Constellations

A constellation is a group of stars that, when seen from Earth, form a pattern,
and the stars in the Night Sky are divided into 88 recognised constellations.

  • Scroll down for the below list gives the name of the constellation for more information and location in the night sky.
  • The genitive; for example – Betelgeuse is the brightest star in the constellation of Orion.
  • The abbreviation and the approximate season that the constellation will be up in the northern or southern hemisphere.
  • Note that not all constellations are visible depending on the observers latitude. [For the UK latitude between +50 and +58, and the latitude and longitude of the centre of the UK is 53.1142° N (+53) / 2.25771° W (+2).]
  • Also keep in mind that constellations or objects are generally visible for three seasons; for example – Orion; Best seen in Winter, so Orion being in the Winter constellation would be seen in early morning in the Autumn objects or in early evening in the Spring objects.

 

Live Constellation Watch from the UK  –  Live now!

  • This is a live Sky Chart from Heavens Above, which is set for Milton Keynes, United Kingdom (if you live anywhere else in the world, you can click on the configuration page and change it to your current observing site.)

.
Star Charts by Wil Tirion
To divide the skymaps into 18 regions.

.
Free Star Charts by Skymaps.com

 

Alphabetical listing of 88 recognised Constellations
There are 88 recognised constellations covering in the whole of the celestial sphere, but 24 of 88 constellations in the southern hemisphere can never be seen, only 11 constellations even in part (#) from the United Kingdom, so below the lists in `bold` are seen from the UK, and `unbold-italic` are not seen from the United Kingdom.

(Notes: bold = visible from the UK / italic = never visible from the UK / # parts visible from the UK. / $ = Southern Hemisphere.)

 

Constellations – Sorted by Month for the UK Observer
This is a list of constellations for the Observer from the UK, split up into the months when they are best seen in the sky that you are looking at the “south” sky (180°) at between 21:00/9pm and 23:00/11pm. If you need to know exactly when a constellation is visible, check in a star atlas, on a planisphere or on the computer – Stellarium (free download) or live constellation watch from the UK.

Click below the month for the constellation maps.

  • January:  Perseus / Auriga / Taurus / Orion / Lepus / Eridanus
  • February:  Auriga / Gemini / Orion / Monoceros / Canis Major / Lepus
  • March:  Lynx / Gemini / Cancer / Canis Minor / Monoceros / Canis Major
  • April: Leo Minor / Leo / Sextans / Hydra / Crater
  • May: Canes Venatici / Coma Berenices / Virgo / Corvus / Hydra
  • June:  Bootes / Corona Borealis / Serpens Caput / Libra
  • July:  Hercules / Serpans Caput / Ophiuchus / Serpens Cauda / Scorpius
  • August: Lyra / Cygnus / Vulpecula / Sagitta / Delphinus / Aquila / Equuleus / Aquila
  • September: Cygnus / Vulpecula / Delphinus / Equuleus / Sagitta / Vulpecula / Capricornus
  • October: Lacerta / Pegasus / Equuleus / Aquarius
  • November:  Andromeda /Square of Pegasus / Pisces / Cetus
  • December:  Perseus / Triangulum / Aries / Cetus / Eridanus / Fornax
  • The Northern five circumpolar for all the months: Cassiopeia / Cepheus / Draco / Ursa Major / Ursa Minor

 

Abbreviations for Constellations

  • And – Andromeda
  • Ant – Antlia
  • Aps – Apus
  • Aqr – Aquarius
  • Aql - Aquila
  • Ara - Ara
  • Ari - Aries
  • Aur – Auriga
  • Boo – Boötes
  • Cae – Caelum
  • Cam – Camelopardalis
  • Cnc – Cancer
  • CVn – Canes Venatici
  • CMa – Canis Major
  • CMi – Canis Minor
  • Cap – Capricornus
  • Car – Carina
  • Cas – Cassiopeia
  • Cen – Centaurus
  • Cep – Cepheus
  • Cet – Cetus
  • Cha – Chamaeleon
  • Cir – Circinus
  • Col – Columba
  • Com – Coma Berenices
  • CrA – Corona Australis
  • CrB – Corona Borealis
  • Crv – Corvus
  • Crt – Crater
  • Cru – Crux
  • Cyg – Cygnus
  • Del – Delphinus
  • Dor – Dorado
  • Dra – Draco
  • Equ – Equuleus
  • Eri – Eridanus
  • For – Fornax
  • Gem – Gemini
  • Gru – Grus
  • Her – Hercules
  • Hor – Horologium
  • Hya – Hydra
  • Hyi – Hydrus
  • Ind – Indus
  • Lac – Lacerta
  • Leo – Leo
  • LMi – Leo Minor
  • Lep – Lepus
  • Lib – Libra
  • Lup – Lupus
  • Lyn – Lynx
  • Lyr – Lyra
  • Men – Mensa
  • Mic – Microscopium
  • Mon – Monoceros
  • Mus – Musca
  • Nor – Norma
  • Oct – Octans
  • Oph – Ophiuchus
  • Ori – Orion
  • Pav – Pavo
  • Peg – Pegasus
  • Per – Perseus
  • Phe – Phoenix
  • Pic – Pictor
  • Psc – Pisces
  • PsA – Piscis Austrinus
  • Pup – Puppis
  • Pyx – Pyxis
  • Ret – Reticulum
  • Sge – Sagitta
  • Sgr – Sagittarius
  • Sco – Scorpius
  • Scl – Sculptor
  • Sct – Scutum
  • Ser – Serpens
  • Sex – Sextans
  • Tau – Taurus
  • Tel – Telescopium
  • Tri – Triangulum
  • TrA – Triangulum Australe
  • Tuc – Tucana
  • UMa – Ursa Major
  • UMi – Ursa Minor
  • Vel – Vela
  • Vir – Virgo
  • Vol – Volans
  • Vul – Vulpecula

 

 

Comments are closed.