The Constellations

For convenience to astronomers, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) divides the sky into 88 separate areas called constellations, which were defined officially in 1922. These are regions of the celestial sphere, of varying size and shape, surrounding groups of stars in traditionally identified patterns. Many of these are based on the patterns identified in the ancient Greek, Roman and Sumerian cultures, representing creatures, characters and objects from their mythologies.

Note that these patterns of stars are properly referred to by astronomers as asterisms, since the term constellation refers to an area of the sky rather than just the stars within it. There are, of course, many more constellations and asterisms recognised by difference cultures all over the world, however, they are not officially defined as constellations by the IAU.

Many well-recognised asterisms are often identified from just a few of the stars in a particular constellation or even across multiple constellations. Examples include The Big Dipper, also known as The Plough (composed of the seven brightest stars in Ursa Major); the three distinctive stars of Orient’s Belt; and The Summer Triangle formed of the stars Deneb, Altair, and Vega, in the constellations of Cygnus, Aquila, and Lyra, respectively.

Forty eight of the official IAU constellations are based on the ancient Greek tradition and were listed in the Almagest – a mathematical and astronomical treatise written by the Egyptian scholar Ptolemy, in the 2nd Century. Twelve of the constellations were created in the 16th Century by Petrus Plancius, a Flemish astronomer, from the observations by the Dutch explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtmanin, at a time when voyagers were first charting the southern skies. The French astronomer Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille introduced 14 more in the 18th century and Johannes Hevelius also created seven of our modern constellations in his star atlas Firmamentum Sobiescianum, published in 1687, from areas of the northern sky without apparent bright patterns of stars.

List of IAU Constellations:

The full list of the 88 official IAU constellations, and their origins, is given below:

  • Andromeda

    Constellation of Andromeda - the Princess
    Andromeda – the Princess

    The Princess – chained to rocks in Greek mythology, as a sacrifice to the sea-monster Cetus and rescued by Perseus.

  • Antlia

    Constellation of Antlia - the air pump
    Antlia – the air pump

    The air pump – defined in 1756 by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, to commemorate the air pump invented by the French physicist Denis Papin.

  • Apus

    Constellation of Apus - the bird of paradise
    Apus – the bird of paradise

    The bird of paradise – once believed to have no feet, hence its name meaning “without feet” in Greek.

  • Aquarius

    Constellation of Aquarius - the water carrier
    Aquarius – the water carrier

    The water carrier or cup bearer – an ancient constellation associated with different legends in different cultures. In Greek tradition, the constellation was a vase from which a stream poured down to Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. In Babylonian tradition Aquarius represented the god Ea.

  • Aquila

    Constellation of Aquila - the eagle
    Aquila – the eagle

    The eagle – which carried Zeus’ thunderbolts in ancient Greek tradition and Jupiter’s in Roman tradition, or alternatively the eagle which retrieved Orpheus’ lyre (see Lyre, below).

  • Ara

    Constellation of Ara - the Altar
    Ara – the Altar

    The Altar – where the Greek/Roman gods made offerings before defeating the Titans.

  • Aries

    Constellation of Aries - the ram
    Aries – the ram

    The Ram – having a golden fleece in the Greek legend, as sought after by Jason and the Argonauts.

  • Auriga

    Constellation of Auriga - the charioteer
    Auriga – the charioteer

    The charioteer – in Greek mythology, the hero Erichthonius of Athens, the inventor of the four-horse chariot.

  • Boötes

    Constellation of Boötes - The ox-driver
    Boötes – The ox-driver

    The ox-driver, herdsman or plowman – pronounced boh-OH-teez – perhaps represents Philomenus, the herdsman son of Demeter, the inventor of the plough in Greek mythology, which he pushes across the sky (see Ursa Major, below).

  • Caelum

    Constellation of Caelum - the chisel
    Caelum – the chisel

    The chisel – (from Latin) introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 1750s.

  • Camelopardalis

    Constellation of Camelopardalis - the giraffe
    Camelopardalis – the giraffe

    The giraffe – introduced around 1612 by Petrus Plancius.

