| Name |
Constellation |
Mag |
Size |
Description |
| Air ballon |
Pisces Austrinus |
7 |
48' X 40' |
A closed loop of stars 3.3 degrees SW of globular cluster M 30; old constellation now unused |
| Airplane |
Cassiopeia |
5 |
60' |
8 stars of 7th and 8th magnitude located 40 arcminutes northwest of cluster M 52; AKA The Arrow |
| Ally´s Braid |
Taurus |
7 |
42' |
Trailing from Alcyone (Eta Tauri) in the Pleiades; 7 stars in a beautiful chain to the SE of Alcyone (Ally) |
| Argo Navis |
Puppis |
0 |
53d X 39d |
Ancient constellation of Ship of the Argonauts; broken into Carina (keel);Puppis (poop deck); Vela (sails) and Carina (keel) |
| Arrowchain |
Sagitta |
8.6 |
36' |
0.6 degree-long; N-S-oriented chain of 8M thru 10M stars located S of SGE´s arrow; 35´ NNW of 5M 10 SGE |
| Backwards 5 |
Hercules |
8 |
20' |
Fairly obvious backward five; ends in 7th magnitude yellow star |
| Big Dipper |
Ursa Major |
1 |
25 deg |
The Plough; Charles´s Wain (Wagon); includes northern Pointer stars |
| Bowtie |
Hercules |
3 |
18d X 10d |
Adding Beta and Delta Herculis to the Keystone makes a bowtie shape |
| Broken engagement Ring |
Ursa Major |
7 |
20' |
An open or ´C´ shaped grouping of 10 stars; AKA The Crown |
| Bull of Poniatowski |
Serpens |
4 |
3.5 deg |
A ´V´ shaped group of stars consisting of 66;67;68;70 and 73 Ophiuchi; similar to Hyades ´V´; also Mel 186 |
| Button Hook |
Scutum |
5 |
75' X 45' |
A curving chain of pretty bright stars that loop across the Scutum Star Cloud; from Steve Coe; AKA the ´J´ String |
| Cephus OB2 Ass´n |
Cepheus |
4 |
5d X 2.5d |
Includes Xi; Nu; 19; 20 and 25 Cephei; 5 degrees north of nebula IC 1396 |
| Chi 1;2;3 |
Fornax |
6 |
30' X 30' |
An arrowhead-shaped group 1 degree west of galaxy NGC 1365 |
| Circlet of Pisces |
Pisces |
3 |
5 deg |
Southern Fish of Pisces; Gamma; 7; Kappa; Lambda; TX; Iota Theta Psc 5 degrees in diameter. TX Piscium is a red carbon star |
| Coathanger |
Vulpecula |
4 |
90'X60' |
Collinder 399; Brocchi´s Cluster; he used it for photometer calibration |
| Coffin |
Ophiucus |
3 |
30d X 24d |
The outline of Delta; Zeta; Eta; Gamma; Alpha; Kappa and Lambda Ophiuchi create the shape of a box for burial; he is a Snake Handler ya´know |
| Crossbow |
Cepheus |
3 |
4d X 3d |
Delta CEP (the shoulder piece of crossbow); Epsilon; Zeta and Lambda CEP (bow arms) and 14 CEP (bolt tip); best in binoculars at 10-15x |
| DNA Strand |
Aquarius |
4 |
10d X 3d |
A twisting helix of pretty bright stars in southern Aquarius; 86;88;89 and 98;99;101 and 104;106;107;108 Aquarii |
| Dark Emu |
Centaurus |
2 |
38 deg |
Giant dark nebula with Coal Sack as head of long necked bird that extends to western Scorpius; Alpha and Beta Centauri invl; Aboriginal origin |
| Dark Rift |
Cygnus |
none |
10d X 2d |
A dark lane that splits the Milky Way in Cygnus |
| Davis´ Dog |
Taurus |
5 |
3.5d X 1.5d |
Includes Upsilon; 51 and 53 Tauri; a ´Canis Major´ shape of rather prominent stars |
| Diamond Cross |
Carina |
2 |
5d X 3d |
Beta; Omega; Omicron and Upsilon Carinae |
