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Constellations and Night Sky
Well-known constellations, bright stars and sky-watching terms.
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66 cards
- ConstellationNameA pattern of stars that people have named
- How many official constellations are there?Name88
- Zodiac constellationsNameThe 12 constellations the Sun appears to pass through in a year
- Ursa MajorNameThe Great Bear; contains the Big Dipper
- Ursa MinorNameThe Little Bear; contains the Little Dipper
- Big DipperNameA group of seven stars in Ursa Major shaped like a ladle
- Little DipperNamePart of Ursa Minor; its handle ends at Polaris
- PolarisNameThe North Star, near the north celestial pole
- How to find PolarisNameFollow the two stars at the edge of the Big Dipper's bowl
- OrionNameThe Hunter, with three stars in a row as his belt
- BetelgeuseNameA red supergiant star marking Orion's shoulder
- RigelNameA blue-white supergiant in Orion
- SiriusNameThe brightest star in the night sky, in Canis Major
- Canis MajorNameThe Greater Dog
- Canis MinorNameThe Lesser Dog; contains Procyon
- TaurusNameThe Bull; contains the Pleiades and Aldebaran
- PleiadesNameA bright cluster of stars also called the Seven Sisters
- AldebaranNameThe orange giant star that forms the eye of Taurus
- GeminiNameThe Twins; has Castor and Pollux
- CancerNameThe Crab
- LeoNameThe Lion; has bright star Regulus
- VirgoNameThe Maiden; has bright star Spica
- LibraNameThe Scales
- ScorpiusNameThe Scorpion; has red star Antares
- SagittariusNameThe Archer; looks like a teapot and points to the center of the Milky Way
- CapricornusNameThe Sea-Goat
- AquariusNameThe Water Bearer
- PiscesNameThe Fishes
- AriesNameThe Ram
- CassiopeiaNameA W-shaped constellation named for a queen
- CepheusNameThe King in the northern sky
- AndromedaNameNamed for a princess; contains the Andromeda Galaxy
- PerseusNameThe hero in the story of Medusa; has the Perseid meteor shower
- PegasusNameThe Winged Horse, with the Great Square
- CygnusNameThe Swan, also called the Northern Cross
- DenebNameThe bright star at the tail of Cygnus
- LyraNameThe Lyre; contains bright star Vega
- VegaNameA bright blue-white star in Lyra
- AquilaNameThe Eagle; contains Altair
- Summer TriangleNameVega, Deneb and Altair
- BootesNameThe Herdsman; contains orange giant Arcturus
- ArcturusNameA bright orange star, the brightest in the northern sky
- CruxNameThe Southern Cross, seen from the Southern Hemisphere
- CentaurusNameThe Centaur; contains Alpha Centauri
- Alpha CentauriNameThe closest star system to the Sun, about 4.3 light-years away
- Proxima CentauriNameThe closest known star to the Sun
- CanopusNameThe second-brightest star in the night sky, in Carina
- DracoNameThe Dragon, winding between the Dippers
- HerculesNameA large constellation of the hero
- AurigaNameThe Charioteer; has bright star Capella
- CapellaNameA bright yellow star in Auriga
- LepusNameThe Hare, below Orion
- HydraNameThe longest constellation
- CraterNameThe Cup
- CorvusNameThe Crow
- OphiuchusNameThe Serpent Bearer
- Milky WayNameOur galaxy; seen as a pale band of light across the sky
- Andromeda GalaxyNameThe nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way, about 2.5 million light-years away
- Meteor showerNameMany meteors seen as Earth passes through a comet's dust trail
- PerseidsNameA meteor shower in August
- GeminidsNameA meteor shower in December
- LeonidsNameA meteor shower in November
- Planet vs star in the skyNamePlanets shine steadily; stars twinkle
- AsterismNameA star pattern that is not an official constellation, like the Big Dipper
- Light pollutionNameArtificial light that hides the stars
- Dark skyNameAn area with little light pollution, great for stargazing
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