The 88 constellations
A constellation is one of the 88 areas that astronomers divide the sky into, each named after a figure such as a hunter, a bear or a swan. An asterism is a well-known pattern of stars that is not one of the 88, such as the Big Dipper in Ursa Major or Orion's Belt.
See the month each constellation is highest in the sky at midnight, where on Earth you can see it, and the stick figure we print on our star maps.
Each table lists the constellations that are highest at midnight in those months. The northern and southern lists show the constellations whose whole figure rises at 40°N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, or at 35°S, close to Sydney, Buenos Aires and Cape Town.
December to February
| Constellation | Represents | Highest at midnight | Seen whole from | Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caelum | the chisel | December | 45°N to 90°S | Both |
| Mensa | Table Mountain | December | 14°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Dorado | the dolphinfish | December | 24°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Auriga | the charioteer | December | 90°N to 44°S | Both |
| Lepus | the hare | December | 68°N to 90°S | Both |
| Orion | the hunter | December | 80°N to 70°S | Both |
| Columba | the dove | December | 47°N to 90°S | Both |
| Pictor | the painter's easel | December | 28°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Canis Major | the great dog | January | 57°N to 90°S | Both |
| Monoceros | the unicorn | January | 80°N to 85°S | Both |
| Gemini | the twins | January | 90°N to 56°S | Both |
| Puppis | the stern of a ship | January | 39°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Canis Minor | the lesser dog | January | 90°N to 82°S | Both |
| Volans | the flying fish | January | 17°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Lynx | the lynx | January | 90°N to 31°S | Northern |
| Cancer | the crab | January | 90°N to 61°S | Both |
| Pyxis | the mariner's compass | February | 55°N to 90°S | Both |
| Carina | the keel of a ship | February | 20°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Vela | the sails of a ship | February | 35°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Hydra | the water snake | February | 56°N to 84°S | Both |
| Antlia | the air pump | February | 54°N to 90°S | Both |
| Chamaeleon | the chameleon | February | 11°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Leo Minor | the lesser lion | February | 90°N to 53°S | Both |
| Sextans | the sextant | February | 89°N to 90°S | Both |
March to May
| Constellation | Represents | Highest at midnight | Seen whole from | Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo | the lion | March | 90°N to 64°S | Both |
| Ursa Major | the great bear | March | 90°N to 27°S | Northern |
| Crater | the cup | March | 67°N to 90°S | Both |
| Corvus | the crow | March | 65°N to 90°S | Both |
| Musca | the fly | March | 18°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Crux | the southern cross | March | 27°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Canes Venatici | the hunting dogs | April | 90°N to 49°S | Both |
| Coma Berenices | Berenice's hair | April | 90°N to 62°S | Both |
| Virgo | the maiden | April | 79°N to 79°S | Both |
| Centaurus | the centaur | April | 27°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Boötes | the herdsman | April | 90°N to 50°S | Both |
| Circinus | the drawing compass | May | 25°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Libra | the scales | May | 65°N to 90°S | Both |
| Lupus | the wolf | May | 38°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Ursa Minor | the lesser bear | May | 90°N to 1°S | Northern |
| Corona Borealis | the northern crown | May | 90°N to 59°S | Both |
| Serpens | the serpent | May | 86°N to 72°S | Both |
| Triangulum Australe | the southern triangle | May | 21°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Apus | the bird of paradise | May | 11°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Norma | the carpenter's square | May | 35°N to 90°S | Southern |
June to August
| Constellation | Represents | Highest at midnight | Seen whole from | Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draco | the dragon | June | 90°N to 17°S | Northern |
| Scorpius | the scorpion | June | 47°N to 90°S | Both |
| Hercules | the hero Hercules | June | 90°N to 44°S | Both |
| Ophiuchus | the serpent bearer | June | 66°N to 77°S | Both |
| Ara | the altar | June | 29°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Scutum | the shield | June | 74°N to 86°S | Both |
