Constellations Constellations In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often being at significantly different distances from Earth. An asterism may be composed of stars from one or more constellations. Their mostly simple shapes and few stars make these patterns easy to identify and thus particularly useful to those just learning to orient themselves when viewing the night sky. ...more on Wikipedia about "Asterism (astronomy)"
A constellation is a group of stars visibly related to each other in a particular configuration. ...more on Wikipedia about "Constellation"
Various other unofficial patterns have existed alongside the constellations. These are known as "asterisms." Examples include the Big Dipper and the Northern Cross. ...more on Wikipedia about "List of constellations"
(List of stars by constellation) * The Astronomical Almanac (2000). ...more on Wikipedia about "List of stars by constellation"
The zodiac (from Greek zoon, "animal") is an imaginary belt in the heavens extending approximately 8 degrees on either side of the Sun's apparent path (the ecliptic), that includes the apparent paths of the Moon and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. There is a zodiac in western astrology, a different one in Vedic astrology, and a very different one in Chinese astrology. ...more on Wikipedia about "Zodiac"
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