  • Cancer

    Constellation of Cancer - the crab
    Cancer – the crab

    The crab, which, in Greek mythology, bit Heracles (Roman: Hercules) on the foot while he was fighting the Hydra. Heracles crushed the crab underfoot and it was placed among the stars by the goddess Hera, his sworn enemy.

  • Canes Venatici

    Constellation of Canes Venatici - the hunting dogs
    Canes Venatici – the hunting dogs

    The hunting dogs – of Boötes the herdsman – created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century.

  • Canis Major

    Constellation of Canis Major - the greater dog
    Canis Major – the greater dog

    The greater dog – of Orion the hunter – contains the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, which is also known as the “Dog Star”.

  • Canis Minor

    Constellation of Canis Minor - the lesser dog
    Canis Minor – the lesser dog

    The lesser dog – of Orion the hunter.

  • Capricornus

    Constellation of Capricornus - the sea-goat
    Capricornus – the sea-goat

    The horned goat or sea-goat (half goat, half fish) – identified since the Middle Bronze Age. One of the earliest depictions or Capricornus was found on a Sumerian cylinder-seal, dating from the 21st century BC.

  • Carina

    Constellation of Carina - the ship’s keel (with vela and puppis)
    Carina – the ship’s keel (with vela and puppis)

    The ship’s keel – (from latin) originally part of the constellation of Argo Navis (Jason and the Argonauts’ ship, the Argo, in Greek mythology) before it was split into three by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, in 1763, to form Carina (the keel), Puppis (the poop deck) and Vela (the sails).

  • Cassiopeia

    Constellation of Cassiopeia - the queen of Aethiopia
    Cassiopeia – queen of Aethiopia

    The queen of king Cepheus of Aethiopia – in Greek mythology, boasted that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea-nymphs, the Nereids. As a punishment, Andromeda was to be sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus, before she was saved by Perseus.

  • Centaurus

    Constellation of Centaurus - the centaur
    Centaurus – the centaur

    The centaur – a creature from Greek mythology with the body of a horse and the upper torso and head of a man – possibly the centaur Chiron. Originally, Crux, the Southern Cross, represented the centaur’s legs, before it came to be considered as a separate constellation.

  • Cepheus

    Constellation of Cepheus - King of Aethiopia
    Cepheus – King of Aethiopia

    The King of Aethiopia – in Greek mythology the husband of Cassiopeia and father of Andromeda.

  • Cetus

    Constellation of Cetus - the sea-monster or the whale
    Cetus – the sea-monster or the whale

    The sea-monster (often known as the whale) – to which princess Andromeda was to be sacrificed in Greek mythology. (N.B. the name Kraken used in the movie Clash of the Titans is actually from Norse mythology.)

  • Chamaeleon

    Constellation of Chamaeleon - the chameleon
    Chamaeleon – the chameleon

    The chameleon – created by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century.

  • Circinus

    Constellation of Circinus - the pair of compasses
    Circinus – the pair of compasses

    The pair of compasses (N.B the type used for drawing circles, not the mariner’s compass, which is represented by the constellation Pyxis) – first defined by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, in 1756.

  • Columba

    Constellation of Columba - the dove
    Columba – the dove

    The dove – representing either the dove released by Noah in the Bible story or the dove released by Jason and the Argonauts – created by Petrus Plancius in 1592 from stars in the larger constellation Canis Major.

  • Coma Berenices

    Constellation of Coma Berenices - Berenice’s hair
    Coma Berenices – Berenice’s hair

    Berenice’s hair – from Berenice II, an Egyptian queen of the third century who sacrificed her long hair to Aphrodite to ensure her husband’s safe return from Syria. The hair disappeared from the altar and was said to have been placed among the stars. Before this, it was considered to be an asterism representing the tuft of hair on the end of Leo’s tail.

  • Corona Australis

    Constellation of Corona Australis - the southern crown
    Corona Australis – the southern crown

    The southern crown – originally the wreath of Sagittarius or Centaurus, rather than a crown, although there are many different stories associated with this constellation.

  • Corona Borealis

    Constellation of Corona Borealis - the northern crown
    Corona Borealis – the northern crown

    The northern crown – in Greek mythology, given by Dionysus to Ariadne, and placed among the stars on their wedding day.

