Constellations

CONSTELLATION:

A constellation is a group of stars, usually in a recognizable shape or pattern. Together, the stars look like a picture. The word constellation comes from Latin: con-, meaning together and stella- meaning stars.

In ancient Egypt, the observation of stars such as Sirius in the day and night sky were used from a very ancient period, in order to predict the Nile Flood

Some constellations that can be easily noticed in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere are:

• Ursa major (The Great Bear) - Also known as the big dipper

• Ursa Minor (The Little Bear) - The last star in Ursa Minor's tail (or the last star on the handle of the little dipper) is the north star Polaris.

• Orion (Orion has a belt)