodiac? Astronomer Guy Ottewell illustrates and discusses this difference.

Hands holding a blue and white disk with stars and constellations printed on it.

Planisphere: Your friend to find stars and constellations

A planisphere is an easy-to-use tool that can help you learn the night sky. Align the date and time to see what constellations and stars are overhead.

Chart: 5 constellations with lines between stars, and green line of ecliptic plus 1 bright star.

Celestial ocean: The watery constellations in the autumn sky

In Northern Hemisphere autumn (Southern Hemisphere spring), you can see some constellations representing a "celestial ocean in the sky" to early stargazers.

Star chart: Large triangle with small constellation inside it and some stars and constellations labeled.

See 3 small constellations near the Summer Triangle

You need a dark country sky to see these 3 small constellations: Vulpecula, Delphinus and Sagitta. They are all near the Summer Triangle.

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Sun’s entry into zodiac constellations, 2021

The sun entered the constellation Sagittarius on December 18, 2020. It'll cross into the constellation Capricornus on January 19, 2021. Look here for dates of the sun's entry into the zodiacal constellations for 2021.

Astronomers issue report on the effect of ‘satellite constellations’ on astronomy

A new report concludes that large constellations of bright satellites in low-Earth orbit will fundamentally change ground-based astronomy and impact the appearance of the night sky for stargazers worldwide.

Sun in zodiac constellations, 2019

Sun-entry dates to zodiac constellations in 2019, using boundaries for constellations set by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s.

Sun in zodiac constellations, 2018

Sun entry dates into zodiac constellations, using boundaries for constellations set by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s.

Find constellations of the zodiac

Today's sky chart shows the constellations of the zodiac that are up after nightfall on these October evenings.

Altair your guide to small constellations

Little constellations typically have very distinctive shapes. That's true of Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow.

Visible planets and night sky guide for June

Visible planets and night sky guide. This evening, look for bright Jupiter and brighter Venus in the west after sunset. The conjunction is nearly here!

A patch of stars with dozens of arrows in rainbow colors moving outward.

Our galactic neighbor is slowly coming apart

Astronomers have found the stars of our galactic neighbor, the Small Magellanic Cloud, are heading outward. This dwarf galaxy is not rotating, but coming apart.

Star chart: Pink lines forming a large triangle in the sky with a labeled star at each corner.

Summer Triangle: Star pattern of the season

For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Triangle says "summer" in the sky.

Sky chart showing Venus right next to Jupiter, with Mercury below, with WOW written next to them.

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: Sky’s 2 brightest planets to meet

Get ready for a spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction! Don't miss these planets getting closer after sunset each day. The big event happens on June 8 and 9.

Star chart: Cassiopiea, Aries, and Capella with radial lines from a point in the sky near Aries.

Arietids – most active daytime meteor shower – around June 10

The Arietids - the most active daytime meteor shower - peak on the mornings around June 10. Watch for them before dawn while blocking out the light of the moon.

Star chart: 2 triangles together with their hypotenuses making a right angle.

The constellation Norma is home to the Great Attractor

The constellation Norma lies in southern skies and is home to the Great Attractor, the Norma cluster and other deep-sky objects.

A translucent sphere of white cloud with tendrils inside and a bright core on a starry background.

Crystal Ball Nebula hides a fading star and its companion

The Crystal Ball Nebula is a giant sphere of gas and dust encircling a pair of stars in the direction of the constellation Taurus the Bull.

Star chart: Big and Little Dippers with red arrow from bowl stars to Polaris.

Big and Little Dippers in the northern sky on June evenings

The Big and Little Dippers are June sky favorites, with the Big Dipper’s Pointer stars leading the way to Polaris and the Little Dipper.

A piece of the HR diagram, showing giant and supergiant stars.

Deneb is an incredibly distant star. But how do we know?

The star Deneb - part of the Summer Triangle - is one of the most distant stars you can see with your eye alone. But why don't we know its distance precisely?

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Constellations and signs: What’s the difference?

Planisphere: Your friend to find stars and constellations

Celestial ocean: The watery constellations in the autumn sky

See 3 small constellations near the Summer Triangle

constellations

Sun’s entry into zodiac constellations, 2021

Astronomers issue report on the effect of ‘satellite constellations’ on astronomy

Sun in zodiac constellations, 2019

Sun in zodiac constellations, 2018

Find constellations of the zodiac

Altair your guide to small constellations

Visible planets and night sky guide for June

Our galactic neighbor is slowly coming apart

Summer Triangle: Star pattern of the season

Venus-Jupiter conjunction: Sky’s 2 brightest planets to meet

Arietids – most active daytime meteor shower – around June 10

The constellation Norma is home to the Great Attractor

Crystal Ball Nebula hides a fading star and its companion

Big and Little Dippers in the northern sky on June evenings

Deneb is an incredibly distant star. But how do we know?