  • Corvus

    Constellation of Corvus - the crow
    Corvus – the crow

    The crow – in one Greek myth, Apollo, upon learning from a pure white crow that Coronis had been unfaithful to him, turned the crow’s feathers black, in his anger. Another story tells of a crow that lied to Apollo about stopping to eat figs when sent to fetch water. Apollo threw the crow, the cup (Crater) and the water snake (Hydra) – which the crow claimed had kept him from the water – into the sky, making sure that the cup was just out of reach so that the crow would always be thirsty.

  • Crater

    Constellation of Crater - the cup
    Crater – the cup

    The cup – of the god Apollo (see Corvus, above).

  • Crux

    Constellation of Crux - the southern cross
    Crux – the southern cross

    The southern cross – originally considered, by the ancient Greeks, to be the legs of Centaurus. Crux was entirely visible as far north as Britain in the fourth millennium BC but, due to precession of the Earth’s axis, it moved southwards and became invisible from Greece around the 4th Century BC. The constellation was rediscovered by navigators in the 16th century.

  • Cygnus

    Constellation of Cygnus - the swan
    Cygnus – the swan

    The swan – possibly representing the swan Zeus disguised himself as in order to seduce Leda, although it may represent many other characters from Greek myth, who were turned into swans, such as Orpheus or Cycnus, the brother of Phaethon.

  • Delphinus

    Constellation of Delphinus - the dolphin
    Delphinus – the dolphin

    The dolphin – possibly representing Delphinus who was sent by Poseidon to woo Amphitrite, or possibly the dolphin that is said to have saved the Greek poet Arion in the 7th century BC.

  • Dorado

    Constellation of Dorado - the dolphinfish
    Dorado – the dolphinfish

    The dolphinfish, or possibly the goldfish – named by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century.

  • Draco

    Constellation of Draco - the dragon
    Draco – the dragon

    The dragon – in Greek mythology the dragon Ladon, who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides and was killed by Heracles (known as Hercules to the Romans).

  • Equuleus

    Constellation of Equuleus - the foal
    Equuleus – the foal

    The foal – representing Celeris the foal (or possibly brother of) the winged horse Pegasus, although the constellation might also represent the horse created by Poseidon in his competition with Athena to decide which of the two the city of Athens would be named after.

  • Eridanus

    Constellation of Eridanus - the river
    Eridanus – the river

    The river – has been variously associated with the river Nile, the river Po and, in Greek mythology, the river into which Phaëton is said to have fallen, after losing control of the sun god Helios’ chariot and scorching most of Africa to desert.

  • Fornax

    Constellation of Fornax - the furnace
    Fornax – the furnace

    The furnace – originally named “Fornax Chemica”, the chemical furnace used for heating chemical experiments, by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1756.

  • Gemini

    Constellation of Gemini - the twins
    Gemini – the twins

    The twins – associated with the Argonaut twins Castor and Pollux, which are the names of the constellation’s two brightest stars. In Greek mythology, Castor was mortal but Pollux (which is the brightest of the two stars) was the son of the god Zeus. When Castor died, Pollux asked Zeus to make him immortal, which he did by placing them both among the stars.

  • Grus

    Constellation of Grus - the crane
    Grus – the crane

    The Crane – originally considered part of Piscis Austrinus, but were separated out by Petrus Plancius in the 16th Century.

  • Hercules

    Constellation of Hercules
    Hercules

    The Roman hero Hercules (known as Heracles to the ancient Greeks) – supposedly representing him kneeling to pray for help from Jupiter (Greek: Zeus) in his battle with the giants Albion and Bergion or Dercynus.

  • Horologium

    Constellation of Horologium - the clock
    Horologium – the clock

    The clock – originally named Horologium Oscillitorium, or the pendulum clock, by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the early 18th century, to honour its inventor Christiaan Huygens.

  • Hydra

    Constellation of Hydra - the water snake
    Hydra – the water snake

    The water snake – not to be confused with Hydrus (below). In Greek mythology, Hydra was considered to represent either the many-headed water snake killed by Heracles (Roman: Hercules) or the water snake in the story of Apollo and the crow (see Corvus, above).

