The 88 Constellations: Complete Guide with Maps

What Is a Constellation?

When most people think of constellations, they picture stick figures drawn between stars: Orion the Hunter, the Big Dipper, the W of Cassiopeia. But for astronomers, a constellation is not a drawing — it is a region of the sky, a celestial territory with precise boundaries.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) brought order to the heavens. In 1922, it fixed the official list at 88 constellations. In 1928, Belgian astronomer Eugene Delporte drew their definitive boundaries, carving the celestial sphere into 88 contiguous parcels that cover the entire sky with no overlap and no gaps. Every star, every galaxy, every nebula belongs to one constellation and one only.

This modern system rests on ancient foundations. Forty-eight constellations date back to Ptolemy, who catalogued them in his Almagest in the 2nd century AD. The remaining forty were added by modern astronomers between the 16th and 18th centuries, mainly to fill in the southern sky that the Greeks could never observe from the Mediterranean.

A few key facts to grasp the scale:

• 88 constellations cover the entire celestial sphere
• The largest: Hydra, the sea serpent — 1,303 square degrees. It is so vast that it takes over 6 hours to cross the sky from east to west
• The smallest: Crux, the Southern Cross — just 68 square degrees, yet one of the most recognizable figures in the southern hemisphere
• The brightest star in the sky does not belong to a spectacular constellation: Sirius shines in Canis Major, the Great Dog

It is also important to distinguish constellations from asterisms. The Big Dipper, for example, is not a constellation: it is an asterism — a recognizable pattern formed by some of the stars in Ursa Major. Similarly, the Summer Triangle links stars from three different constellations (Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila).

Constellations by Season

The night sky changes throughout the year. As Earth orbits the Sun, different regions of the sky are revealed after sunset. Here are the headline constellations for each season, as seen from the northern hemisphere (latitude ~45°N).

Spring Constellations

The spring sky is dominated by a trio of bright stars: Arcturus (Bootes), Spica (Virgo) and Denebola (Leo). Together they form the Spring Triangle, a valuable landmark for navigation.

• Leo — The Sickle, a backwards question mark, traces the lion's mane. Regulus, its brightest star, means "little king" in Latin. A zodiac constellation, Leo rides high in April.
• Virgo — The second-largest constellation in the sky, Virgo hosts Spica, a blue-white star, and the Virgo galaxy cluster. A zodiac constellation visible from April to June.
• Bootes (the Herdsman) — Recognizable by its kite shape, Bootes shines thanks to Arcturus, the fourth-brightest star in the sky. To find it: follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle — "arc to Arcturus."
• Corvus (the Crow) — Four stars forming a small quadrilateral south of Virgo. Understated but elegant, easy to spot once you know the shape.
• Hydra — The giant of the sky. Hydra snakes beneath Leo, Corvus and Virgo. Its head is a small cluster of stars south of Cancer.

Summer Constellations

Summer nights reveal the heart of the Milky Way, stretching across the sky from Sagittarius to Cygnus. The Summer Triangle — Vega (Lyra), Deneb (Cygnus), Altair (Aquila) — dominates the zenith.

• Scorpius — One of the few constellations that actually looks like what it represents. Its long J-shaped curve ends in a hooked stinger, and at its heart burns Antares, a red supergiant whose name means "rival of Mars." A zodiac constellation.
• Sagittarius — Look for the Teapot: this asterism points toward the center of the Milky Way. The richest region of stars, nebulae and clusters in the entire sky. A zodiac constellation.
• Lyra — Small but dominated by Vega, the fifth-brightest star in the sky. It represents the lyre of Orpheus, whose music charmed even the gods.
• Cygnus (the Swan) — Its wings spread across the Milky Way. The Northern Cross asterism is one of the most elegant figures in the summer sky. Deneb, at the swan's tail, is a supergiant 200,000 times more luminous than the Sun.
• Aquila (the Eagle) — Altair, its star, is one of the closest stars to us (16.7 light-years). Aquila completes the Summer Triangle.

Autumn Constellations

The autumn sky is a stage for a complete mythological drama: Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus and Cetus are all linked by the same story.

• Pegasus — The Great Square of Pegasus is the starting point for navigating the autumn sky. Four stars forming a quadrilateral nearly at the zenith in October.
• Andromeda — Start from the northeast corner of the Great Square and follow the stars. Halfway along, a fuzzy patch: that is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the most distant object visible to the naked eye — 2.5 million light-years away.
• Cassiopeia — The W (or M, depending on the hour) near the North Celestial Pole. Circumpolar from most of Europe and North America, Cassiopeia peaks in autumn. Five bright stars, impossible to miss.
• Perseus — Between Cassiopeia and the Pleiades. Home to Algol, the Demon Star, whose brightness dips every 2.87 days. Source of the famous Perseid meteor shower in August.
• Pisces — Faint stars forming a V whose tip marks the "knot" tying the two mythological fish. A zodiac constellation, visible in autumn between Pegasus and Aries.

