School star map online. Star map with names of constellations - description. Secrets of Aries, Taurus and Gemini

Constellations are areas of the starry sky. To better navigate the starry sky, ancient people began to identify groups of stars that could be linked into individual figures, similar objects, mythological characters and animals. This system allowed people to organize the night sky, making each part of it easily recognizable. This simplified the study of celestial bodies, helped measure time, apply astronomical knowledge in agriculture and navigate by the stars. The stars that we see in our sky as if in one area can actually be extremely far from each other. In one constellation there may be stars that are in no way connected with each other, both very close and very far from the Earth.

There are 88 official constellations in total. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union officially recognized 88 constellations, 48 ​​of which were described by the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his star catalog Almagest around 150 BC. There were gaps in Ptolemy's maps, especially regarding the southern sky. Which is quite logical - the constellations described by Ptolemy covered that part of the night sky that is visible from the south of Europe. The remaining gaps began to be filled during the times of great geographical discoveries. In the 14th century, the Dutch scientists Gerard Mercator, Pieter Keyser and Frederic de Houtman added new constellations to the existing list, and the Polish astronomer Jan Hevelius and the French Nicolas Louis de Lacaille completed what Ptolemy had started. On the territory of Russia, out of 88 constellations, about 54 can be observed.

Knowledge about the constellations came to us from ancient cultures. Ptolemy compiled a map of the starry sky, but people used knowledge about the constellations long before that. At least in the 8th century BC, when Homer mentioned Bootes, Orion and the Big Dipper in his poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, people were already grouping the sky into separate figures. It is believed that the bulk of the knowledge of the ancient Greeks about the constellations came to them from the Egyptians, who, in turn, inherited it from the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon, Sumerians or Akkadians. About thirty constellations were already distinguished by the inhabitants of the Late Bronze Age, in 1650−1050. BC, judging by the records on clay tablets of Ancient Mesopotamia. References to constellations can also be found in Hebrew biblical texts. The most remarkable constellation, perhaps, is the constellation Orion: in almost every ancient culture it had its own name and was revered as special. Thus, in Ancient Egypt he was considered the incarnation of Osiris, and in Ancient Babylon he was called “The Faithful Shepherd of Heaven.” But the most amazing discovery was made in 1972: a piece of mammoth ivory, more than 32 thousand years old, was found in Germany, on which the constellation Orion was carved.

We see different constellations depending on the time of year. Throughout the year, we see different parts of the sky (and different celestial bodies, respectively) because the Earth makes its annual voyage around the Sun. The constellations we see at night are those located behind the Earth on our side of the Sun, because... During the day, behind the bright rays of the Sun, we are unable to see them.

To better understand how this works, imagine that you are riding on a merry-go-round (this is the Earth) with a very bright, blinding light emanating from the center (the Sun). You will not be able to see what is in front of you because of the light, but you will only be able to discern what is outside the carousel. In this case, the picture will constantly change as you ride in a circle. Which constellations you observe in the sky and at what time of year they appear also depends on the geographic latitude of the viewer.

Constellations travel from east to west, like the Sun. As soon as it begins to get dark, at dusk, the first constellations appear in the eastern part of the sky to pass across the entire sky and disappear with dawn in the western part. Due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis, it seems that the constellations, like the Sun, rise and set. The constellations we just observed on the western horizon just after sunset will soon disappear from our view, to be replaced by constellations that were higher up at sunset just a few weeks ago.

Constellations arising in the east have a diurnal shift of about 1 degree per day: completing a 360-degree trip around the Sun in 365 days gives about the same speed. Exactly one year later, at the same time, the stars will occupy exactly the same position in the sky.

The movement of stars is an illusion and a matter of perspective. The direction in which stars move across the night sky is determined by the rotation of the Earth on its axis and really depends on the perspective and which way the viewer is facing.

