Heavenly Lights Trivia Quiz

Answer:

A constellation is the name given to a group of stars which look like they form a shape or pattern. Constellations are often named after animals or things from mythology. People have been identifying constellations for thousands of years but in 1922 the International Astronomical Union agreed on a list of 88 constellation names and these are used today.

Ursa Major is Latin for 'great bear' and is a constellation that can be seen from the northern hemisphere. There is also a constellation called Ursa Minor meaning 'little bear'.

Orion is named after a hunter from Greek mythology. Orion is easiest to see during the winter in the northern hemisphere. Orion contains the stars Rigel and Betelgeuse which are two of the brightest stars we can see in the night sky.

Canis Major means 'greater dog' in Latin and contains the star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Canis Major and Canis Minor (meaning 'lesser dog') are said to be the dogs of the hunter Orion.

Crux is a small constellation of just four stars that form the shape of a cross. It can be seen in the southern hemisphere and appears on many flags of countries located in the Pacific Ocean including Australia and New Zealand.

Cygnus is a constellation that can be seen in the northern hemisphere. Its name means swan. Cygnus was first listed by the astronomer Ptolemy who lived in the 2nd century CE.

Gemini is a constellation whose name means twins in Latin. The two brightest stars in Gemini are called Castor and Pollux after the twins of the same name from Greek mythology.

Leo is Latin for lion. The ancient Greeks thought this constellation represented the Nemean Lion which Hercules killed as one of his 12 labours.

Taurus can be seen during winter in the northern hemisphere. Its name means bull in Latin. The brightest star in Taurus is called Aldebaran.

Pisces represents two fish joined together by a cord. It is one of the 48 constellations that was identified by the astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE.

Aries is located between Pisces and Taurus. The name Aires means ram in Latin which is the name for a male sheep.

The wrong answers are not constellations instead - Mercury and Uranus are the names of planets, Bulgaria is a country in Europe, Aruba is an island in the Caribbean and Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.