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Constellations of the World

A chance combination of stars is the definition of a constellation, according to Sea and Sky. Nowadays, you can encounter some difficulty in spotting constellations because of the glow produced by city lights that obscure the some of the dim stars. Groupings of constellations are frequently based on the month of the year in which they are visible in the sky.

Winter
- The winter months comprise the months of January, February and March. The constellations in January are known ones like Orion, the hunter, and Taurus, the bull. In addition to these famous constellations, January also features Caelum, Dorado, Mensa and Reticulum, according to Sea and Sky. February features eight constellations in all: Pictor, Monoceros, Lepus, Gemini, Columba, Canis Major, Camelopardalis and Auriga. Eight constellations appear in March, too. These are Canis Minor, Cancer, Carina, Puppis, Lynx, Vela, Pyxis and Volans.
Spring
- The spring months include April, May and June. April features popular constellations like Ursa Major, Leo and Hydra. Other constellations visible in April include Leo Minor, Sextans, Chamaeleon, Crater and Antila. May features its own share of well-known constellations like Virgo, the maiden, and Centaurus, the centaur of Greek myth, reports Sea and Sky. Coma Berenices, Canes Venatici, Musca, Crux and Corvus round out the rest of May's constellations. June consists of the star groupings of Ursa Minor, Lupus, Libra, Circinus and Bootes.
Summer
- In the summer months of July, August and September, you can see constellations not visible at other times of the year. July allows you to see Corona Borealis, Ara, Apus, Scorpius, Ophiuchus, Norma, Hercules, Draco, Triangulum Australe and Serpens. August brings with it the constellations Telescopium, Scutum, Sagittarius, Lyra and Corona Australis. These five constellations are some of the most beautiful, according to Sea and Sky. In September, you can view the constellations of Sagitta, Pavo, Vulpecula, Aquila, Cygnus, Capricornus, Indus, Delphinus, Microscopium and Equuleus.
Fall
- The fall constellations are those visible during the months of October, November and December. Of the seven constellations in October, only two of them -- Pegasus, the winged horse, and Aquarius, the water bearer -- are well known, according to Sea and Sky. The others are Piscis Austrinus, Octans, Lacerta, Grus and Cepheus. November permits you to look at the constellations of Tucana, Sculptor, Pisces, Phoenix, Cassiopeia and Andromeda. The month of December lets you see eight visible constellations Those are the constellations of Triangulum, Perseus, Hydrus, Horologium, Fornax, Eridanus, Cetus and Aries. Many of the stars in December's constellations are not notable and so not worth mentioning, according to Sea and Sky.

Astronomy