Looking north, the constellations appear to move counterclockwise around a fixed point in the night sky, the so-called north celestial pole, located near the North Star. This perception is due to the fact that the earth rotates from west to east, i.e. the earth under your feet moves to the right, and the stars like the Sun, Moon and planets above your head follow the east-west direction, i.e. to the right left. However, if you face south, the stars will appear to move clockwise, from left to right.

Zodiac constellations- these are those through which the Sun moves. The most famous constellations out of the 88 existing ones are the zodiacal ones. These include those through which the center of the Sun passes during the year. It is generally accepted that there are 12 zodiac constellations, although in fact there are 13 of them: from November 30 to December 17, the Sun is in the constellation Ophiuchus, but astrologers do not classify it as a zodiac. All zodiacal constellations are located along the visible annual path of the Sun among the stars, the ecliptic, at an inclination of 23.5 degrees to the equator.

Some constellations have families- These are groups of constellations located in one area of ​​the night sky. As a rule, they assign the names of the most significant constellation. The most “largely populated” constellation is Hercules, which has as many as 19 constellations. Other major families include Ursa Major (10 constellations), Perseus (9) and Orion (9).

Celebrity constellations. The largest constellation is Hydra, which covers more than 3% of the night sky, while the smallest constellation, the Southern Cross, covers just 0.165% of the sky. Centaurus boasts the largest number of visible stars, with 101 stars included in the famous constellation in the southern hemisphere of the sky. To the constellation Canis Major enters the brightest star in our sky, Sirius, whose brilliance is −1.46m. But the constellation called Table Mountain is considered the dimmest and does not contain stars brighter than 5th magnitude. Let us recall that in the numerical characteristic of the brightness of celestial bodies, the lower the value, the brighter the object (the brightness of the Sun, for example, is −26.7m).

Asterism- this is not a constellation. An asterism is a group of stars with a well-established name, for example, the “Big Dipper,” which is part of the constellation Ursa Major, or “Orion’s Belt,” three stars encircling the figure of Orion in the constellation of the same name. In other words, these are fragments of constellations that have secured a separate name for themselves. The term itself is not strictly scientific, but rather simply represents a tribute to tradition.

A virtual guide to the starry sky, allowing you to travel almost like in a real spaceship, but without restrictions in time and space, and also learn a lot about the structure of the Universe.

Children used to dream of being pilots and astronauts. But the formidable aunt Perestroika came, and they, having reconsidered their views, decided to become businessmen and managers :) However, childhood dreams still remained somewhere at the very bottom of consciousness (or subconscious) ...

Looking at the starry sky, we involuntarily admire all the splendor of the Universe, and sometimes we regret that we exchanged our childhood dreams for a more prosaic way of existence.

But... If you are still irresistibly drawn to the stars, you may well commit, albeit virtual, but quite realistic journey in near and far space. To do this, you only need to have a computer and the appropriate program.

The range of applications of this type is not particularly wide, but almost all of them are free, so there is plenty to choose from. In my opinion, for free travel around the Universe, it is best to opt for the program Celestia.

It allows us to fully consider not only our solar system, but also distant stars, as well as nebulae and even galaxies! The paid program Pocket Stars offers us similar functionality:

Comparison of the free star map Celestia with its paid counterpart Pocket Stars

Despite the fact that Pocket Stars introduced support for a 3D observation mode, it is still clearly not up to the level of Celestia in either the quality of textures or the ease of working with it.

In addition, the paid analogue does not have a support system for third-party plugins that could significantly speed up the improvement in the detail of the display of celestial bodies. Therefore, Celestia is still far ahead of its competitors in all respects.

Installing Celestia

To install the program, we just need to open the downloaded archive and run the installer. Despite its English language, I think there will be no problems with the installation, since the whole process practically boils down to confirming all the forms proposed by the application. Once the installation process is complete, the program itself will start:

During loading, Celestia will first show us our Sun, and then center the image on Earth. This completes the download, and we can begin working directly with the program.