Winter Constellations

The winter sky is the most spectacular of the year. The Winter Hexagon links six first-magnitude stars: Sirius (Canis Major), Rigel (Orion), Aldebaran (Taurus), Capella (Auriga), Pollux (Gemini) and Procyon (Canis Minor).

• Orion — The king of the winter sky. The three belt stars, red Betelgeuse and blue Rigel: Orion is the most recognizable constellation in the world. Learn more in our constellation stories.
• Taurus — Aldebaran, the orange eye of the bull, and two legendary clusters: the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) and the Hyades. A zodiac constellation.
• Gemini — Castor and Pollux, the twins' heads, shine side by side northeast of Orion. A zodiac constellation.
• Canis Major (the Great Dog) — Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, blazes here like a diamond. The expression "dog days" comes from its rising with the Sun in summer.
• Auriga (the Charioteer) — A large pentagon anchored by Capella, the sixth-brightest star in the sky. High overhead from December to March.

Constellations by Hemisphere

Northern Circumpolar Constellations

Circumpolar constellations never set below the horizon. From mid-northern latitudes (~50°N, typical of the UK, northern US and central Europe), five major constellations are visible all year round:

• Ursa Major (the Great Bear) — The Big Dipper is the most famous asterism. Its two "pointer stars" (Dubhe and Merak) aim directly at Polaris.
• Ursa Minor (the Little Bear) — Polaris, the North Star, marks the tip of its tail. The entire sky appears to rotate around it.
• Cassiopeia — The W that faces Ursa Major on the opposite side of the pole.
• Cepheus — Shaped like a house, between Cassiopeia and Draco. Understated but always present.
• Draco (the Dragon) — A long serpent winding between the two Bears. Thuban, in its tail, was the pole star 4,700 years ago.

Southern Circumpolar Constellations

From Australia, South Africa or southern South America (latitude ~35°S), other constellations never set:

• Crux (the Southern Cross) — The smallest of the 88 constellations, but one of the most famous. Four stars forming a cross, the traditional pointer to the South Celestial Pole.
• Centaurus — Home to Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system to the Sun (4.37 light-years). The third-brightest star in the sky.
• Carina (the Keel) — Canopus, its star, is the second-brightest in the sky. A former part of the great ship Argo.
• Vela (the Sails) — The sails of the ship Argo, alongside Carina and Puppis.
• Musca (the Fly) — A small constellation just below the Southern Cross, easy to spot by proximity.

Equatorial Constellations

Some constellations straddle the celestial equator and are visible from both hemispheres:

• Orion — The Hunter is universal: visible from nearly everywhere on Earth, a shared reference across civilizations north and south.
• Aquila (the Eagle) — In the heart of the summer Milky Way, visible from Paris and Buenos Aires alike.
• Serpens (the Serpent) — The only constellation split into two parts (Head and Tail), separated by Ophiuchus.

Complete Table of All 88 Constellations

Here is the exhaustive list of all 88 constellations recognized by the IAU, sorted alphabetically by Latin name. This table is the most comprehensive English-language reference you will find.

