How Many Constellations Are There And How Were They Named?

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There are 88 constellations—groups of stars in the sky—which are named for mythological beings. Although some constellations may resemble the animals or people they are named for, others were merely named in honor of those figures. The constellations are spread throughout the whole celestial sphere, the imaginary sphere in space that surrounds the Earth.
Constellations are visible on any clear night. The particular constellations you can see depends on your location, the time of year, and the time of night. As the Earth makes its daily rotation about its axis and its yearly revolution around the sun, the celestial sphere appears to shift. As a result, different constellations come into view.
Until 1930, the constellations had no fixed boundaries. In that year the International Astronomical Union defined limits for the constellations that are still accepted today. These boundaries are imaginary lines, running north to south and east to west across the entire celestial sphere. Every point in the sky exists within one of the sections that is named for the constellation it contains.
The naming of constellations began in ancient times. Alexandrian (Egyptian) astronomer (a scientist specializing in the study of matter in outer space) Ptolemy, in A.D. 1400, indexed the original 48 constellations. All of these except one are still considered constellations. Several new constellations were defined in later centuries, mostly in previously unexplored parts of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere (the portion of the Earth south of the equator).
Many of the constellations were originally given Greek names. These names were later replaced by their Latin translations, names by which they are still known today. Some of these include Aquila (the Eagle); Cancer (the Crab); Cygnus (the Swan); and Leo (the Lion).
Individual stars in a constellation are usually assigned Greek letters in the order of brightness: the brightest star is alpha, the second brightest is beta, and so on. The possessive (or genitive) form of the constellation name is used in individual stars. Alpha Orionis, for example, is the brightest star in the constellation Orion.
Constellation	Genitive	Abbreviation	Meaning
Andromeda	Andromedae	And	Chained Maiden
Antlia	Antliae	Ant	Air Pump
Apus	Apodis	Aps	Bird of Paradise
Aquarius	Aquarii	Aqr	Water Bearer
Aquila	Aquilae	Aql	Eagle
Ara	Arae	Ara	Altar
Aries	Arietis	Ari	Ram
Auriga	Aurigae	Aur	Charioteer
Bootes	Bootis	Boo	Herdsman
Caelum	Caeli	Cae	Chisel
Camelopardalis	Camelopardalis	Cam	Giraffe
Cancer	Cancri	Cnc	Crab
Canes Venatici	Canum Venaticorum	CVn	Hunting Dogs
Canis Major	Canis Majoris	CMa	Big Dog
Canis Minor	Canis Minoris	CMi	Little Dog
Capricornus	Capricorni	Cap	Goat
Carina	Carinae	Car	Ship's Keel
Cassiopeia	Cassiopeiae	Cas	Queen of Ethiopia
Centaurus	Centauri	Cen	Centaur
Cepheus	Cephei	Cep	King of Ethiopia
Cetus	Ceti	Cet	Whale
Chamaeleon	Chamaeleonis	Cha	Chameleon
Circinus	Circini	Cir	Compass
Columba	Columbae	Col	Dove
Coma Berenices	Comae Berenices	Com	Berenice's Hair
Corona Australis	Coronae Australis	CrA	Southern Crown
Corona Borealis	Coronae Borealis	CrB	Northern Crown
Corvus	Corvi	Crv	Crow
Crater	Crateris	Crt	Cup
Crux	Crucis	Cru	Southern Cross
Cygnus	Cygni	Cyg	Swan
Delphinus	Delphini	Del	Dolphin
Dorado	Doradus	Dor	Goldfish
Draco	Draconis	Dra	Dragon
Equuleus	Equulei	Equ	Little Horse
Eridanus	Eridani	Eri	River Eridanus
Fornax	Fornacis	For	Furnace
Gemini	Geminorum	Gem	Twins
Grus	Gruis	Gru	Crane
Hercules	Herculis	Her	Hercules
Horologium	Horologii	Hor	Clock
Hydra	Hydrae	Hya	Hydra, Greek monster
Hydrus	Hydri	Hyi	Sea Serpent
Indus	Indi	Ind	Indian
Lacerta	Lacertae	Lac	Lizard
Leo	Leonis	Leo	Lion
Leo Minor	Leonis Minoris	LMi	Little Lion
Lepus	Leporis	Lep	Hare
Libra	Librae	Lib	Scales
