Which circumpolar constellation contains the star polaris

Some of the ancient Greek written records actually recorded the Centaurus constellation, and as the name suggests, Centaurus represents the Greek mythological beast Centaur: a half-man, half-horse creature. Yet, Centaurus is usually depicted as a centaur sacrificing an animal, and the front legs are marked by Alpha and Beta Centaury, two of the brightest stars in the sky. Crux is another southern circumpolar constellation, positioned opposite from Cassiopeia on the celestial sphere meaning, both will never appear in the sky at the same time.

Crux is the smallest constellation of the 88 modern constellations, but it is easy to find because it is also one of the brightest, especially because it also contains the famous asterism Southern Cross. The ancient Greeks consider Crux as part of the Centaurus constellation, but the constellation then dropped below the horizon for Europe and most of the northern hemisphere some linked this disappearance to the crucifixion of Christ.

Skip to content Facebook Twitter YouTube. Circumpolar Constellations Explained Circumpolar constellations are constellations that never set below the horizon when seen from a particular location on Earth.

Ursa Major Ursa Major is one of, if not the most popular constellations, often featured in popular culture. Ursa Minor The Ursa Minor is also called the little dipper, but it is especially famous for the last star in its tail: the Polaris, or also known as the North Star. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Ok Privacy policy. The north celestial pole NCP is the stationary point in the northern hemisphere sky there is also a south celestial pole above the south pole around which all the planets and stars — including our sun — appear to rotate.

In the picture below, the NCP is in the center of the small circle towards the top right of the picture. The north celestial pole does not move from this point but all the stars in the sky rotate around it.

Note how some will never drop below the horizon whilst others do. The tricky thing with the NCP is that although it never moves in your sky, its height above the horizon depends on how far north or south you are. As I said at the start of this section, if you are standing at the north pole the north celestial pole is at the zenith, i. Move further south though and the NCP begins to sink towards the horizon, but is always found by facing due north.

Keep travelling south to the equator and the north celestial pole is on the horizon. South of the equator, i. For all practical purposes Polaris marks the point in the sky which is the north celestial pole.

Further down the page, in the Circumpolar Constellations section, you can see exactly what Ursa Minor looks like, how to find it and which star within it is Polaris. You probably already know that a constellation is an area of sky named after the shapes made by the brightest stars. The most well recognized constellations are the Big Dipper and Orion.

Some of them are small, some are faint and some spend barely any time above the horizon. And the thought of trying to learn 36 constellations so you can find your way around the night sky is a daunting prospect. Instead, it is easier and more useful to learn the small number of constellations which are in the sky all of the time: the Circumpolar Constellations. When I say they are in the sky all the time, I mean all of the time!

No matter the hour of day, day of the month, or month of the year, these few constellations never set below the horizon. For this reason, these are the markers all of us as astronomers should learn to help us find our way around the rest of the sky.

The three southern circumpolar constellations visible from most locations in the southern hemisphere are Carina , Centaurus , and Crux. Other constellations are just as prominent in the sky and can be seen for most of the year, but only these eight are circumpolar. Northern circumpolar constellations, image: Roberto Mura. Three of these constellations are very easy to find in the night sky because they are dominated by familiar asterisms, formed by their brightest stars.

Ursa Major , the largest of all northern constellations , is known for and sometimes confused with the Big Dipper , the smaller Ursa Minor contains the slightly fainter Little Dipper , and Cassiopeia is easily recognized for its prominent W shape. Draco and Cepheus , which are located in the same region in the sky, are not as widely known in spite of their size.

Draco is the eighth largest constellation in the sky, but its brightest star, Eltanin , Gamma Draconis, is only the 72nd on the list of the brightest stars. Draco represents Ladon, the dragon that guarded the golden apples on Mount Atlas and was defeated by Heracles as part of his 12 labours. The constellation is not particularly prominent despite being one of the largest. In the northern hemisphere, circumpolar stars rotate around Polaris, also known as the Pole Star, considered to be our closest star to the North Pole.

In this way, northern hemisphere observers will always be able to see the stars and constellations in the northern circumpolar sky, while southern observers will be able to perceive constellations in the southern circumpolar sky. Circumpolar constellations are therefore a hemispherical phenomenon.

So, which are the circumpolar constellations? The five northern constellations visible from most locations north of the equator throughout the year are Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor.

Similarly, the three southern circumpolar constellations visible from most locations in the southern hemisphere are Carina, Centaurus, and Crux. Other constellations are just as prominent in the sky and can be seen for most of the year, but only these eight are considered circumpolar. All you have to do is give them a specific time and location and they will conceive a precise star map of how the patterns in the sky looked like on that date!

You might not be aware of it, but circumpolar constellations are some of the most well known groups of stars in the sky. Proof of this is that they include the Ursa Major, which is probably one of the most famous constellations, if not the most, in popular culture. This famous asterism shaped like a spoon is one of the most familiar shapes in the sky, and it is found within the Ursa Major constellation, which is visible all year long for northern observers.

The Ursa Minor, also called the Little Dipper, is another circumpolar constellation which never sets in the northern sky. The greatest particularity of Ursa Minor is the last star found in its tail.