The Southern Hemisphere has the Southern Cross. In the Northern Hemisphere we have the Northern Cross, or Cygnus, the Swan. Cygnus is actually more distinctive and much larger than the Southern Cross. Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation, is at the tail of Cygnus.
Many of the constellations have heroic or tragic tales associated with them. Cassiopeia is one of those constellations but differs from most of the constellations for one reason; vanity, plain and simple, is what earned Cassiopeia a place in the heavens. On an interesting note, the only husband-and-wife constellations couple in the sky are Cassiopeia and her husband Cepheus.
Pegasus, a Northern constellation and the 7th largest in the sky (even though only half of the horse is depicted), is quite unique among the constellations. Within Pegasus is the star 51 Pegasi, a Sun-like star that was the first found to have a planet orbiting it. Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz announced the exoplanet’s discovery in 1995, with confirmation coming from Drs. Geoffrey Marcy and Paul Butler.
Orion, the Hunter, is one of the largest and most easily identifiable constellations in the sky. Once you spot the three stars in Orion’s belt the rest of the constellation is easy to make out. Orion’s belt is often referred to as the “Three Kings”. The three stars that make up Orion’s belt are, from left to right; Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka.