Latin name	English name	Abbr.	Hem.	Best month	Brightest star	Area (deg²)
Andromeda	Andromeda	And	N	November	Alpheratz (α)	722
Antlia	Air Pump	Ant	S	April	α Antliae	239
Apus	Bird of Paradise	Aps	S	July	α Apodis	206
Aquarius	Water Bearer	Aqr	Eq	October	Sadalsuud (β)	980
Aquila	Eagle	Aql	Eq	August	Altair (α)	652
Ara	Altar	Ara	S	July	β Arae	237
Aries	Ram	Ari	N	December	Hamal (α)	441
Auriga	Charioteer	Aur	N	February	Capella (α)	657
Boötes	Herdsman	Boo	N	June	Arcturus (α)	907
Caelum	Chisel	Cae	S	January	α Caeli	125
Camelopardalis	Giraffe	Cam	N	February	β Camelopardalis	757
Cancer	Crab	Cnc	N	March	Al Tarf (β)	506
Canes Venatici	Hunting Dogs	CVn	N	May	Cor Caroli (α)	465
Canis Major	Great Dog	CMa	S	February	Sirius (α)	380
Canis Minor	Little Dog	CMi	N	March	Procyon (α)	183
Capricornus	Sea Goat	Cap	S	September	Deneb Algedi (δ)	414
Carina	Keel	Car	S	March	Canopus (α)	494
Cassiopeia	Cassiopeia	Cas	N	November	Schedar (α)	598
Centaurus	Centaur	Cen	S	May	Alpha Centauri (α)	1,060
Cepheus	Cepheus	Cep	N	October	Alderamin (α)	588
Cetus	Whale	Cet	Eq	November	Diphda (β)	1,231
Chamaeleon	Chameleon	Cha	S	April	α Chamaeleontis	132
Circinus	Compass	Cir	S	June	α Circini	93
Columba	Dove	Col	S	February	Phact (α)	270
Coma Berenices	Berenice's Hair	Com	N	May	β Comae Berenices	386
Corona Australis	Southern Crown	CrA	S	August	α Coronae Australis	128
Corona Borealis	Northern Crown	CrB	N	June	Alphecca (α)	179
Corvus	Crow	Crv	S	May	Gienah (γ)	184
Crater	Cup	Crt	S	April	Labrum (δ)	282
Crux	Southern Cross	Cru	S	May	Acrux (α)	68
Cygnus	Swan	Cyg	N	September	Deneb (α)	804
Delphinus	Dolphin	Del	N	September	Rotanev (β)	189
Dorado	Swordfish	Dor	S	January	α Doradus	179
Draco	Dragon	Dra	N	July	Etamin (γ)	1,083
Equuleus	Little Horse	Equ	N	September	Kitalpha (α)	72
Eridanus	River	Eri	S	January	Achernar (α)	1,138
Fornax	Furnace	For	S	December	α Fornacis	398
Gemini	Twins	Gem	N	February	Pollux (β)	514
Grus	Crane	Gru	S	October	Alnair (α)	366
Hercules	Hercules	Her	N	July	Kornephoros (β)	1,225
Horologium	Clock	Hor	S	December	α Horologii	249
Hydra	Sea Serpent	Hya	Eq	April	Alphard (α)	1,303
Hydrus	Water Snake	Hyi	S	December	β Hydri	243
Indus	Indian	Ind	S	September	α Indi	294
Lacerta	Lizard	Lac	N	October	α Lacertae	201
Leo	Lion	Leo	N	April	Regulus (α)	947
Leo Minor	Little Lion	LMi	N	April	Praecipua (46 LMi)	232
Lepus	Hare	Lep	S	January	Arneb (α)	290
Libra	Scales	Lib	S	June	Zubeneschamali (β)	538
Lupus	Wolf	Lup	S	June	α Lupi	334
Lynx	Lynx	Lyn	N	March	α Lyncis	545
Lyra	Lyre	Lyr	N	August	Vega (α)	286
Mensa	Table Mountain	Men	S	January	α Mensae	153
Microscopium	Microscope	Mic	S	September	γ Microscopii	210
Monoceros	Unicorn	Mon	Eq	February	β Monocerotis	482
Musca	Fly	Mus	S	May	α Muscae	138
Norma	Level	Nor	S	July	γ² Normae	165
Octans	Octant	Oct	S	October	ν Octantis	291
Ophiuchus	Serpent Bearer	Oph	Eq	July	Rasalhague (α)	948
Orion	Hunter	Ori	Eq	January	Rigel (β)	594
Pavo	Peacock	Pav	S	August	Peacock (α)	378
Pegasus	Winged Horse	Peg	N	October	Enif (ε)	1,121
Perseus	Perseus	Per	N	December	Mirfak (α)	615
Phoenix	Phoenix	Phe	S	November	Ankaa (α)	469
Pictor	Painter's Easel	Pic	S	January	α Pictoris	247
Pisces	Fishes	Psc	N	November	Alpherg (η)	889
Piscis Austrinus	Southern Fish	PsA	S	October	Fomalhaut (α)	245
Puppis	Stern	Pup	S	February	Naos (ζ)	673
Pyxis	Compass	Pyx	S	March	α Pyxidis	221
Reticulum	Reticle	Ret	S	January	α Reticuli	114
Sagitta	Arrow	Sge	N	August	γ Sagittae	80
Sagittarius	Archer	Sgr	S	August	Kaus Australis (ε)	867
Scorpius	Scorpion	Sco	S	July	Antares (α)	497
Sculptor	Sculptor	Scl	S	November	α Sculptoris	475
Scutum	Shield	Sct	S	August	α Scuti	109
Serpens	Serpent	Ser	Eq	June	Unukalhai (α)	637
Sextans	Sextant	Sex	Eq	April	α Sextantis	314
Taurus	Bull	Tau	N	January	Aldebaran (α)	797
Telescopium	Telescope	Tel	S	August	α Telescopii	252
Triangulum	Triangle	Tri	N	December	β Trianguli	132
Triangulum Australe	Southern Triangle	TrA	S	July	Atria (α)	110
Tucana	Toucan	Tuc	S	November	α Tucanae	295
Ursa Major	Great Bear	UMa	N	April	Alioth (ε)	1,280
Ursa Minor	Little Bear	UMi	N	June	Polaris (α)	256
Vela	Sails	Vel	S	March	γ² Velorum	500
Virgo	Virgin	Vir	Eq	May	Spica (α)	1,294
Volans	Flying Fish	Vol	S	March	β Volantis	141
Vulpecula	Little Fox	Vul	N	September	Anser (α)	268

The 10 Easiest Constellations to Find

New to stargazing? Here are the ten constellations you can spot on your very first night out, with no equipment at all.