  • Hydrus

    Constellation of Hydrus - the male water snake
    Hydrus – the male water snake

    The male water snake – not to be confused with Hydra (above) which represents a mythical female water snake. Hydrus was created by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century and represents a real water snake encountered on the first Dutch trading expedition to the East Indies by the explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman.

  • Indus

    Constellation of Indus - the Indian
    Indus – the Indian

    The Indian – usually depicted hunting with arrows or a spear. In the 16th century, when the constellation was created by Petrus Plancius, “Indus” could have referred to a native of either America or Asia.

  • Lacerta

    Constellation of Lacerta - the Lizard
    Lacerta – the Lizard

    The Lizard – created in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in a region of the northern sky without an apparent pattern of bright stars.

  • Leo

    Constellation of Leo - the lion
    Leo – the lion

    The lion – represented the Nemean Lion killed by Heracles (Roman: Hercules) in ancient Greek mythology.

  • Leo Minor

    Constellation of Leo Minor - the lesser lion
    Leo Minor – the lesser lion

    The lesser lion – created in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in a region of the northern sky without an apparent pattern of bright stars.

  • Lepus

    Constellation of Lepus - the hare
    Lepus – the hare

    The hare – chased by Orion and his hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor, across the sky.

  • Libra

    Constellation of Libra - the weighing scales
    Libra – the weighing scales

    The weighing scales – the balance held by Astraea (or Virgo), the goddess of justice in Greek mythology. The sun is in this part of the ecliptic plane close to the autumnal equinox, when the length of day and night is in balance.

  • Lupus

    Constellation of Lupus - the wolf
    Lupus – the wolf

    The wolf – about to be killed by Centaurus, the Centaur, and probably based on a Babylonian creature which was half man, half lion.

  • Lynx

    Constellation of Lynx - the lynx
    Lynx – the lynx

    The lynx – created in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius in a region of the northern sky without an apparent pattern of bright stars.

  • Lyra

    Constellation of Lyre
    Lyre

    the lyra – a musical instrument belonging to the Greek hero Orpheus and thrown into a river when he was killed. Zeus sent an eagle (see Aquila) to retrieve the lyre and both were placed among the stars.

  • Mensa

    Constellation of Mensa - Table Mountain
    Mensa – Table Mountain

    Table Mountain – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century, in honour of Table Mountain in South Africa. Mensa is the fainest of all the constellations, as well as the only one representing a geographical feature on Earth.

  • Microscopium

    Constellation of Microscopium - the microscope
    Microscopium – the microscope

    The microscope – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.

  • Monoceros

    Constellation of Monoceros - the unicorn
    Monoceros – the unicorn

    The unicorn – created by Petrus Plancius in 1612.

  • Musca

    Constellation of Musca - the fly
    Musca – the fly

    The fly – created by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century.

  • Norma

    Constellation of Norma - the carpenter’s level
    Norma – the carpenter’s level

    The carpenter’s level – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.

  • Octans

    Constellation of Octans - the octant
    Octans – the octant

    The octant – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century and named after the navigational instrument used to determine the altitude of celestial objects relative to the horizon (see also Sextans, below).

  • Ophiuchus

    Constellation of Ophiuchus - the serpent bearer
    Ophiuchus – the serpent bearer

    The serpent bearer – representing, to the ancient Greeks, either the god Apollo, with the snake that guarded the Oracle of Delphi, or Laocoön, the Trojan priest of Poseidon, who warned not to trust the wooden horse of Troy and was killed by sea serpents sent to punish him. To the Romans, he represented Asclepius, who learned the secret of immortality after observing a serpent using healing herbs, but was struck down by Jupiter before he could share the secret.

  • Orion

    Constellation of Orion - the hunter
    Orion – the hunter

    The hunter – in Greek mythology, Orion claimed he could kill any animal but was stung by a scorpion (Scorpius, see below) sent by the Earth goddess Gaia (or possibly Artemis or Apollo). Orion was then revived by Asclepius (Ophiuchus, see above). Orion is one of the most distinctive constellations and is, therefore, associated with numerous legends from all over the world, notably representing the god Osiris in the ancient Egyptian culture and Gilgamesh in Mesopotamian tradition.

