
The Farnese Atlas, sculpted in late Roman times, is the first known depiction of the classical constellations.
Gerry Picus
Most of the well-known star constellation names date back to ancient Greece or earlier, but the precise list remained somewhat fuzzy until the early 20th century. Then, in a series of resolutions from 1922 to 1930, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) divided the celestial sphere into 88 precisely defined constellations with official spellings and abbreviations.
Every constellation name has two forms: the nominative, for use when you're talking about the constellation itself, and the genitive, or possessive, which is used in star names. For instance, Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation Aries (nominative form), is also called Alpha Arietis (genitive form), meaning literally "the Alpha of Aries." When space is at a premium, this is written α Ari, using the lower-case Greek letter alpha and the abbreviation for Aries.
Constellation Names
The table below lists all 88 constellations in alphabetical order. If you don't want to scroll through the whole thing, click on the appropriate abbreviation in the index table. Click on the pronunciations in the main table to hear what they really sound like. After the table, there are extended discussions of the constellations' history, their names and meanings, and their pronunciations.
And | Cap | Col | Dra | Lac | Mus | Psc | Tau |
Ant | Car | Com | Eql | Leo | Nor | Pup | Tel |
Aps | Cas | CrA | Eri | Lep | Oct | Pyx | TrA |
Aql | Cen | CrB | For | Lib | Oph | Ret | Tri |
Aqr | Cep | Crt | Gem | LMi | Ori | Scl | Tuc |
Ara | Cet | Cru | Gru | Lup | Pav | Sco | UMa |
Ari | Cha | Crv | Her | Lyn | Peg | Sct | UMi |
Aur | Cir | CVn | Hor | Lyr | Per | Ser | Vel |
Boo | CMa | Cyg | Hya | Men | Phe | Sex | Vir |
Cae | CMi | Del | Hyi | Mic | Pic | Sge | Vol |
Cam | Cnc | Dor | Ind | Mon | PsA | Sgr | Vul |
The Constellation Names |
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Abbr. | Nominative Genitive English Nickname |
Nominative Pronunciation Genitive Pronunciation Comments |
And | Andromeda Andromedae the Chained Maiden |
an-DRAH-mih-duh an-DRAH-mih-dee ancient, daughter of Cepheus |
Ant | Antlia Antliae the Air Pump |
ANT-lee-uh ANT-lee-ee 18th century |
Aps | Apus Apodis the Bird of Paradise |
APE-us, APP-us APP-oh-diss 16th century |
Aqr | Aquarius Aquarii the Water Bearer |
uh-QUAIR-ee-us uh-QUAIR-ee-eye ancient, in zodiac |
Aql | Aquila Aquilae the Eagle |
ACK-will-uh, uh-QUILL-uh ACK-will-ee, uh-QUILL-ee ancient |
Ara | Ara Arae the Altar |
AIR-uh, AR-uh AIR-ee, AR-ee southernmost ancient constellation |
Ari | Aries Arietis the Ram |
AIR-eez, AIR-ee-yeez uh-RYE-ih-tiss ancient, in zodiac |
Aur | Auriga Aurigae the Charioteer |
aw-RYE-guh aw-RYE-ghee ancient |
Boo | Boötes Boötis the Herdsman |
bo-OH-teez bo-OH-tiss ancient, also called Bear Watcher |
Cae | Caelum Caeli the Engraving Tool |
SEE-lum SEE-lye 18th century |
Cam | Camelopardalis Camelopardalis the Giraffe |
cuh-MEL-oh-PAR-duh-liss cuh-MEL-oh-PAR-duh-liss 17th century |
Cnc | Cancer Cancri the Crab |
CAN-ser CANG-cry ancient, in zodiac |
CVn | Canes Venatici Canum Venaticorum the Hunting Dogs |
CANE-eez (CAN-eez) ve-NAT-iss-eye CANE-um (CAN-um) ve-nat-ih-COR-um 17th century |
CMa | Canis Major Canis Majoris the Great Dog |
CANE-iss (CAN-iss) MAY-jer CANE-iss (CAN-iss) muh-JOR-iss ancient |
CMi | Canis Minor Canis Minoris the Lesser Dog |
CANE-iss (CAN-iss) MY-ner CANE-iss (CAN-iss) mih-NOR-iss ancient |
Cap | Capricornus Capricorni the Sea Goat |
CAP-rih-CORN-us CAP-rih-CORN-eye ancient, in zodiac, fish-goat hybrid |
