Introduction to Constellations

- A constellations is a cluster of stars that form an apparent pattern when seen from Earth
- There are 88 official constellations to date
- The brightest constellation is The Southern Cross named "Crux"
- "Centaurus" is the constellation with the greatest number of visible stars (101 stars!!)
- The largest constellation is The Water Snake named "Hydra" (extending over 3% of the sky!)
- There are also smaller star patterns found within constellations known as asterisms (like the Big Dipper found in the constellation Ursa Major)