Constellations
The 88 constellations
All official constellations with their brightest stars, the best time to see them from Central Europe and the stories behind them. Pick a constellation and name a star in it.
Well visible from Central Europe (53)
Andromeda
Andromeda
The chained princess of the autumn sky, home to the Andromeda Galaxy, our large galactic neighbour.
Aquarius♒
Wassermann
The Water Bearer pours out his jar in the autumn sky: an ancient zodiac figure and home of the Helix Nebula.
Aquila
Adler
Zeus's eagle, carrying Altair, a corner of the Summer Triangle, soars right through the Milky Way.
Aries♈
Widder
The Ram with the Golden Fleece, a small zodiac constellation for autumn and winter evenings.
Auriga
Fuhrmann
The Charioteer with brilliant Capella, a she-goat and her kids, is a highlight of the winter sky.
Boötes
Bärenhüter
The Herdsman drives the Great Bear across the sky, led by Arcturus, the northern sky's brightest star.
Camelopardalis
Giraffe
The Giraffe fills a large, dim gap near the Pole Star and can be seen all year round.
Cancer♋
Krebs
Cancer is the faintest zodiac constellation, yet the Beehive Cluster sparkles at its heart.
Canes Venatici
Jagdhunde
The Hunting Dogs of Boötes run beneath the Big Dipper's handle, in a sky region rich in galaxies.
Canis Major
Großer Hund
The Great Dog follows Orion across the winter sky, led by Sirius, the brightest star of the night.
Canis Minor
Kleiner Hund
The Little Dog is little more than a pair of stars, but its Procyon is part of the Winter Triangle.
Capricornus♑
Steinbock
The Sea-Goat, half goat and half fish, is an ancient zodiac constellation of the late-summer sky.
Cassiopeia
Kassiopeia
The distinctive W of vain Queen Cassiopeia can be seen from Central Europe all year round.
Cepheus
Kepheus
King Cepheus, shaped like a house with a pointed roof, sits near the Pole Star and never sets.
Cetus
Walfisch
The sea monster from the Perseus legend, home of Mira, the first known “wonderful” variable star.
Coma Berenices
Haar der Berenike
Berenice's Hair is a delicate star cluster in the spring sky and a window onto thousands of galaxies.
Corona Borealis
Nördliche Krone
Ariadne's Northern Crown is a small, elegant arc of stars in the early summer sky.
Corvus
Rabe
Apollo's Raven, a small quadrilateral of stars low in the south of the spring sky.
Crater
Becher
Apollo's Cup rests on the back of Hydra, a delicate constellation of spring.
Cygnus
Schwan
The Swan, or Northern Cross, flies along the Milky Way with Deneb and the double star Albireo.
Delphinus
Delphin
The little Dolphin leaps beside Aquila out of the Milky Way, with two star names full of humour.
Draco
Drache
The Dragon winds around the north celestial pole, home of Thuban, the Pole Star of the pyramid builders.
Equuleus
Füllen
The Little Horse is the second-smallest constellation, a young foal standing beside Pegasus.
Fornax
Chemischer Ofen
The Chemical Furnace recalls the laboratories of the Enlightenment and looks deep into the universe.
Gemini♊
Zwillinge
The Twins Castor and Pollux stand side by side in the winter sky, a constellation of the zodiac.
Hercules
Herkules
The hero Hercules kneels in the summer sky, home of M13, the finest globular cluster of the north.
Hydra
Wasserschlange
Hydra is the largest of all constellations, winding across the spring sky.
Lacerta
Eidechse
A faint zigzag of stars between Cygnus and Andromeda, riding high in the autumn sky.
Leo♌
Löwe
The regal spring lion, home to Regulus and the distinctive curved “Sickle” of stars.
Leo Minor
Kleiner Löwe
A small, faint constellation between Leo and the Great Bear, devised by Hevelius.
Lepus
Hase
The Hare crouches at the feet of Orion the hunter, low in the southern winter sky.
Libra♎
Waage
Libra was once the Scorpion’s claws – now the only zodiac figure that is not a living being.
Lynx
Luchs
So faint you supposedly need a lynx’s eyes to see it – a northern Hevelius constellation.
Lyra
Leier
The small lyre of Orpheus, with brilliant Vega and the famous Ring Nebula.
Monoceros
Einhorn
The Unicorn hides inside the Winter Triangle, home to the Rosette Nebula and Christmas Tree Cluster.
Ophiuchus
Schlangenträger
Asclepius the Serpent Bearer holds the Serpent – and the Sun passes through him every year.
Orion
Orion
The hunter with his belt, Betelgeuse, Rigel and the Orion Nebula – king of the winter sky.
Pegasus
Pegasus
The winged horse with the Great Square – and the first exoplanet found around a Sun-like star.
Perseus
Perseus
The hero Perseus with Medusa’s eye Algol, the Double Cluster and the Perseid meteors.
Pisces♓
Fische
Two fishes tied together with a cord – today the spring equinox point lies here.
Piscis Austrinus
Südlicher Fisch
The Southern Fish drinks the water of Aquarius, home to Fomalhaut, the lonely star of autumn.
Pyxis
Schiffskompass
A small mariner’s compass by Lacaille, low in the southern late-winter sky.
