Constellations are groups of stars. Long ago, people made up imaginary lines connecting the groups of stars to form pictures.
The word “constellation” also has another meaning. It refers to the area of the sky where we see any of the 88 named constellations. Some constellations are modern, but most are ancient. In Greek mythology, for example, Cassiopeia (kass-ee-oh-PEE-uh) was a queen with too much pride. The gods chained her to a throne and made her circle the North Star forever.
There are other things in the sky, too. From a backyard or sidewalk, you can see many of them. They include comets, shooting stars, and human-made satellites. Telescopes bring many of these way-out sights to our eyes.