Demo video of the program

For better understanding purpose and capabilities of the application, I would advise you to first run a demo video. To do this, go to the “Help” menu and activate the “Run DEMO script” item:

In the demo video we will see that with the help of Celestia you can observe any planets in the solar system, stars, or even our entire galaxy! Upon completion of the scenario, we will return to our starting position, that is, back to Earth.

View Settings

Before starting to work with the program, it would not be superfluous to also go into its settings and adjust them “to suit you.” To do this, call the “View” menu and open the “View Settings” item:

Here we can activate the display of those components that we need and remove unnecessary ones. For example, we can enable the display of constellations in the corresponding section by checking the “Shapes” checkbox. And by unchecking the “Names in Latin” box, we will get the familiar Russian-language names of the constellations! In general, try and experiment ;).

Program management

A few words about program management. In fact, you can only use the mouse for this (although it is possible to work with hot keys). By holding down the left mouse button, we will be able to move the viewing window in a two-dimensional plane. To move three-dimensionally, you need to hold down the right key. Using the wheel, you can move closer or further from the selected viewing point.

A single click of the left mouse button is used to select the desired object, and a double click is used to center the view on the selected celestial body. Click right click mouse brings up the context menu:

Using this menu, we can get detailed information about the selected celestial object, put a mark on it (to use as a reference) and/or navigate to it.

When you select the “Go” item, an animated virtual “flight” in outer space is launched, after which we can see the selected object up close:

In this case, in the upper left corner will be displayed quite detailed information about a celestial body.

Navigation through the starry sky

Now I propose to consider one of main menus Celestia programs - “Navigation”. Here all points are divided into three categories. The top contains functions that allow you to select any celestial bodies and travel to them.

Guide

Interesting facts about various space objects (mainly the Solar System) can be gleaned from the Guide. By selecting a specific celestial body in the drop-down list, we will have the opportunity to read about it and, if desired, proceed to its observation.

If you are “lost” in the Universe, the “Select the Sun” item (hot button “H”) will help you return to the Solar System. Select the Sun and then activate the “Go to selected object” option or press the “G” button. Well, here we are at home :).

Also, to navigate in the virtual space of the Celestia program, it is convenient to use the “navigation” menu items “Select object” and “Go to object”. The first allows you to find a celestial body by its name, while the second, in addition to the name of the object, can also use exact coordinates to search for it:

Time travel

We figured out how to move around the Universe with Celestia, but the program allows you to easily overcome not only space, but also time! With its help, we can simulate the location of celestial bodies, both in the past and in the future. To do this, just go to the “Time” menu and select “Setting time”:

In the window that opens, you need to go to the “Julian Date” window and use it to set the required point in time. For example, without waiting for 2022, we can calmly observe a large parade of planets;).

Installing add-ons

If you're a serious astronomy enthusiast, you'll also appreciate Celestia's expandability. With the help of connected plugins you can get, for example, a detailed rendering of the relief of distant planets, display of nebulae and even fantastic elements in the form of spaceships and fictitious planetary systems.

In this case, installing add-ons comes down to simply unpacking them into a special “Extras” directory in the program folder.

Advantages and disadvantages

• good detail of outer space;
• convenient control;
• ability to manage time;
• plugin support;
• many settings.

• there is no way to observe the sky from the surface of the Earth;
• the basic version has very few images of nebulae and galaxies.

conclusions

Celestia will be useful to anyone who wants to learn more about the cosmos around us. For example, at school, teachers and students can use the program in astronomy lessons to observe celestial bodies in real time.

With Celestia you will always be aware of all events in the sky. It will help you find out when a particular comet will be visible, or where to look for the planet that you want to observe with binoculars or a telescope;).

Finally, the program will allow you to look into the most remote corners of our galaxy and see even stars that are millions of light years away! In general, as Big Ear said, there are many miracles in the sky! And to see them, just install Celestia ;)

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

> Star map

Use online star map in real time: moving star map, names of constellations with description and position, instructions for working with the map in photos.