Lupus	Lupi	Lup	Wolf
Lynx	Lyncis	Lyn	Lynx
Lyra	Lyrae	Lyr	Lyre or Harp
Mensa	Mensae	Men	Table Mountain
Microscopium	Microscopii	Mic	Microscope
Monoceros	Monocerotis	Mon	Unicorn
Musca	Muscae	Mus	Fly
Norma	Normae	Nor	Carpenter's Square
Octans	Octanis	Oct	Octant
Ophiuchus	Ophiuchi	Oph	Serpent Bearer
Orion	Orionis	Ori	Orion, the Hunter
Pavo	Pavonis	Pav	Peacock
Pegasus	Pegasi	Peg	Winged Horse
Perseus	Persei	Per	Perseus, a Greek hero
Phoenix	Phoenicis	Phe	Phoenix
Pictor	Pictoris	Pic	Painter
Pisces	Piscium	Psc	Fish
Piscis Austrinus	Piscis Austrini	PsA	Southern Fish
Puppis	Puppis	Pup	Ship's Stern
Pyxis	Pyxidis	Pyx	Ship's Compass
Reticulum	Reticuli	Ret	Net
Sagitta	Sagittae	Sge	Arrow
Sagittarius	Sagittarii	Sgr	Archer
Scorpius	Scorpii	Sco	Scorpion
Sculptor	Sculptoris	Scl	Sculptor
Scutum	Scuti	Set	Shield
Serpens	Serpentis	Ser	Serpent
Sextans	Sextantis	Sex	Sextant
Taurus	Tauri	Tau	Bull
Telescopium	Telescopii	Tel	Telescope
Triangulum	Trianguli	Tri	Triangle
Triangulum Australe	Triangli Australis	TrA	Southern Australe Triangle
Tucana	Tucanae	Tuc	Toucan
Ursa Major	Ursae Majoris	UMa	Big Bear
Ursa Minor	Ursae Minoris	UMi	Little Bear
Vela	Velorum	Vel	Ship's Sail
Virgo	Virginis	Vir	Virgin
Volans	Volantis	Vol	Flying Fish
Vulpecula	Vulpeculae	Vul	Little Fox
Sources: Engelbert, Phillis. Astronomy and Space: From the Big Bang to the Big Crunch, vol. 1, pp. 108-11; Famighetti, Robert, ed. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996, pp. 287-88; The Universal Almanac 1992, pp. 484-85.
Source: UXL Science Fact Finder, ©1998 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Posted by fact-finder on October 10, 2011 at 4:00 PM (Answer #1)

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There are 88 constellations—groups of stars in the sky—which are named for mythological beings. Although some constellations may resemble the animals or people they are named for, others were merely named in honor of those figures. The constellations are spread throughout the whole celestial sphere, the imaginary sphere in space that surrounds the Earth.
Constellations are visible on any clear night. The particular constellations you can see depends on your location, the time of year, and the time of night. As the Earth makes its daily rotation about its axis and its yearly revolution around the sun, the celestial sphere appears to shift. As a result, different constellations come into view.
Until 1930, the constellations had no fixed boundaries. In that year the International Astronomical Union defined limits for the constellations that are still accepted today. These boundaries are imaginary lines, running north to south and east to west across the entire celestial sphere. Every point in the sky exists within one of the sections that is named for the constellation it contains.
The naming of constellations began in ancient times. Alexandrian (Egyptian) astronomer (a scientist specializing in the study of matter in outer space) Ptolemy, in A.D. 1400, indexed the original 48 constellations. All of these except one are still considered constellations. Several new constellations were defined in later centuries, mostly in previously unexplored parts of the sky in the Southern Hemisphere (the portion of the Earth south of the equator).
Many of the constellations were originally given Greek names. These names were later replaced by their Latin translations, names by which they are still known today. Some of these include Aquila (the Eagle); Cancer (the Crab); Cygnus (the Swan); and Leo (the Lion).
Individual stars in a constellation are usually assigned Greek letters in the order of brightness: the brightest star is alpha, the second brightest is beta, and so on. The possessive (or genitive) form of the constellation name is used in individual stars. Alpha Orionis, for example, is the brightest star in the constellation Orion.
