Constellations WIP Flashcards
Its brightest star is Alpheratz, closely followed by the red giant Mirach; the constellation’s most obvious deep-sky object is the naked-eye galaxy M31, the closest large spiral galaxy; it is also known as The Chained Woman
Andromeda
Air pump
Antlia
Bird-of-Paradise
Apus
It is a constellation of the zodiac with no particularly bright stars (its brightest are Sadalsuud and Sadalmelik); it is also known as The Water-bearer, it represents Ganymede
Aquarius
Altar
Ara
A dim constellation of the zodiac, its brightest star is Hamal; it is also known as The Ram (whose fleece became the Golden Fleece)
Aries
Its brightest star is Capella and it also contains the Flaming Star Nebula; its is also known as The Charioteer
Auriga
It contains the fourth-brightest star in the night sky, the orange giant Arcturus; it is also known as The Herdsman
Boötes
Chisel
Caelum
Giraffe
Camelopardalis
The second dimmest of the constellations of the zodiac, its brightest star is Tarf and it is also noted for its Beehive Cluster; it is also known as The Crab
Cancer
Hunting dogs
Canes Venatici
Its brightest star is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, at its head, followed by Adhara at its tail; it is one of the constellations that follows Orion and is also known as the greater dog (Laelaps)
Canis Major
Its brightest star is Procyon; it is one of the constellations that follows Orion and is also known as the lesser dog
Canis Minor
It is the smallest constellation of the zodiac and is also known as The Sea-goat
Capricornus
Keel
Carina
In 1572, Tycho Brahe’s supernova flared brightly in this constellation and its remnant is the brightest radio source in the sky; the constellation is easily recognizable due to its distinctive W shape, formed by five bright stars including Schedar; it is also known as The Seated Queen (of Ethiopia)
Cassiopeia
It includes the nearest star system to the Solar System as well as the brightest globular cluster; it is named for a half human, half horse from Greek mythology
Centaurus
Its brightest star is Alderamin, but it is also noted for its hypergiant and supergiants and its hyperluminous quasar; it is also known as The King (of Ethiopia)
Cepheus
Its brightest star is Menkar but it is more noted for Mira, the first variable star to be discovered; although not on the zodiac, it is very near the ecliptic and planets may pass through it; it is also known as The Whale or Sea Monster
Cetus
Chameleon
Chamaeleon
Compasses
Circinus
Dove
Columba
Berenice’s hair
Coma Berenices
Southern crown
Corona Australis
Northern crown
Corona Borealis
Crow
Corvus
Cup
Crater
It is the smallest constellation and is also known as The Southern Cross
Crux
It contains Deneb, the most distant first-magnitude star and one corner of the Summer Triangle, and X-1, the first object widely held to be a black hole; it is also known as the Northern Cross or The Swan
Cygnus
Dolphin
Delphinus
Dolphinfish
Dorado
A circumpolar constellation, its brightest star is Thuban, the pole star at the time the pyramids were built; it is also known as The Dragon
Draco
Pony
Equuleus
A river
Eridanus