| Diamond Ring |
Ursa Minor |
2 |
45' |
A circlet of 7th and 8th magnitude stars with Polaris the brightest |
| Essertoo String |
Scutum |
11 |
6' |
11M; ´´S´´-shaped string of twelve 10 thru 12M stars (brightest star = 9.5M at NNE end); 5´x 2´ extent; oriented NNE-SSW |
| Fairy Ring |
Cygnus |
7 |
20' X 20' |
A circlet of pretty faint stars; includes several double stars including HJ 1470; AKA Chaple´s Arc |
| False Cross |
Vela |
2 |
7d X 4d |
Kappa and Delta Velorum/ Iota and Epsilon Carina |
| False Kids |
Auriga |
4 |
2d X 0.5d |
Nu; Tau and Upsilon Aurgae form a triangle similar to the Kids across Auriga near Theta Aurigae |
| Fish Hook |
Scorpius |
2 |
23d X 8d |
The curved body of Scorpius from Antares to the Stinger; Hawaiian legend states the God Maui used it to pull up the islands above the Pacific |
| Flying Minnow |
Auriga |
5 |
75' |
Includes 16; 18 and 19 Aurigae; between two faint nebulae IC 405 and NGC 1893; AKA Little Fish |
| Frederick´s Glory |
Andromeda |
4 |
3.5 deg |
´Y´ shape formed by Iota; Kappa; Lambda and Psi Andromadae |
| Golden Horseshoe |
Circinus |
6 |
1 deg |
14 stars in a ´U´ shape; located 1.5 degrees SE of Alpha Circincus |
| Golf Putter |
Andromeda |
7 |
95' X 25' |
1 degree long chain of stars with several stars at the end that form a golf club shape |
| Great Square |
Pegasus |
2 |
20 d |
The Great Square of Pegasus; the Baseball Diamond; Alpha; Beta and Gamma Pegasi with Alpha Andromedae |
| Guardians of the Pole |
Ursa Minor |
2 |
3 deg |
Kochab (Beta UMI) and Gamma UMI at the end of the Little Dipper; these two stars circle and so ´guard´ the celestial pole |
| HSL Chain |
Sagittarius |
9.5 |
30' |
10´ to the ESE of CL N6568 is 5.5M 14 SGR and a 0.5 degree-long; fairly straight; N-S oriented asterism of eight nearly equal (9 mag) stars |
| Head of Hydra |
Hydra |
4 |
5d X 3d |
Delta; Rho; Eta; Zeta and Epsilon Hydrae form an irregular circlet: AKA Radio Antenna |
| Head of the Whale |
Cetus |
3 |
10d X 7d |
Alpha; Lambda; Mu; Xi2; Nu and Gamma Ceti form a circlet; easy naked eye |
| Heavenly ´G´ |
Taurus |
-1 |
53d X 46d |
In order Capella; Castor; Pollux; Procyon; Sirius; Rigel; Aldebaran and Betelgeuse for a ´G´iant letter in the Winter sky; largest asterism? |
| Hercules´s Club |
Hercules |
3 |
17d X 3d |
Bludgeon held by the Hero is formed by Iota; Tau; Nu and Phi Herculis; 11 degrees north of the Keystone; elongated East-West |
| Herschel´s Telescope |
Auriga |
4 |
7d X 2d |
Psi 2 thru Psi 9 (inclusive) Aurigae for a scaffold and tube that is somewhat like the large 20 foot telescope; includes cluster NGC 2281 |
| Horse and Rider |
Ursa Major |
3 |
12' |
Mizar and Alcor; Zeta Ursa Majoris and 80 Ursa Majoris; an ancient test of naked eye visual acuity |
| Horseshoe |
Cygnus |
10 |
25' |
A small; faint horseshoe of stars of 10th and 11th magnitude |
| House of Cepheus |
Cepheus |
2 |
20d X 8d |
Alpha; Beta; Gamma; Iota and Lambda Cephei for 5 sided figure with the ´roof´ facing toward Polaris |
| Hyades |
Taurus |
3 |
5 deg |
Mel 25; Sisters of Pleiades |
