Asterisms
An asterism is a pattern of a familar object formed by a group of stars that are not necessarily in the same constellation. Examples of asterisms are the teapot in Sagittarius, the Plough in Ursa Major, the big dipper in Ursa Major, the winter triangle and the summer triangle.
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| Image: An example of an asterism, The Big Dipper in Ursa Major, is a familar pattern of stars in North America. In the United Kingdom the same stars form a similar pattern known as The Plough. |
Table of Asterisms
| Asterism | In Constellation | Stars which form the asterism |
| The Plough | Ursa Major | |
| The Big Dipper | Ursa Major | |
| Orion's Belt | Orion | Alnitak, Anilam, Mintaka |
| The Sword of Orion | Orion | |
| Square of Pegasus | Pegasus, Andromeda | |
The Teapot | Sagittarius | |
| The Summer Triangle | Aquila, Cygnus, Lyra | Altair, Deneb, Vega |
| The Winter Triangle | Orion, Canis Minor, Canis Major | Betelgeuse, Procyon, Sirius |
| The 'W' or Double-U | Cassiopeia | |
| The Flying Minnow | Auriga | |
| The Coathanger or Brocchi's Cluster | Vulpecula | |
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This page was last modified on Thursday, April 08, 2010 07:38:19 PM