Constellations & Asterisms
Background

• Background

• Click here for a complete list of Asterisms and more

• Creating your own object type

• Download additional sets of constellation lines

• How to draw your own

• How to handle asterisms

• More complicated examples!

• What is an Asterism?

Background

Often times TheSky users comment on the line drawings used to represent the 88 constellations (constellation lines). Over the years (wow over 20 years now!) I often asked why TheSky doesn't use the "standard" constellation line depictions. Simply put, there are no "standard lines". To that end  TheSky contains more than one set of constellation line depictions and version 6 includes many of the best characture drawings available.

TheSky provides tools that make it quite simple to "draw" your own constellation lines in a connect-the-dot or rather connect-the-star mode whereby you press CONTROL+Left Mouse Click anywhere on the star of your  choice, then CONTROL+Left Mouse Click on the next star and they become joined by a line. It really is that simple. More elaborate drawings can also be made whereby you are using the free hand mode instead of "snapping" to the stars.

Nicer elaborate drawing
Click on image for more details

My version of TheSky6 doesn't have this!

Actually it does. Due to the size of the nicer more elaborate constellation drawings these are not enabled by default. In order to display the hi-resolution Alpha channel TIFF images they need to be enabled. A document with details on  how to enable the nice characture drawings is found here,

http://www.bisque.com/tom/const.htm

Now let's look at the constellation Ursa Major "The Great Bear" or "Big Bear". Technically speaking "The Big Dipper" is not a constellation (it is an asterism) a subset of the constellation Ursa Major which is a large bear. The group of stars representing a dipper (or Plough common in other countries) is referred to as an asterism.<----Click for more on asterisms. We will get to "asterisms" later. For now let's look at several depictions of the constellation Ursa Major.

Asterism "The Big Dipper"
(or Plough)

Subset "asterism" in Ursa Major
"The Big Dipper"

Now back to the "line" drawings. The default line drawing for Ursa Major as found in TheSky  is as follows, right or wrong. Remember you can change this by selecting one of the other sets, or by using the more elaborate TIF drawings like the above, or even easily create your own!  Or, if you have a digital camera use your own digital images. Placing images is actually quite simple when using TheSky6.

TheSky's default constellation

lines - Ursa Major

Next we see the constellation lines depicted in the book "Advanced Sky Watching".

Click here to download additional constellation lines, Moore, Levy, and Astronomy magazine version.

Advanced Sky Watching

Click here to download additional constellation lines, Moore, Levy, and astronomy magazine.

Sir Patrick Moore's
"The Guiness Book of Astronomy Facts and Feats"

Click on image for Hires

And lastly Astronomy Magazine's version. Astronomy magazine uses TheSky to create their interface on-line star charts. So at their request I created a version that matches their magazine.

Click here to download additional constellation lines, Moore, levy, and astronomy magazine.

Astronomy Magazine

Click on image for Hires

So it is clear to see that there can be many depictions for each of the 88 constellations. In fact, there is nothing from stopping you from creating your own using TheSky. Actually it is kind of fun and encouraged. Once the tools needed to accomplish the task are mastered you will most likely find them useful in other areas as well!