| Jaws |
Virgo |
7 |
15' |
25 arcminutes WNW of M 104; chain of 8 stars outline a shark |
| Job´s Coffin |
Delphinus |
4 |
2.5d X 1d |
Alpha; Beta; Gamma and Delta Delphini form a parallelogram that is Job´s Coffin; the name is lost in antiquity |
| Kemble´s Cascade |
Camelopardalis |
5 |
2.5 deg |
Prominent chain of stars that ends in cluster NGC 1502; counted 19 stars in chain with 8X42 binoculars--Steve Coe |
| Kemble´s Kite |
Cassiopeia |
6 |
90' X 30' |
Kite shaped grouping 2 degrees west of Gamma CAM; includes SAO 4917 a red M2 star |
| Keystone |
Hercules |
3 |
8 deg |
Eta; Pi; Epsilon and Zeta Herculis |
| Kids |
Auriga |
4 |
2.5d X 1d |
Epsilon; Eta and Zeta Aurigae; Triangle of stars south of Capella; represents kid goats in the care of Auriga |
| Kite |
Bootes |
1 |
23 deg |
A Kite-shaped figure enclosed by Alpha; Beta; Gamma; Delta; Epsilon and Rho Bootis |
| Lambda-Lambda |
Orion |
3 |
50' X 20' |
The star Lambda Orionis is involved within a grouping that has the shape of the Greek letter Lambda; includes Phi 1 Orionis |
| Lilium (Lilly) |
Aries |
4 |
2 deg |
35;39 and 41 Aretis; 17th century constellation; AKA Musca Borealis the Northern Fly |
| Little Crab |
Cancer |
5 |
4d X 0.5d |
Cancer Minor; constellation from Cellarius Atlas in 17th century; 3;5 and 8 Cancri for straight line similar to depiction in atlas |
| Little Dipper |
Ursa Minor |
3 |
20d X 4d |
Includes Polaris; the North Star; end of small dipper is Kochab (Beta UMI) |
| Little Queen |
Draco |
7 |
20' X 10' |
Rather prominent; a ´W´ shape of 7th and 8th magnitude stars |
| Lozenge |
Draco |
3 |
5.5 deg |
The Head of Draco; Beta; Gamma; Xi and Nu 2 Draconis form lozenge shape |
| Lucky 7 |
Cassiopeia |
5 |
125' X 70' |
Includes 1 and 2 CAS |
| Manger |
Cancer |
4 |
4d X 2d |
Four stars surround the Beehive Cluster (M 44); Gamma; Delta; Eta and Theta Cancri; from Christian lore |
| Medusa´s Head |
Perseus |
3 |
2 deg |
Beta; Omega; Rho; Pi; 20; 15; 12 Persei; the Gorgon´s Head |
| Mini - Coathanger |
Ursa Minor |
8 |
15' |
It is indeed a faint copy of the Coathanger in Vulpecula; includes a 15th magnitude galaxy at end of ´hook´ |
| Mini Orion |
Canis Major |
5 |
15' |
6 stars; just naked eye |
| Mini Scorpion |
Hydra |
4 |
5d X 2d |
54 thru 60 Hydrae for a curved arc much like Scorpius; in some sources this is location of Noctus; confusing |
| Napoleon´s Hat |
Bootes |
8 |
20' X 7' |
7 stars form a chain that does indeed look like the outline of a French Marshall´s hat in the 18th century; 40 arcminutes south of Arcturus |
| Night Owl (Noctus) |
Hydra |
5 |
1.3d X 0.7d |
47 and 48 Hydrae from the eyes of a faint owl that sits on the tail of Hydra; ancient constellation |
| Northern Cross |
Cygnus |
1 |
12d X 7d |
Brightest stars in Cygnus; a cruciform along the Milky Way; Deneb at top; Alberio at bottom; stands up on western horizon in northern Autumn |
| Offramp |
Ophiucus |
4 |
21 deg |
An elongated section of Milky Way from Epsilon Aquilae to Beta Ophiuchi; also ´The Thumb´ of the Milky Way |
