Constellations

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What is a Constellation?

• Group of stars that are connected together form a
  figure or picture
• OR An area on the sky
• Star
• A star is a massive, luminous ball of plasma
• Ex The sun

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• 88 constellations with same boundaries
• Divided into 8 families
• Drawn up by Eugène Delporte in 1930
• Based upon the constellations of the ancient
  Greek tradition
• Signs of the Zodiac
• Sun appears to pass through the 12 constellations
  of the zodiac .

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Some Types of Constellations

• Dark Cloud Constellations
• Chinese Constellations
• Indian Constellations

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Dark Cloud Constellations

• Inca civilization identified various dark areas
  in the Milky Way as animals
• Dark Nebulae
• "Emu in the sky

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Chinese Constellations

• Different from the Western constellations
• Divided their night sky in a differently
• 28 "Xiu" Chinese counterpart to Zodiac
• Qing Lóng or Azure Dragon

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Indian Constellations

• Rashi Constellation
• Twelve Rashis correspond directly to the twelve
  western star signs
• Divided into 27 Nakshatras
• Jyoti?a
• Samhita Siddhanta Hora

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Most Known of the Eight Families of Constellations

• Ursa Major
• Big Dipper
• Ursa Minor Draco Canes Venatici Coma Berenice
  Corona Borealis Camelopardalis Lynx, Leo
• The Zodiac Family

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Map of Zodiac Family
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Lesser Known Families of Constellations

• Perseus Family
• Hercules Family
• Orion Family
• Heavenly Water Family
• Bayer Group
• La Chille Family

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