  • Pavo

    Constellation of Pavo - the peacock
    Pavo – the peacock

    The peacock – defined by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century, although the constellation might also have represented Argos, to the ancient Greeks – the hundred-eyed giant whose eyes were placed by the goddess Hera in the tail of a peacock.

  • Pegasus

    Constellation of Pegasus - the winged horse
    Pegasus – the winged horse

    The winged horse – ridden by Bellerophon and Perseus in ancient Greek mythology. Pegasus contains a large distinctive square, containing few stars, known as “The Great Square of Pegasus”, although one of its corner stars (α Andromedae) is now recognised as part of Andromeda.

  • Perseus

    Constellation of Perseus
    Perseus

    The hero from ancient Greek mythology – who rescued the princess Andromeda from Cetus (see above).

  • Phoenix

    Constellation of the Phoenix
    Phoenix

    The phoenix – a mythical bird which is resurrected from its own ashes. The constellation Phoenix was created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.

  • Pictor

    Constellation of Pictor - the painter’s easel
    Pictor – the painter’s easel

    The painter’s easel – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.

  • Pisces

    Constellation of Pisces - the fishes
    Pisces – the fishes

    The fishes – in Greek mythology, represents the goddess Aphrodite and the god Eros, who transformed themselves into fish to escape from the monster Typhon. They tied themselves together with rope so they wouldn’t become separated. Alternatively, they may represent the offspring of the Piscis Austrinus (see below).

  • Piscis Austrinus

    Constellation of Piscis Austrinus - the southern fish
    Piscis Austrinus – the southern fish

    The southern fish – swallows the stream of water poured from the vase of the constellation Aquarius. Piscis Austrinus is possibly the mother of the two smaller fish Pisces and also represented a fish in Babylonian as well as Egyptian culture, where it depicted the fish which saved the life of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

  • Puppis

    Constellation of Puppis - the Poop Deck
    Puppis – the Poop Deck

    The Poop Deck – (from latin) originally part of the constellation of Argo Navis (Jason and the Argonauts’ ship, the Argo, in Greek mythology) before it was split into three by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, in 1763, to form Carina (the keel), Puppis (the poop deck) and Vela (the sails).

  • Pyxis

    Constellation of Pyxis - the mariner’s compass
    Pyxis – the mariner’s compass

    The mariner’s compass – (N.B not the type used for drawing circles, which is represented by the constellation Circinus) – first defined by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, in 1756.

  • Reticulum

    Constellation of Reticulum - the reticle
    Reticulum – the reticle

    The reticle or graticule – the ‘net’ of crosshairs in a telescope’s eyepiece. Nicolas Louis de Lacaille first named the constellation le Réticule Rhomboide, in the eighteenth century.

  • Sagitta

    Constellation of Sagitta - the arrow
    Sagitta – the arrow

    The arrow – In ancient Greek mythology, represented the arrow used by Hercules (Greek: Heracles) to kill either the eagle that, each day, picked out the liver of Prometheus (as his punishment for stealing fire from the gods) or the Stymphalian birds, which Hercules killed as the sixth of his “twelve labours”. Alternatively it may even represent the arrow used by Apollo to kill the Cyclopes.

  • Sagittarius

    Constellation of Sagittarius - the archer
    Sagittarius – the archer

    The archer – to the Babylonians, the god Nergal, to the ancient Greeks, the centaur Chiron or possibly the satyr Crotus, the inventor of archery, since Centaurus (see above) may represent Chiron. The brightest stars of Sagittarius form a distinctive teapot shaped asterism, with the Milky Way appearing to rise as steam from the spout.

  • Scorpius

    Constellation of Scorpius - the scorpion
    Scorpius – the scorpion

    The scorpion – sent by either Gaia, Artemis or Apollo to sting Orion, after he boasted he would kill every animal (see also Orion, above).

  • Sculptor

    Constellation of Sculptor - the sculptor
    Sculptor – the sculptor

    the sculptor – originally the sculptor’s studio – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.

  • Scutum

    Constellation of Scutum - the shield
    Scutum – the shield

    The shield – created in 1684 by Johannes Hevelius, and originally named Scutum Sobiescianum (the shield of Sobieski), commemorating the Polish victory of King John III Sobieski in the Battle of Vienna (1683).