Sagitta
Pfeil
A tiny but easy-to-spot arrow near Altair, inside the Summer Triangle.
Sagittarius♐
Schütze
The Archer and his “Teapot” point towards the centre of our Milky Way.
Scutum
Schild
A shield honouring a Polish king – home to the Wild Duck Cluster in the Milky Way.
Serpens
Schlange
The only constellation in two parts: the Serpent’s head and tail, split by Ophiuchus.
Sextans
Sextant
Hevelius’s sextant, a faint constellation south of Regulus in the spring sky.
Taurus♉
Stier
The Bull with Aldebaran, the Pleiades and the Hyades – a jewel of the winter sky.
Triangulum
Dreieck
A small, neat triangle in the autumn sky – home to the Triangulum Galaxy, M33.
Ursa Major
Großer Bär
The Great Bear with the Big Dipper – visible all year and your pointer to the Pole Star.
Ursa Minor
Kleiner Bär
The Little Bear with Polaris – the fixed pivot around which the whole sky turns.
Virgo♍
Jungfrau
Virgo with her ear of wheat, Spica – and a vast cluster of galaxies behind her.
Vulpecula
Fuchs
The little fox inside the Summer Triangle, with the Dumbbell Nebula and the “Coathanger”.
Low in the south (10)
Antlia
Luftpumpe
A faint southern constellation from the 18th century that celebrates the invention of the air pump.
Caelum
Grabstichel
The Engraving Tool of the southern sky: small, faint and barely visible from Central Europe.
Centaurus
Zentaur
The Centaur hosts the nearest star system to the Sun, but only part of it rises from Central Europe.
Columba
Taube
Noah's Dove flies low in the winter sky below Orion and Lepus.
Eridanus
Eridanus
The celestial river Eridanus winds from Orion far to the south, ending at bright Achernar.
Lupus
Wolf
An ancient southern constellation that barely clears the horizon from Central Europe.
Microscopium
Mikroskop
An inconspicuous Lacaille constellation honouring the microscope, low on the southern horizon.
Puppis
Achterdeck
The stern of the Argonauts’ ship – in winter its northern part peeks above the horizon.
Scorpius♏
Skorpion
The Scorpion with the red supergiant Antares – Orion’s eternal adversary.
Sculptor
Bildhauer
A sculptor’s studio low in the autumn sky, home to the bright Sculptor Galaxy.
Southern sky – not visible from Central Europe (25)
Apus
Paradiesvogel
The Bird of Paradise near the south celestial pole, a relic of the first Dutch voyages to the East Indies.
Ara
Altar
The altar on which the gods swore their oath against the Titans, a constellation of the deep southern sky.
Carina
Kiel des Schiffs
The Keel of the ancient ship Argo carries Canopus, the second-brightest star of the night sky.
Chamaeleon
Chamäleon
The little Chameleon sits close to the south celestial pole and can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.
Circinus
Zirkel
The Compasses, a small drawing instrument in the southern sky, lies right next to bright Alpha Centauri.
Corona Austrina
Südliche Krone
A delicate arc of stars below Sagittarius that barely clears the horizon from Central Europe.
Crux
Kreuz des Südens
The Southern Cross is the smallest constellation and an emblem of the southern hemisphere.
Dorado
Schwertfisch
The Dolphinfish holds much of the Large Magellanic Cloud and can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.
Grus
Kranich
The Crane stretches its long neck across the southern sky but is practically invisible from Central Europe.
Horologium
Pendeluhr
The Pendulum Clock honours a great invention in timekeeping and stays below our horizon.
Hydrus
Kleine Wasserschlange
Hydrus, the Lesser Water Snake, lies between the two Magellanic Clouds in the deep southern sky.
Indus
Inder
Indus, a 16th-century constellation of the southern sky, hosts one of our Sun's close neighbours.
Mensa
Tafelberg
Named after Table Mountain above Cape Town – the faintest of all 88 constellations.
Musca
Fliege
A small fly right next to the Southern Cross – never visible from Central Europe.
Norma
Winkelmaß
The craftsman’s set square, a small Lacaille constellation in the southern Milky Way.
Octans
Oktant
Home of the south celestial pole – marked only by the faint “southern pole star”.
Pavo
Pfau
A splendid peacock deep in the southern sky, with the bright star Peacock – unseen from Europe.
Phoenix
Phoenix
The firebird reborn from its ashes, deep in the southern sky – practically invisible from here.
Pictor
Maler
A painter’s easel, placed in the southern sky by Lacaille close to brilliant Canopus.
Reticulum
Netz
The crosshairs of Lacaille’s telescope, immortalised as a small southern constellation.
Telescopium
Teleskop
A telescope in the southern sky, created by Lacaille in honour of astronomy.
Triangulum Australe
Südliches Dreieck
Three bright stars form a neat triangle deep in the southern sky, led by Atria.
Tucana
Tukan
The Toucan guards the Small Magellanic Cloud and the splendid globular cluster 47 Tucanae.
Vela
Segel
The sails of the Argonauts’ ship, with the “False Cross” and the Vela supernova remnant.
Volans
Fliegender Fisch
A flying fish deep in the southern sky, a reminder of the great voyages of the 16th century.
Which star will it be?
The sky is waiting. Naming your star takes about two minutes.
Name a star for free