1. Orion — The three aligned belt stars are the most universal landmark in the night sky. Visible from November to March, Orion is the ideal starting point for exploring the winter sky.

2. Ursa Major (the Great Bear) — The Big Dipper, its seven stars in the shape of a ladle, is visible all year from the northern hemisphere. Its two pointer stars aim at Polaris: your celestial compass.

3. Cassiopeia — The bright W on the opposite side of Polaris from the Big Dipper. Circumpolar, always present.

4. Scorpius — The J-shaped curve of summer evenings with blood-red Antares at its center. One of the few constellations that truly looks like its namesake. A zodiac constellation.

5. Cygnus (the Swan) — The Northern Cross, spread across the summer Milky Way. Deneb, at its tail, is one of the vertices of the Summer Triangle.

6. Leo — The Sickle (backwards question mark) is a distinctive asterism. Look for it in spring, high in the sky. A zodiac constellation.

7. Taurus — Aldebaran, the orange eye, and the Pleiades cluster nearby. In winter, follow Orion's belt to the upper right. A zodiac constellation.

8. Gemini — Castor and Pollux, two bright stars side by side northeast of Orion. Easy to spot in winter and spring. A zodiac constellation.

9. Lyra — A small constellation, but Vega, its star, is the fifth-brightest in the sky. Impossible to miss on summer evenings.

10. Canis Major (the Great Dog) — Follow Orion's belt down and to the left: Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, leaps to your eyes. No confusion possible.

How Constellations Appear on Your Star Map

When you create a personalized OwnStarMap star map, the algorithm calculates the exact position of each of the 88 IAU constellations for your date, time and location. All 8,921 stars from the HYG v4.2 catalog (every star visible to the naked eye, down to magnitude 6.5) are projected onto your map, and the segment lines — the pairs of stars that draw each figure — are traced automatically.

The result depends entirely on your moment:

• A summer wedding in London — The Summer Triangle dominates the zenith: Cygnus spreads its wings, the Lyre of Orpheus shines near the center, and Scorpius traces its curve to the south.
• A winter birth in New York — Orion the Hunter stands at center stage, surrounded by the Winter Hexagon. Sirius blazes to the south, the Pleiades glitter to the northwest.
• An autumn meeting in Paris — The Great Square of Pegasus fills the zenith, Andromeda points toward her galaxy, and Cassiopeia watches near the pole.

You can toggle constellation lines and names on or off in the design tool. Every map tells a different story — yours, written in the stars.

Create your star map and discover which constellations were shining in your sky.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there more than 88 constellations?

Officially, no. The IAU fixed the list at 88 in 1922 and it has not changed since. But the sky is rich in unofficial figures. Asterisms — like the Big Dipper, the Summer Triangle or the Teapot in Sagittarius — are recognizable patterns that are not constellations in their own right. In addition, dozens of cultures around the world have their own constellations: the Emu in the Sky of Indigenous Australians, the celestial palaces of the Chinese tradition, or the Arabic figures that gave us so many star names (Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, Altair...).

Can you see all 88 constellations from one location?

No. The celestial sphere is divided between the two hemispheres, and an observer's latitude determines which constellations are visible. From London (51°N), you can theoretically observe about 60 constellations over the course of the year, but the southern circumpolar constellations (Crux, Centaurus, Carina...) remain below the horizon. To see all 88, you would need to travel from Scandinavia to Australia.

What is the largest constellation? The smallest?

The largest is Hydra, at 1,303 square degrees — it occupies about 3.16% of the celestial sphere and stretches across more than a quarter of the visible sky. The smallest is Crux (the Southern Cross), at just 68 square degrees, 19 times smaller than Hydra. Despite its modest size, Crux is one of the most recognizable constellations and appears on the flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Why don't constellations look like their names?

Most constellations do not look like what they represent — and that is perfectly normal. The figures were imagined by civilizations that saw in the stars a canvas for their myths, not realistic drawings. Leo does not look like a lion, Hercules does not look like a hero. They are regions of the sky to which a name and a story were attached. Asterisms (the Big Dipper, the Summer Triangle) are often more visually evocative than the full constellations they belong to.

Do constellations change over time?

On a human timescale, no. But over tens of thousands of years, the proper motion of stars slowly reshapes the figures. Ursa Major, for example, will look noticeably different in 100,000 years. The stars that compose it are not all at the same distance from us and are moving in different directions.

Discover your personalized sky — all 88 IAU constellations, calculated for your date and location.