  • Serpens

    Constellation of Serpens - the serpent
    Serpens – the serpent

    The serpent – held by Ophiuchus (see above).

  • Sextans

    Constellation of Sextans - the sextant
    Sextans – the sextant

    The sextant – created by Johannes Hevelius in the 1687 and named after the instrument used by astronomers and navigators to determine the altitude of celestial objects relative to the horizon (See also, Octans).

  • Taurus

    Constellation of Taurus - the bull
    Taurus – the bull

    The bull – possibly represented in a cave painting, from around 15,000 BC, at the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux, in France. In the Mesopotamian legend of Gilgamesh (represented by Orion), the spurned goddess Ishtar sends Taurus, the Bull of Heaven, to kill him. To the ancient Greeks, Taurus depicted either the god Zeus, in the form of a white bull while abducting the princess Europa, or the Cretan Bull, killed by Heracles (Roman: Hercules). The distinctive orange giant star, Aldebaran, forms the bull’s eye.

  • Telescopium

    Constellation of Telescopium - the telescope
    Telescopium – the telescope

    The telescope – created by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.

  • Triangulum

    Constellation of Triangulum - the triangle
    Triangulum – the triangle

    The triangle – Possibly represented the Nile Delta to the Greeks (resembling also the Greek letter delta) or the island of Sicily to the Romans.

  • Triangulum Australe

    Constellation of Triangulum Australe - the southern triangle
    Triangulum Australe – the southern triangle

    The southern triangle – Petrus Plancius introduced this constellation in the 16th century, although his placement was inaccurate, and he called it Triangulus Antarcticus. It was first depicted accurately and called Triangulum Australe in Johann Bayer’s atlas, Uranometria, of 1603.

  • Tucana

    Constellation of Tucana - the toucan
    Tucana – the toucan

    The toucan – introduced by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century.

  • Ursa Major

    Constellation of Ursa Major - the great bear
    Ursa Major – the Great Bear (also known as the big dipper, the saucepan or the Plough)

    The great bear – represents Callisto, in Roman and Greek mythology, who was turned into a bear by Jupiter’s (Greek: Zeus’) jealous wife, Juno (Greek: Hera). In the legend, Callisto’s son, Arcas, almost shoots her while hunting, but Jupiter turns him into a bear as well (Ursa Minor) and places them both among the stars. Ursa Major contains the asterism resembling a saucepan or ladle, giving it the name “The Big Dipper”. It is also known as “The Plough”, pushed across the sky by Boötes (see above), as well as many other names.

  • Ursa Minor

    Constellation of Ursa Minor - the little bear
    Ursa Minor – the little bear

    The little bear – in Greek and Roman mythology, represented Callisto’s son Arcas (see Ursa Major above). However, in early Greek mythology, Ursa Minor’s seven stars were the Hesperides, daughters of Hesperus, the evening star (although sometimes considered to be the daughters of Atlas). Also known as the “Little Dipper”.

  • Vela

    Constellation of Vela - the ship’s sails
    Vela – the ship’s sails

    The ship’s sails – (from latin) originally part of the constellation of Argo Navis (Jason and the Argonauts’ ship, the Argo, in Greek mythology) before it was split into three by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, in 1763, to form Carina (the keel), Puppis (the poop deck) and Vela (the sails).

  • Virgo

    Constellation of Virgo - the virgin
    Virgo – the virgin

    The virgin – represented Demeter or Ceres in Greek and Romans mythology, respectively, (the goddess of agriculture) or the goddess Iustitia or Astraea, holding Libra, the scales of justice. The name of Virgo’s brightest star Spica means “ear of grain” in Latin, reflecting the Babylonian association of Virgo as “The Furrow”.

  • Volans

    Constellation of Volans - the flying fish
    Volans – the flying fish

    The flying fish – originally Piscis Volans, created by Petrus Plancius in the 16th century.

  • Vulpecula

    Constellation of Vulpecula - the little fox
    Vulpecula – the little fox

    The little fox – created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century as “Vulpecula Cum Ansere” (the little fox with the goose). The goose, Anser, is now the name of one the constellation’s stars.

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