Interactive Star Map

*For technical reasons, the application may not work correctly on mobile devices.

Star map– this is the first necessary tool for those who cannot see life without astronomy and astrology. Detailed information on all space objects, available on any medium, has been collected especially for you in a convenient form. Movable star chart with constellation names northern and southern hemispheres can be used for printing and is a comfortable observation system, showing what is above your head right now. All work is done with the mouse and activating elements in the base window. In the process, you can transform the image scale, and also choose from a list of different viewing modes.

Star map with constellations V good quality, which can be easily printed, will open up a lot of new things for you, since it contains not only the well-known signs of the Zodiac, but also reveals the most hidden corners of the Galaxy. Understand the operation process and definition star coordinates it won't be difficult, To understand how to use the map and its parts, you just need to read detailed instructions Online. You can look at objects simply at random, or enter specific names. In addition, photographs are offered for the entire list, brief information about their location, distance from the Earth and brightness, and also displays transitions to their pages with a complete set of information for those who study stars professionally. For example, you can easily find the constellation Orion and its components if you know the coordinates of the stars or use the search. Now starry sky online available during the day, and look it's possible in real time without leaving the walls of the apartment.

Instructions for using the application

Working with a moving star map will not cause any difficulties. Our application is detailed map starry sky. The image below is the first thing you see when you log into the site.

The “viewing area” is our starry sky. In this particular example, you can see its entire flat projection. Hover your mouse over any object within the “area” and the “basic information” information window will automatically display basic scientific data about the object. You can use the mouse button to use the zoom bar. By zooming in and out, you change the size of the map accordingly.

There are two different viewing modes. This image shows the sky when the view is in normal mode:

And this image shows a view of the “viewport” in SDSS mode:

Use the "grab and drag" function to move the starry sky in the Viewport. You need to move the cursor over an area, but without pointing at any object. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor in any direction. The area will move accordingly. There are about 500 million stars in our databases. Only a small amount is displayed in one area at a time. By increasing the scale and decreasing the angle of view, you can also view the remaining stars on the star map.

In the end you should end up looking something like this:

In this particular example, the object has an apparent magnitude close to 19. This means that it can only be seen with the help of powerful professional telescopes. You can also search for an object by its name or ID. Enter one of the two in the text field and click the “Find object” button. If it is in the database, it will be concentrated in the Viewing Area. The map scale will be automatically determined by the system so that you can see the target.

Object page

If the mouse is close enough to the object's point (or directly on it), then its basic information will appear on the field. It includes identifier, name, constellations, exact coordinates, distance from Earth and apparent magnitudes. If you click on an object while the window is visible basic information, then the object page will open. It displays all photos, articles and external links about the star.

Photo gallery

In the main menu you will find the “Astrophotography” tab, where real photographs of the starry sky are displayed.

Each box with yellow lines defines the boundaries of the starry sky projection photographs. When the cursor is inside the field, a collapsed version of the photo appears next to it.

If you point the cursor at the intersection of several fields, all their photographs will be displayed. For example, in the image above, the cursor is placed at the intersection of five areas, and you see five collapsed versions of the images. If you left-click, then change the mode to “Select Image”:

Select the image you want to view in detail and it will download in full:

Hover your mouse over the subject of the photo and the basic information window will open in the same way as the Viewing Area. If you click on an object, you will be taken to its page. You'll see the current mouse coordinates on the star map and links to the original image source right below it. Now you know how to use an online star map to admire the unique pattern of the galaxy, find the necessary cosmic bodies and the brightest stars.

Fig.1. Russia and the starry sky on the day of the vernal equinox, morning in Moscow, late evening in Kamchatka

Russia is the only country in the world whose citizens can simultaneously watch the sunrise and see off the sunset, however, if residents of the eastern borders of the country will watch the sunrise, then those who live in the west of the country will see off the sunset or vice versa (Fig. 1).

