Abbrev. Name Eng.

Name Alpha Star

And Andromeda Andromeda Alpheratz (Sirrah)

Ant Antlia Air Pumpe
Aps Apus Bird of Paradise
Aqr Aquarius Water Carrier
Aql Aquila Eagle Altair
Ara Ara Altar
Ari Aries Ram Hamal
Aur Auriga Charioteer Capella
Boo Bootes Bear Driver Arcturus
Cae Caelum Graving Tool
Cam Camelopardalis Giraffe
Cnc Cancer Crab
CVn Canes Venatici Hunting Dogs
CMa Canis Major Larger Dog Sirius
CMi Canis Minor Smaller Dog Prokyon
Cap Capricornus Sea Goat
Car Carina Keel Canopus
Cas Cassiopeia Cassiopeia Schedir
Cen Centaurus Centaur Rigil Kent
Cep Cepheus Cepheus Alderamin
Cet Cetus Whale Menkar
Cha Chamaeleon Chameleon
Cir Circinus Compasses
Col Columba Dove
Com Coma Berenices Berenice's Hair
CrA Corona Australis Southern Crown
CrB Corona Borealis Northern Crown Alphecca (Gemma)
Crv Corvus Crow Alchiba
Crt Crater Cup
Cru Crux Cross Acrux
Cyg Cygnus Swan Deneb
Del Delphinus Dolphin
Dor Dorado Goldfish
Dra Draco Dragon Thuban
Equ Equuleus Little Horse
Eri Eridanus River Archernar
For Fornax Furnace
Gem Gemini Twins Castor
Gru Grus Crane Al Na'ir
Her Hercules Hercules Ras Algethi
Hor Horologium Clock
Hya Hydra Sea Serpent Alphard
Hyi Hydrus Water Snake
Ind Indus Indian
Lac Lacerta Lizard
Leo Leo Lion Regulus
LMi Leo Minor Smaller Lion
Lep Lepus Hare
Lib Libra Scales Zuben el Genubi
Lup Lupus Wolf
Lyn Lynx Lynx
Lyr Lyra Lyre Vega
Men Mensa Table Mountain
Mic Microscopus Microscope
 Mon Monocerus Unicorn
Mus Musca Fly
Nor Norma Level
Oct Octans Octant
Oph Ophiuchus Serpent Holder Ras Alhague
Ori Orion Orion Betelgeuze
Pav Pavo Peacock Joo Tseo (Peacock)
Peg Pegasus Pegasus Markab
Per Perseus Perseus Marfak (Algenib)
Phe Phoenix Phoenix Ankaa
Pic Pictor Easel
PsA Pisces Austrinus Southern Fish Formalhaut
Psc Pisces Fish El Rischa
Pup Puppis Stern
Pyx Pyxis Mariner's Compass
Ret Reticulum Net
Sge Sagitta Arrow
Sgr Sagittarius Archer Rubkat
Sco Scorpius Scorpion Antares
Scl Sculptor Sculptor's Apparatus
Sct Scutum Shield
Ser Serpens Serpens Unuk
Sex Sextans Sextant
Tau Taurus Bull Aldebaran
Tel Telescopium Telescope
TrA Triangulum Australis Southern Triangle Ras al Muthallath (Atria)
Tri Triangulum Triangle
Tuc Tucana Toucan
UMa Ursa Major Great Bear Dubhe
UMi Ursa Minor Little Bear Polaris
Vel Vela Sails
Vir Virgo Virgin Spica
Vol Volans Flying Fish
Vul Vulpecula Fox

Constellation Families
The Ursa Major Family
The constellation Ursa Major (Great Bear)is certainly one of the most famous constellations; it
includes the familiar asterism Big Dipper (the Britsh call it the Plow, the Wain or the Wagon; in
German it is known as the "Große Wagen"). Ursa Major is an excellant staring point to explore
the night sky.
The group of stars, which form the Ursa Minor, the Little Bear is often called Little Dipper for
its form strongly reminds one on an oldfashioned cream ladle or gravy spoon.
One of the very few constellation, who really resembles the figure it was named after, is
Draco, the dragon.
The constellation of the Canes Venatici , the Hunting Dogs, consists of two bright stars. A
modern view is, that these two "dogs" are hunting the Great Bear.
The Bear Driver Boötes is sometimes called the Herdman. It lies south and east of the Great
Bear.
The constellation Coma Berenice has it name after the beautiful Egyptian Queen Berenice,
i.e. after the shorn locks.
A wonderful circlet is being formed by Corona Borealis , lying between Boötes and Hercules.
In a region where stars are few the constellation of Camelopardalis (the Giraffe) can be found.
Lynx (the Lynx), likewise in a barren region, forms a sort of fence in front of the Great Bear.
North of the constellation Leo lies the Leo Minor, the Smaller Lion.
The last three constellations are modern astronomical images providing identification for a few
fainter stars unattacged to the older groups.

