Stars seem to move across the sky through the night, but that movement is due to Earth's rotation. As Earth spins on its axis, objects appear to rise in the east and set in the west. In the Northern Hemisphere, some stars never appear to set, called Circumpolar Stars, they circle at a point projected in the sky above the Northern Pole near Polaris, the Pole Star. A corresponding situation exists above the South Pole near the Star Sigma Octantis.
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Constellations |
In ancient cultures, sky-watching played an important role in navigation, agriculture, religion and even entertainment. Those who observed the heavens connected stars to form patterns that related to the heroes, gods and legends of their culture-- what we refer to today as Contellations.
Most cultures named constellations and attached cultural meaning to their patterns. Native American sky lore, for instance, often used constellations to teach moral lessons.
Today, the Western world acknowledges the constellations that originated in Mesopotamia more than 5,000 years ago. Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek astronomers also made contributions during the classical ages of their cultures.
In 1928 the International Astronomical Union (IAU) determined which constellations would be officially recognized. Of the 88 constellations on the IAU list, 48 were identified in ancient times with just the naked eye. The remaining 40 were added in more recent centuries.