| Orion´s Belt |
Monoceros |
1 |
3 deg |
Only place in the sky with 3 bright stars in a mostly straight line; Zeta; Epsilon; Delta Orionis |
| Orion´s Sword |
Monoceros |
2 |
2.5 deg |
Curved sword appears to hang from left side of Belt; Rho; Theta and Iota Orionis; includes M 42--the Orion Nebula |
| Pakan´s 3 |
Monoceros |
8 |
30' |
Fairly small figure located 3 degrees SW of cluster M 50 |
| Parabola |
Antlia |
6 |
3' X 2' |
A tiny curved arc of 4 pretty bright stars and two fainter members; from Magda Streicher |
| Pointers (North) |
Ursa Major |
1 |
5 deg |
Alpha and Beta UMA point toward North Celestial Pole; also known as the Keepers of the Pole |
| Pointers (South) |
Centaurus |
0 |
4 deg |
Alpha and Beta Centauri point toward the Southern Cross; Alpha CEN is nearest star to Sun |
| Quadrans Muralis |
Draco |
5 |
4d X 3d |
An arc of stars that forms an ancient celestial navigation instrument; includes variable CL Draconis; radiant of Quadrantids meteors |
| Queen´s ´W´ |
Cassiopeia |
2 |
13d X 5d |
Alpha; Beta; Gamma; Delta and Epsilon Cassiopieae form a ´W´ or ´M´ shape; most of the throne of the Queen |
| Queen´s Kite |
Cassiopeia |
5 |
2d X 1.5d |
Rough pentagon of stars including Chi CAS may be it; but no prominent kite shape here |
| Red Necked Emu |
Cygnus |
9 |
45' |
29 CYG is tail; foot to the northwest head to southeast 1 reddish star in neck rest are blue white |
| Ruby Ring |
Hercules |
7 |
25' |
A circlet of pretty faint stars with a 7th mag orange star involved; SAO 85678 also double Hough 564 7/12 mag with 34 seconds seperation |
| Sail |
Corvus |
3 |
7d X 3d |
Beta; Gamma; Delta and Epsilon Corvi form a sail shaped grouping south of Virgo |
| Sailboat Cluster |
Leo Minor |
7 |
45' |
A dozen pretty faint stars |
| Saucepan |
Orion |
1 |
14 deg |
Includes Sword of Orion as the handle of a saucepan that includes the Belt stars; Betelgeuse and Bellatrix (Gamma Ori); also Venus´s Mirror |
| Saxophone |
Perseus |
2 |
2 deg |
Alpha Per Cluster; Mel 20; long curved star chain like musical instrument |
| Segment of Perseus |
Perseus |
3 |
25 deg |
A chain of the major stars of Perseus; In order: Eta; Gamma; Alpha; Delta; Epsilon and Zeta |
| Seven sisters of the Pole |
Cepheus |
6 |
3d X 2.4d |
A False Pleiades of stars of 6th magnitude; 1.5 deg north of cluster NGC 188 |
| Sickle |
Leo |
1 |
12d X 8d |
The Sickle of Leo includes the bright star Regulus; giant backward question mark |
| Skip Loader |
Virgo |
3 |
20 deg |
Epsilon; Delta; Gamma; Eta and Beta Virginis from the bucket of a tractor following behind the Lion |
| Smiley Face |
Auriga |
6 |
1d X 0.5d |
30 arcminutes south of cluster M 38; curved chain of 8 stars form smile with two eyes; small cluster Stock 8 is involved |
| Southern Cross |
Crux |
2 |
6 deg |
Crux is smallest constellation; starting at bottom with Alpha the star are in order of brightness going clockwise |
| Southern Little Queen |
Puppis |
8 |
7' X 2' |
Small Cassiopeia look-alike; not very prominent; by Magda Streicher |
| Spermatozoon |
Taurus |
8 |
