Constellation: A pattern of stars that people have named
How many official constellations are there?: 88
Zodiac constellations: The 12 constellations the Sun appears to pass through in a year
Ursa Major: The Great Bear; contains the Big Dipper
Ursa Minor: The Little Bear; contains the Little Dipper
Big Dipper: A group of seven stars in Ursa Major shaped like a ladle
Little Dipper: Part of Ursa Minor; its handle ends at Polaris
Polaris: The North Star, near the north celestial pole
How to find Polaris: Follow the two stars at the edge of the Big Dipper's bowl
Orion: The Hunter, with three stars in a row as his belt
Betelgeuse: A red supergiant star marking Orion's shoulder
Rigel: A blue-white supergiant in Orion
Sirius: The brightest star in the night sky, in Canis Major
Canis Major: The Greater Dog
Canis Minor: The Lesser Dog; contains Procyon
Taurus: The Bull; contains the Pleiades and Aldebaran
Pleiades: A bright cluster of stars also called the Seven Sisters
Aldebaran: The orange giant star that forms the eye of Taurus
Gemini: The Twins; has Castor and Pollux
Cancer: The Crab
Leo: The Lion; has bright star Regulus
Virgo: The Maiden; has bright star Spica
Libra: The Scales
Scorpius: The Scorpion; has red star Antares
Sagittarius: The Archer; looks like a teapot and points to the center of the Milky Way
Capricornus: The Sea-Goat
Aquarius: The Water Bearer
Pisces: The Fishes
Aries: The Ram
Cassiopeia: A W-shaped constellation named for a queen
Cepheus: The King in the northern sky
Andromeda: Named for a princess; contains the Andromeda Galaxy
Perseus: The hero in the story of Medusa; has the Perseid meteor shower
Pegasus: The Winged Horse, with the Great Square
Cygnus: The Swan, also called the Northern Cross
Deneb: The bright star at the tail of Cygnus
Lyra: The Lyre; contains bright star Vega
Vega: A bright blue-white star in Lyra
Aquila: The Eagle; contains Altair
Summer Triangle: Vega, Deneb and Altair
Bootes: The Herdsman; contains orange giant Arcturus
Arcturus: A bright orange star, the brightest in the northern sky
Crux: The Southern Cross, seen from the Southern Hemisphere
Centaurus: The Centaur; contains Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri: The closest star system to the Sun, about 4.3 light-years away
Proxima Centauri: The closest known star to the Sun
Canopus: The second-brightest star in the night sky, in Carina
Draco: The Dragon, winding between the Dippers
Hercules: A large constellation of the hero
Auriga: The Charioteer; has bright star Capella
Capella: A bright yellow star in Auriga
Lepus: The Hare, below Orion
Hydra: The longest constellation
Crater: The Cup
Corvus: The Crow
Ophiuchus: The Serpent Bearer
Milky Way: Our galaxy; seen as a pale band of light across the sky
Andromeda Galaxy: The nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, about 2.5 million light-years away
Meteor shower: Many meteors seen as Earth passes through a comet's dust trail
Perseids: A meteor shower in August
Geminids: A meteor shower in December
Leonids: A meteor shower in November
Planet vs star in the sky: Planets shine steadily; stars twinkle
Asterism: A star pattern that is not an official constellation, like the Big Dipper
Light pollution: Artificial light that hides the stars
Dark sky: An area with little light pollution, great for stargazing

Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/space-constellations