The map presented on this page allows you to create with maximum convenience an image of the starry sky corresponding to a given time and a given area, with the ability to interactively correct both the date and geographical coordinates.
When using a map, it should be taken into account that the true local time may differ from both Moscow time and the local zonal time; here, it is appropriate to warn that when constructing a picture of the starry sky, calculations are made based on the time set on your device:

Interactive planetarium online

Enter the name of the city or town on the map in the "Find" menu

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Starry sky, Nizhny Novgorod

Our non-setting constellations are grouped around the celestial north pole, and the region of non-setting stars is a circle with a center almost coinciding with the North Star. The further north the observer is located, the more numerous the group of non-setting stars. Thus, the group of non-setting stars is a latitudinal characteristic of the area.
Ideally, if you conduct observations at the Earth's Pole, the group list will include all constellations whose boundaries do not cross the celestial equator. And for residents of equatorial countries, all constellations are at least partially setting.
The northernmost large city in Russia is Murmansk (the largest city in the world beyond the Arctic Circle), and the southernmost major cities countries are Makhachkala and Vladivostok. For a comparative example, here are images of the area of ​​​​non-setting stars in the sky of the northernmost and most southeastern of the cities of Russia - Murmansk and Vladivostok.

Fig.3 And Fig.4. Areas of non-setting stars in the sky of Murmansk (left) and the sky of Vladivostok (right) - the further south the city is, the smaller the circle of non-setting stars

Our country is so huge that residents of the east and west of the country at the same moment see the starry sky in completely different ways!

Appeal to teachers

Unfortunately, the format of this page, as well as the specifics of the information, do not allow listings of constellations by group, as well as other characteristics of the starry sky over a given area, so separate pages have been created for the largest cities in Russia.
Dear teachers! If to conduct a lesson about the starry sky, you will need information about the starry sky above your city or locality in the format of a separate page, it can be ordered on our. To order, it is enough, after registering on the forum, to send a screenshot of the map of this page with the coordinates of the area for which you need to prepare materials. On this moment It seems possible to complete your order in three working days(orders for teachers are free).

Starry sky over Novosibirsk
Mini planetarium online

Star map. Boundaries and names of constellations visible at the latitude of Novosibirsk

Hot keys for controlling the online star map:
(work with the cursor hovering over the map and the Latin keyboard layout)

• a→ haze (simulation of atmosphere, on/off)
• g→ take into account the horizon
• h→ selecting the map type
• i→ invert colors
• , → show ecliptic
• ; → draw a meridian line
• e→ show equatorial grid
• z→ show azimuthal grid
• m→ show galactic grid
• M→ show the boundaries of the Milky Way
• q→ hide cardinal directions
• s→ hide stars
• S→ hide star names
• u→ hide planet names
• p→ hide the planets and the Sun
• o→ show the orbits of the planets

• c→ show constellation diagrams
• v→ hide constellation names
• b→ hide constellation boundaries
• R→ show radiants of meteor showers
• 8 → set current time
• j→ slow down the timing
• k→ pause in timing
• l→ speed up the timing
• - → one day ago
• = → one day ahead
• [ → a week ago
• ] → a week in advance
• % → rotate counterclockwise
• " → rotate clockwise
• & → show dim stars
• (→ hide dim stars

1 or ? → show this list on the star map

Sergey Ov(Seosnews9)

* At a similar latitude, the picture of the starry sky is similar; as a rule, the visual similarity remains with deviations in latitude of 1-2°, i.e., approximately the same as in Nizhny Novgorod the sky will look in such cities as:
Cheboksary, Yoshkar-Ola, Izhevsk, Ekaterinburg, Bratsk, Riga, Tver, Ivanovo - for an exact match virtual card and the real sky, you only need to enter a time correction or the coordinates of the corresponding city in the upper left corner of the star map.

Regional star maps are created for large cities and resort areas.