30' |
35´ E of Zeta TAU; 0.5 degree-long chain of nearly equal magnitude stars; with brightest at point of triangular head |
| Stargate |
Corvus |
6 |
15' |
1 degree SW from M 104 in Virgo; 4 stars of 7th magnitude including double star Struve 1659 |
| Stephan´s Test |
Pegasus |
12 |
3' |
Jagged line of faint stars 17 arc minutes NE of Stephan´s Quintet (NGC 7320+); faintest is 14.7 mag; used by Stephan to test transparency |
| Stinger of Scorpius |
Scorpius |
3 |
40' |
Lambda and Nu Scorpii form the sting in the tail of the Scorpion |
| Sudor Ophiuchi |
Hercules |
4 |
3 deg |
>3 degree-long; NNW-SSE-oriented; naked-eye splash of stars just into Hercules; binoculars show curving strings of 5M thru 8M stars |
| Summer Triangle |
Cygnus |
1 |
38 deg |
Deneb; Altair and Vega form conspicuous triangle during northern Summer |
| Swoosh |
Aquila |
3 |
4 deg |
14;15; Gamma; 12 Aquilae and Eta Scuti form a curved chains of naked eye stars that point at cluster Messier 11 in Scutum; from Steve Coe |
| Table of Scorpius |
Scorpius |
3 |
2.5 deg |
Naked eye bright spot where Scorpius turns east; Incl CL NGC 6231; Australians call it ´The False Comet´ |
| Teapot |
Sagittarius |
2 |
14 deg |
Handle of Teapot to the east and Spout to the west with ´steam´ of Milky Way coming out of the Spout; Handle is also Milk Dipper |
| Teaspoon |
Sagittarius |
4 |
8d X 2d |
Nu; Rho1; 43; Pi; Omega; Xi1 and Xi2 Sagitarii form a curved ´spoon´ shape NE of Teapot; Beautiful binocular scanning including lovely chain |
| Theta Delphini |
Delphinus |
5 |
60' X 30' |
Theta Delphini has a spray of fainter stars out from it; including SS Del |
| Three Patriarchs |
Triangulum Australe |
2 |
8d X 6d |
A prominent triangle; includes Alpha; Beta and Gamma Triangulum Australae |
| Tiny Southern Cross |
Carina |
8 |
5' X 4' |
Tiny grouping that is a Crux look-alike; two degrees south of cluster NGC 2516 |
| Toadstool |
Delphinus |
8 |
15' |
Several 8th and 9th magnitude stars located 7 arcminutes west of galaxy NGC 7025; also Dolphins´ Diamonds |
| Triangulum Minor |
Triangulum |
5 |
90' X 60' |
A small triangle formed by 6; 10 and 12 Triangulii; an obsolete constellation |
| Tuft in the tail |
Canis Major |
5 |
2 deg |
Collinder 140; from Steve Coe; giant naked eye cluster is pretty bright spot south of tail of Canis Major |
| Unicorn´s Horn |
Monoceros |
8 |
10' |
Small arrowhead of pretty faint stars |
| Water Jar |
Aquarius |
3 |
3 deg |
´Y´ shaped; Zeta; Pi; Eta and Gamma Aquarii; a Water Jar on the shoulder of Aquarius; on the celestial equator; also Mercedes-Benz Symbol |
| Winter Triangle |
Monoceros |
-1 |
25 deg |
Procyon; Sirius and Betelgeuse form conspicuous triangle during northern Winter |
| X Marks The Spot |
Telescopium |
9 |
15' |
Not very prominent |
| Zig Zag |
Hercules |
7 |
100' X 15' |
A line of a dozen 8th and 9th magnitude stars that is never straight |
|
This list of asterisms is based on the original list created by the Saguaro Astronomy Club, please visit the
Saguaro Astronomy Club website
for details.
|