| Telescopium | the telescope | June | 41°N to 90°S | Both |
| Lyra | the lyre | July | 90°N to 51°S | Both |
| Corona Australis | the southern crown | July | 47°N to 90°S | Both |
| Sagittarius | the archer | July | 45°N to 90°S | Both |
| Pavo | the peacock | July | 17°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Aquila | the eagle | July | 85°N to 75°S | Both |
| Vulpecula | the little fox | July | 90°N to 62°S | Both |
| Sagitta | the arrow | July | 90°N to 70°S | Both |
| Cygnus | the swan | July | 90°N to 37°S | Both |
| Delphinus | the dolphin | August | 90°N to 74°S | Both |
| Indus | the Indian | August | 32°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Octans | the octant | August | 6°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Capricornus | the sea goat | August | 63°N to 90°S | Both |
| Microscopium | the microscope | August | 56°N to 90°S | Both |
| Equuleus | the little horse | August | 90°N to 80°S | Both |
| Cepheus | the king | August | 90°N to 12°S | Northern |
| Lacerta | the lizard | August | 90°N to 38°S | Both |
| Aquarius | the water bearer | August | 69°N to 90°S | Both |
| Piscis Austrinus | the southern fish | August | 58°N to 90°S | Both |
| Grus | the crane | August | 37°N to 90°S | Southern |
September to November
| Constellation | Represents | Highest at midnight | Seen whole from | Hemisphere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pegasus | the winged horse | September | 90°N to 57°S | Both |
| Tucana | the toucan | September | 25°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Sculptor | the sculptor | September | 52°N to 90°S | Both |
| Pisces | the fishes | October | 90°N to 58°S | Both |
| Andromeda | the chained princess | October | 90°N to 48°S | Both |
| Cassiopeia | the queen | October | 90°N to 26°S | Northern |
| Phoenix | the phoenix | October | 35°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Triangulum | the triangle | October | 90°N to 55°S | Both |
| Aries | the ram | October | 90°N to 63°S | Both |
| Cetus | the sea monster | October | 72°N to 80°S | Both |
| Hydrus | the lesser water snake | October | 13°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Fornax | the furnace | November | 58°N to 90°S | Both |
| Horologium | the pendulum clock | November | 30°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Perseus | the hero Perseus | November | 90°N to 34°S | Northern |
| Eridanus | the river | November | 33°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Reticulum | the reticle | November | 25°N to 90°S | Southern |
| Camelopardalis | the giraffe | November | 90°N to 11°S | Northern |
| Taurus | the bull | November | 90°N to 61°S | Both |
Where the constellations come from
47 of the 88 come from the 48 constellations that the astronomer Ptolemy listed in the 2nd century. One of his 48, the ship Argo Navis, was split into Carina, Puppis and Vela in the 1750s. European astronomers added the other 38 between the 16th and 18th centuries, 31 of them in the southern half of the sky.
How we work out the dates
A constellation is highest in the sky when it crosses the meridian, the line from due north to due south through the point overhead. It crosses about four minutes earlier each night, so each constellation has a month when it is highest at midnight. We work this out from the center of the same stick figure that our star maps print.
See the constellations above you
Put the constellations on your own star map
Choose a place and a moment, and we'll draw the stars above it with the same constellation lines as these pages. We print each star map on museum-grade paper.
Questions about the constellations
There are 88. The International Astronomical Union adopted the list in 1922, and Eugène Delporte drew the official boundaries between them in 1930.
A constellation is one of the 88 official areas of the sky. An asterism is a well-known pattern of stars inside one or more constellations, such as the Big Dipper in Ursa Major or Orion's Belt.
Hydra, the water snake, is the largest of the 88, and Crux, the Southern Cross, is the smallest.
The Sun passes in front of 13 constellations during the year: Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Ophiuchus, and Sagittarius. Twelve of them gave the zodiac signs their names, and Ophiuchus is not a sign.
No. From 40°N, the whole figure of 61 of the 88 rises above the horizon, and from 35°S, 80 do. From the equator, all 88 rise, though the ones near the poles stay low.
That depends on where you are and the time. Our night sky tonight pages list the constellations above the horizon in your city, highest first.