It’s hard to disagree with the fact that when a star map catches our eye, and we look closely at the dots and lines that form the frame of the constellations, the question involuntarily arises: what is the story behind each of them? The zodiac constellations are of particular interest. However, it should be noted that the zodiac signs we know have nothing to do with the zodiac constellations and are used only in drawing up horoscopes and In order to take a closer look at such zodiac constellations as Aries, Leo, Cancer and Gemini, you will need a star map of the northern hemisphere, because that they are located exactly there. The time that the Sun spends in the constellation lags behind what we are used to by almost a month. If the astrological year begins on March 21, then the Sun enters the constellation Aries only on April 19.

What are the zodiac constellations?

Astronomers divide the zodiacal constellations into northern, equatorial and southern. The northern ones are the constellations Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo. The southern constellations are Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius. The constellations Virgo and Pisces are located at the equator. To see their locations, you'll need a star map like the one you can see below.

Secrets of Aries, Taurus and Gemini

The history of many constellations is directly related to the myths of Ancient Greece. Aries, according to ancient Greek legends, was the same golden-fleeced ram, whose skin Jason and the Argonauts once went in search of. Taurus is the embodiment of the loving thunder god Zeus, who kidnapped the daughter of the king of Phenicia, Europa, and took her to the island of Crete. The brightest star is Aldebaran. Also, a map of the starry sky of the Northern Hemisphere shows that the zodiac is also located here. Its history is also connected with the time of Jason and the Argonauts. Myths tell us that the Dioscuri twins, Pollux and Castor, are the prototypes of this constellation.

What are Leo, Virgo and Cancer silent about?

The constellation Cancer also interesting story, identifying him with the same cancer that opposed Hercules when he fought with As the legend says, while the other animals were helping the hero, he jumped out of the water and bit him on the leg, but was crushed. However, the goddess Hera, who hated Hercules, appreciated the cancer’s act and turned it into a constellation. Anyone who sees a star map will be struck by the majestic Leo located next to Cancer, which is also one of the zodiac constellations. As he says ancient history, here also could not have happened without the ancient Greek hero Hercules, who defeated the Nemean Lion, which is personified in the sky by this cluster of stars. The constellation Virgo is no less interesting, if only because neither historians nor the ancient Greeks themselves could decide who it should represent. Nevertheless, it is believed that the ancient Greek goddess of fertility Demeter, mother of Persephone, wife of the god of the underworld Hades, appears before us in the form of the Virgin.

History of Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius

The constellation Libra took shape as an independent formation from the celestial bodies quite late, and for a long time it was called nothing more than the claws of Scorpio. Now it is considered an immortalized attribute of Themis, the blind goddess of justice. And Scorpio, from whom Libra was separated, is, according to the plot of the myth, the killer of the hunter Orion, who was sent to him by the goddess Artemis after a quarrel. That is why both of these constellations - Orion and Scorpio - are not together in the sky. When Scorpio appears, Orion disappears. The moving star map demonstrates this interesting phenomenon very well. Sagittarius, Scorpio's neighbor, is depicted as a centaur, no exact data about the origin of which is known. According to some sources, his name was Krotos. Other sources say that it was Chiron, the inventor of the globe for the Argonauts' journey for the Golden Fleece.

What are Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces hiding?

The constellation Capricorn keeps many secrets, just like the star map itself. In ancient times, this creature was called the “goat fish” because of its fish-like tail instead of hind hooves. A common version is that this is the goat Amalthea who suckled Zeus. Aquarius, located next to her, got several roles at once: this is Ganymede, a young cupbearer originally from Troy, Deucalion and the ancient Attian king Kekrop. The latter personifies the goddess of love Aphrodite and her son Eros, who turned into fish and fled to Egypt from the monster Typhon.

Surprisingly, as you can see, each of the 12 zodiac constellations has its own story and And the next time you see a star map with constellations, it will no longer be considered as a collection of beautiful pictures. And all because now you know what is behind each of these star clusters.