The Zodiacal Family

As the name implies belong to this familiy the twelve constellations of the zodiac. There is a
nice rhyme to memorize these constellations.
(One remark here: Actually, nowadays there are two more constellation through which the sun
passes along the ecliptic: Ophiuchus and Cetus, the Whale.)
Looking like the king of beasts is the constellation of Leo, the Lion; it forms an arched mane.
South of Coma Berenice lies the group forming Virgo, the Virgin.
The stars of Libra, the Scale, remind of the claws of an old scale.
On the edge of the Milky Way there can be the realistic form of the Scorpius, the Scorpion, be
found.
Sagittarius, the Archer, represents a Centaur holding an bow.
Capricorn, The Goat,
Aquarius, the Water Carrier, and
Pisces, the Fishes, occupy a region of the sky which is largely devoted to water creatures of
the sea.
According to greek mythology an expedition of the Argonauts went out to get the golden
fleece of the Aries, the Ram.
With its long curved horns and its bright red eye (the star Aldebaran) the constellation of
Taurus, the Bull, is most impressive in the sky. The Bull moves continuously away from the
advancing Hunter Orion.
The Twins Gemini are again a reference to the greek mythology. The both leading stars are
named Castor and Pollux after the twin sons of Zeus.
The constellation Cancer, the Crab, is not only part of the Zodiacal Family but as well
associated with the Hercules Family.

The Perseus Family

The heavenly W, the constellation Cassiopeia (sometimes called "The Lady of the Chair) is
one of those constellations which can be easily found in the northern sky. In the latidude of
Central Europe it appears nearly in the zenith.
Cepheus, the royal consort of Cassiopeia, lies to the north and west of the Lady.
Andromeda
The body of Perseus extends approximately parallel to the Milky Way.
Pegasus (see Eridanus).
Like the Cancer the Whale Cetus does not only belong to just one family. It also belongs to
the family "Heavenly Waters".
The Charioteer Auriga.
A inconspicuous modern group is that of the Lizard Lacerta. Its lying between Cepheus on the
north and Pegasus on the south.
Some nce starfields can be found in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

The Hercules Family

Named after the mythological figure the constellation Hercules shows the strongest man
kneeling on the head of draco holding a bow in the hand.
The Arrow Sagitta flies from this bow in the direction of Aquila, Lyra and Cygnus.
The Eagle Aquila.
Lyra, the Lyre, has a distinctive geometrical form consisting of a parallelogram an an
equilateral triangle.
The constellation Cygnus, the Swan, is also known as the "Northern Cross".
South of the Swan lies Vulpecula, the Fox.
One of the largest constellations is Hydra, the Sea Serpent.
The modern goup Sextans, the Sextant.
The Cup (of Bacchus ?) Crater and
the Crow Corvus are located between the Sea Serpent and the zodiacal groups Lion and
Virgin.
The Serpent Holder Ophiuchus is busily struggling with the
Serpens, the Serpent.
Scutum, the Shield, together with Sagittarius and Centaurus are spectacular to view.
Another creature of the legends about Hercules is the Centaurus.
The group of stars forming the Lupus, the Wolf, seems to have undergone several
transformation in history.
The Southern Crown Corona Australis.
The Altar Ara and
the Southern Triangle Triangulum Australis lie on the outhern fringe of the Milky Way.
One of the most conspicous constellations of the southern hemisphere is build from the 4
bright Magnitude stars forming the famous Soutern Cross Crux.

The Orion Family

Followed by his two dogs the giant Orion is struggling against the Bull. Orion is certainly one
of the most striking figures in the sky.
The Larger Dog Canis Major.
The Smaller Dog Canis Minor.
Behind Orion there comes the Unicorn, Monoceros galopping towards him.
Located beneath Orion is the small constellation of the Hare, Lepus

The Heavenly Waters

The Doplhin Delphinus and
Equuleus, the Little Horse, are lying between Pegasus and Aquila.
Near the star Rigel (beta Ori) the river Eridanus is flowing toward the bright star Archenar
(alpha Eri).
Pisces Austrinus, the Southern Fish.
The great ship Argo has been divided into the following four constellations:
Carina, the Keel.
Puppis, the Stern
Vela, the Sails
Pyxis, the Mariner's Compass.
Near the stern of the ship flies the Dove Columba.

The Bayer Group

The following constellations got their name from the astronomer Johann Bayer (early 17th
century). He followed the tradition and gave them names related to sea creatures:
Hydrus, the Water Snake.
Dorado, the Goldfish.
Volans, the Flying Fish.
Apus, the Bird of Paradise.
Pavo, the Peacock.
Grus, the Crane, lying south of the Southern Fish.
Phoenix, the Phoenix.
Tucana, the Toucan.
Indus, the Indian.
South of the Keel lies the Chamaeleon, the Chameleon - extending its tongue to the
neighboring minor constellations.
Musca, the Fly. Originally Bayer had designed it as a bee and it was changed somewhen
later.

The La Caille Family

In order to fill the star poor regions between the Bayer Group and the other families the
astronomer La Caille (well known for his catalog of nebulous objects) conceived the following
13 constellations. He broke with the tradition and gave them scientific names (with one
exception: Mensa):
Norma, the Level.
Circinus, the Compasses
Telescopium, the Telescop.
Miscroscope, the Microscope.
Sculptor, the Sculptor's Apparatus.
Fornax, the Furnace.
Caelum, the Graving Tool.
Horologium, the Clock.
Octans, the Octant.
Mensa, the Table Mountain (the Table Mountain at Capetown was the site of La Caille's
observatory)n
Reticulum, the Net.
Pictor, the Easel.
Antlia, the Air Pump.