Star constellations are groups of stars. The constellations you can see at night are determined by your location on Earth and the season of the year. Constellations are named after animals, objects, mythical creatures, and people.
The origins of the earliest star constellations likely date back to the dawn of civilization. People used star constellations to relate stories of their beliefs and mythology.
In this article, we discuss how many star constellations there are and outline the differences between the western zodiac, the greek constellations, and the 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union.
The Number of Constellations
In astrology, 88 constellations are recognized by the International Astronomical Union. 42 constellations depict animals, 29 depict inanimate objects, and 17 depict mythological characters or humans.
The table below lists all of the 88 official star constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
How Many Constellations In The Western Zodiac?
The western zodiac consists of 12 common constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Zodiac constellations lie along the plane of the ecliptic. The ecliptic is defined by the circular path of the Sun across the sky, visible from Earth.
In basic terms, the Sun appears to pass through these constellations throughout the year.
Despite there being 12 constellations in the western zodiac, it doesn’t match up with the western zodiac. For example, the month of February consists of two zodiac signs Pisces (February 19 – March 20) & Aquarius (January 20 – February 18).
What Are The Greek Constellations?
The Greek constellations are the 48 ancient constellations listed by Claudius Ptolemy, the ancient Greek astronomer.
The Greek constellations consist of the 12 constellations of the zodiac, 15 constellations to the south of the zodiac, and 21 constellations north. The modern versions of the 48 Greek constellations aren’t identical to the original Greek constellations, as they have changed over time.
How Many Star Constellations Are There?
When most people think about constellations, the western zodiac comes to mind.
The western zodiac consists of twelve-star constellations; Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The western zodiac consists of constellations that lie along the plane of the ecliptic.
There are 88 star constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) including the western zodiac. Out of the official star constellations, 42 constellations depict animals, 29 constellations depict inanimate objects, and 17 depict mythological characters or humans.
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