What is a constellation?

Constellations play an important role in astronomy; Astrology also uses images of the zodiac 12, but astronomers regard astrology as pseudoscience without using real scientific methods. Basically, dividing stars into constellations is a random process. Different civilizations have different constellations made up of different stars-although some constellations made up of more conspicuous stars are roughly the same in different civilizations, such as Orion and Scorpio. The International Astronomical Union divides the sky into 88 official constellations with precise boundaries, so that every star in the sky belongs to a specific constellation. Most of these official constellations are based on the ancient Greek traditional constellations handed down from the Middle Ages. In order to identify the stars easily, people divided several regions according to their natural distribution in the sky. Different sizes. Each region is called a constellation. Connect the bright stars in the same constellation with lines to form various figures. In shape, they are similar to animals and utensils.

constellation

Constellation originated in Babylon, one of the four ancient civilizations. About 5000 years ago, a group of Babylonian shepherds lived a nomadic life in Mesopotamia. In their wandering life as shepherds, they still don't forget to observe the twinkling stars in the night sky every day. Over time, they can see the regular changes of time and season from the dynamics of the stars. Every night, they look at the sheep, observe all kinds of stars, connect the brighter stars with each other, associate all kinds of animals, utensils and even gods they believe in from the connected shapes, and name them, creating the so-called constellation. It is said that there are more than 20 constellation names, such as the so-called zodiac 12 constellation, which was born at that time. Since then, the Babylonians have continued to divide the sky into many regions and put forward new constellations. However, at that time, constellations were of little use, and even fewer were discovered and named. The constellation 12 on the ecliptic was originally used to measure time, not to express people's character as it is now. Around 1000 BC, 30 constellations have been proposed. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River flow from northwest to southeast and flow into the Persian Gulf, so they are also called "two river basins". After the culture of the two river basins spread to ancient Greece, it promoted the cultural development of ancient Greece. Ancient Greek astronomers supplemented and developed the Babylonian constellation and compiled the ancient Greek constellation table. In the 2nd century A.D., Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer, synthesized the astronomical achievements at that time and sorted out 48 constellations. Connect the main bright stars in the constellation with imaginary lines, imagine them as images of animals or characters, and give them appropriate names in combination with fairy tales. This is the origin of the constellation name. Most of the 48 constellations in Greek mythology live in the northern sky and north and south of the equator. After the Middle Ages, European capitalism rose and needed to expand outward, and the navigation industry was greatly developed. Ships sailing at sea need navigation at any time, and stars are the best street lamps. Among the stars, this constellation has a special shape and is the easiest to observe. Therefore, constellations have aroused widespread concern. When Magellan sailed around the world in the16th century, he not only used constellations to navigate and orient, but also studied constellations. 1922, the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided to divide the sky into 88 constellations, and their names basically followed the historical names. There are nearly 6,000 stars visible to the naked eye, each of which can be classified as a unique constellation. Each constellation can be identified by the shape of the bright star inside.

Aries March 21~ April 20

Taurus April 21~ May 20

Gemini may 2 1 ~ June 21

Cancer June 22 ~ July 22

Leo July 23 ~ August 22

Virgo August 23rd to September 22nd.

Libra September 23rd ~ 65438+1October 23rd.

Scorpio 65438+1October 24th ~165438+1October 2nd1

Sagittarius165438+1October 22nd ~ 65438+February 2nd1

Capricorn 65438+February 22nd ~ 65438+1October 19

Aquarius 65438+1October 20th to February 18

Pisces February19 ~ March 20th