Constellations
Celestial groupings overhead
Constellations are patterns of stars as seen from Earth, grouped and named by human observers.
Ancient cultures mapped the night sky into figures—Orion the hunter, Ursa Major the great bear—creating a celestial geography that persists in modern astronomy.
The eighty-eight officially recognized constellations now serve as regions dividing the entire sky.
Figuratively, a constellation is any cluster of related things: a constellation of symptoms, a constellation of factors.
Celestial hunter figure
- Ursa MajorNorthern bear constellation
- zodiacCelestial belt of signs
- celestialOf the sky above
- night skyDarkness above after sunset
Big Dipper · asterism · Cassiopeia · Polaris · hemisphere · magnitude · Pleiades · Southern Cross
Body of traditional tales
- GreekOf Athenian origin
- legendsTraditional stories or icons
- heroesAdmired courageous figures
- godsSupernatural beings worshipped
Orion · Andromeda · Perseus · centaur · hunter · bear · Castor · Pollux
Navigating through physical spaces
- PolarisCelestial north marker
- North StarPole-aligned celestial beacon
- Southern CrossSouthern hemisphere constellation
- sailorsMaritime vessel crew members
latitude · celestial navigation · sextant · mariners · Polynesian · horizon · bearing · voyaging
Originating in a region
- AboriginalAustralia's native peoples
- ChineseOf that Asian nation
- HinduFollower of ancient Indian religion
- MaoriNew Zealand's indigenous people
Inuit · Navajo · Inca · Arabic · Babylonian · Egyptian · sky lore · dreamtime
Gathered group nearby
- groupingArrangement by shared traits
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- assemblageCollected group of things
- arrayOrdered collection or display
collection · luminaries · network · galaxy · brilliant · celebrities · talent · ensemble
Orion
Celestial hunter figure
- Ursa MajorNorthern bear constellation
- zodiacCelestial belt of signs
- celestialOf the sky above
night sky · Big Dipper · asterism · Cassiopeia · Polaris · hemisphere · magnitude · Pleiades · Southern Cross · Scorpius
mythology
Body of traditional tales
gods · Orion · Andromeda · Perseus · centaur · hunter · bear · Castor · Pollux · Zeus
wayfinding
Navigating through physical spaces
- PolarisCelestial north marker
- North StarPole-aligned celestial beacon
- Southern CrossSouthern hemisphere constellation
sailors · latitude · celestial navigation · sextant · mariners · Polynesian · horizon · bearing · voyaging · hemispheres
indigenous
Originating in a region
- AboriginalAustralia's native peoples
- ChineseOf that Asian nation
- HinduFollower of ancient Indian religion
Maori · Inuit · Navajo · Inca · Arabic · Babylonian · Egyptian · sky lore · dreamtime · asterisms
cluster
Gathered group nearby
- groupingArrangement by shared traits
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- assemblageCollected group of things
array · collection · luminaries · network · galaxy · brilliant · celebrities · talent · ensemble · elite
- PlaysHamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear
Constellationsstar clusters
Gravitationally bound stellar collections
- zodiac constellationsTwelve ecliptic star groupings
- winter constellation
- satellite constellationsGrouped orbiting craft arrays