Constellation	Genitive	Abbreviation	Meaning
Andromeda	Andromedae	And	Chained Maiden
Antlia	Antliae	Ant	Air Pump
Apus	Apodis	Aps	Bird of Paradise
Aquarius	Aquarii	Aqr	Water Bearer
Aquila	Aquilae	Aql	Eagle
Ara	Arae	Ara	Altar
Aries	Arietis	Ari	Ram
Auriga	Aurigae	Aur	Charioteer
Bootes	Bootis	Boo	Herdsman
Caelum	Caeli	Cae	Chisel
Camelopardalis	Camelopardalis	Cam	Giraffe
Cancer	Cancri	Cnc	Crab
Canes Venatici	Canum Venaticorum	CVn	Hunting Dogs
Canis Major	Canis Majoris	CMa	Big Dog
Canis Minor	Canis Minoris	CMi	Little Dog
Capricornus	Capricorni	Cap	Goat
Carina	Carinae	Car	Ship's Keel
Cassiopeia	Cassiopeiae	Cas	Queen of Ethiopia
Centaurus	Centauri	Cen	Centaur
Cepheus	Cephei	Cep	King of Ethiopia
Cetus	Ceti	Cet	Whale
Chamaeleon	Chamaeleonis	Cha	Chameleon
Circinus	Circini	Cir	Compass
Columba	Columbae	Col	Dove
Coma Berenices	Comae Berenices	Com	Berenice's Hair
Corona Australis	Coronae Australis	CrA	Southern Crown
Corona Borealis	Coronae Borealis	CrB	Northern Crown
Corvus	Corvi	Crv	Crow
Crater	Crateris	Crt	Cup
Crux	Crucis	Cru	Southern Cross
Cygnus	Cygni	Cyg	Swan
Delphinus	Delphini	Del	Dolphin
Dorado	Doradus	Dor	Goldfish
Draco	Draconis	Dra	Dragon
Equuleus	Equulei	Equ	Little Horse
Eridanus	Eridani	Eri	River Eridanus
Fornax	Fornacis	For	Furnace
Gemini	Geminorum	Gem	Twins
Grus	Gruis	Gru	Crane
Hercules	Herculis	Her	Hercules
Horologium	Horologii	Hor	Clock
Hydra	Hydrae	Hya	Hydra, Greek monster
Hydrus	Hydri	Hyi	Sea Serpent
Indus	Indi	Ind	Indian
Lacerta	Lacertae	Lac	Lizard
Leo	Leonis	Leo	Lion
Leo Minor	Leonis Minoris	LMi	Little Lion
Lepus	Leporis	Lep	Hare
Libra	Librae	Lib	Scales
Lupus	Lupi	Lup	Wolf
Lynx	Lyncis	Lyn	Lynx
Lyra	Lyrae	Lyr	Lyre or Harp
Mensa	Mensae	Men	Table Mountain
Microscopium	Microscopii	Mic	Microscope
Monoceros	Monocerotis	Mon	Unicorn
Musca	Muscae	Mus	Fly
Norma	Normae	Nor	Carpenter's Square
Octans	Octanis	Oct	Octant
Ophiuchus	Ophiuchi	Oph	Serpent Bearer
Orion	Orionis	Ori	Orion, the Hunter
Pavo	Pavonis	Pav	Peacock
Pegasus	Pegasi	Peg	Winged Horse
Perseus	Persei	Per	Perseus, a Greek hero
Phoenix	Phoenicis	Phe	Phoenix
Pictor	Pictoris	Pic	Painter
Pisces	Piscium	Psc	Fish
Piscis Austrinus	Piscis Austrini	PsA	Southern Fish
Puppis	Puppis	Pup	Ship's Stern
Pyxis	Pyxidis	Pyx	Ship's Compass
Reticulum	Reticuli	Ret	Net
Sagitta	Sagittae	Sge	Arrow
Sagittarius	Sagittarii	Sgr	Archer
Scorpius	Scorpii	Sco	Scorpion
Sculptor	Sculptoris	Scl	Sculptor
Scutum	Scuti	Set	Shield
Serpens	Serpentis	Ser	Serpent
Sextans	Sextantis	Sex	Sextant
Taurus	Tauri	Tau	Bull
Telescopium	Telescopii	Tel	Telescope
Triangulum	Trianguli	Tri	Triangle
Triangulum Australe	Triangli Australis	TrA	Southern Australe Triangle
Tucana	Tucanae	Tuc	Toucan
Ursa Major	Ursae Majoris	UMa	Big Bear
Ursa Minor	Ursae Minoris	UMi	Little Bear
Vela	Velorum	Vel	Ship's Sail
Virgo	Virginis	Vir	Virgin
Volans	Volantis	Vol	Flying Fish
Vulpecula	Vulpeculae	Vul	Little Fox
Sources: Engelbert, Phillis. Astronomy and Space: From the Big Bang to the Big Crunch, vol. 1, pp. 108-11; Famighetti, Robert, ed. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996, pp. 287-88; The Universal Almanac 1992, pp. 484-85.
Source: UXL Science Fact Finder, ©1998 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Posted by fact-finder on October 10, 2011 at 4:00 PM (Answer #1)