Car | Carina Carinae the Keel |
cuh-RYE-nuh, cuh-REE-nuh cuh-RYE-nee, cuh-REE-nee of the ship Argo1 |
Cas | Cassiopeia Cassiopeiae the Seated Queen |
CASS-ee-uh-PEE-uh CASS-ee-uh-PEE-ye ancient, Andromeda's mother |
Cen | Centaurus Centauri the Centaur |
sen-TOR-us sen-TOR-eye ancient, far-southern |
Cep | Cepheus Cephei the King |
SEE-fyoos, SEE-fee-us, SEF-ee-us SEE-fee-eye, SEF-ee-eye ancient, Andromeda's father |
Cet | Cetus Ceti the Sea Monster |
SEE-tus SEE-tie ancient, Andromeda's assailant |
Cha | Chamaeleon Chamaeleontis the Chameleon |
cuh-MEAL-yun, cuh-MEAL-ee-un cuh-MEAL-ee-ON-tiss 16th century |
Cir | Circinus Circini the Drafting Compass |
SER-sin-us SER-sin-eye 18th century |
Col | Columba Columbae the Dove |
cuh-LUM-buh cuh-LUM-bee 16th century, Noah's dove |
Com | Coma Berenices Comae Berenices Berenice's Hair |
COE-muh BER-uh-NICE-eez COE-mee BER-uh-NICE-eez Queen of Egypt c. 240 B.C. |
CrA | Corona Australis2 Coronae Australis the Southern Crown |
cuh-ROE-nuh aw-STRAL-iss3 cuh-ROE-nee aw-STRAL-iss3 ancient, far-southern |
CrB | Corona Borealis Coronae Borealis the Northern Crown |
cuh-ROE-nuh bor-ee-AL-iss3 cuh-ROE-nee bor-ee-AL-iss3 ancient |
Crv | Corvus Corvi the Crow |
COR-vus COR-vye ancient |
Crt | Crater Crateris the Cup |
CRAY-ter cruh-TEE-riss ancient |
Cru | Crux Crucis the Southern Cross |
CRUCKS, CROOKS CROO-siss 16th century, carved out of Centaurus |
Cyg | Cygnus Cygni the Swan |
SIG-nus SIG-nye ancient |
Del | Delphinus Delphini the Dolphin |
del-FINE-us, del-FIN-us del-FINE-eye, del-FIN-eye ancient |
Dor | Dorado Doradus the Dolphinfish |
duh-RAH-do duh-RAH-dus 16th century |
Dra | Draco Draconis the Dragon |
DRAY-co druh-CONE-iss ancient |
Eql | Equuleus Equulei the Little Horse |
eh-QUOO-lee-us eh-QUOO-lee-eye ancient |
Eri | Eridanus Eridani the River |
ih-RID-un-us ih-RID-un-eye ancient, a mythological river |
For | Fornax Fornacis the Furnace |
FOR-naks for-NAY-siss 18th century |
Gem | Gemini Geminorum the Twins |
JEM-uh-nye, JEM-uh-nee JEM-uh-NOR-um ancient, in zodiac |
Gru | Grus Gruis the Crane |
GRUSS, GROOS GROO-iss 16th century |
Her | Hercules Herculis Hercules |
HER-kyuh-leez HER-kyuh-liss ancient, mightiest of heroes |
Hor | Horologium Horologii the Clock |
hor-uh-LOE-jee-um hor-uh-LOE-jee-eye 18th century |
Hya | Hydra Hydrae the Water Snake |
HIGH-druh HIGH-dree usually female in ancient times |
Hyi | Hydrus Hydri the Male Water Snake |
HIGH-drus HIGH-dry 16th century |
Ind | Indus Indi the Indian |
IN-dus IN-dye 16th century |
Lac | Lacerta Lacertae the Lizard |
luh-SER-tuh luh-SER-tee 17th century |
Leo | Leo Leonis the Lion |
LEE-oh lee-OH-niss ancient, in zodiac |
LMi | Leo Minor Leonis Minoris the Lesser Lion |
LEE-oh MY-ner lee-OH-niss mih-NOR-iss 17th century |
Lep | Lepus Leporis the Hare |
LEEP-us, LEP-us LEP-or-iss ancient |
Lib | Libra Librae the Scales |
LEE-bruh, LYE-bruh LEE-bree, LYE-bree ancient, in zodiac |
Lup | Lupus Lupi the Wolf |
LOOP-us LOOP-eye ancient, far-southern |
Lyn | Lynx Lyncis the Lynx |
LINKS LIN-siss 17th century |
Lyr | Lyra Lyrae the Lyre |
LYE-ruh LYE-ree ancient kind of harp |
Men | Mensa Mensae the Table |
MEN-suh MEN-see 18th century, from Table Mountain |
Mic | Microscopium Microscopii the Microscope |
my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-um my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-eye 18th century |
Mon | Monoceros Monocerotis the Unicorn |
muh-NAH-ser-us muh-NAH-ser-OH-tiss 17th century |
Mus | Musca Muscae the Fly |
MUSS-cuh MUSS-see, MUSS-kee 18th century |
Nor | Norma Normae the Carpenter's Square |
NOR-muh NOR-mee 18th century |
Oct | Octans Octantis the Octant |
OCK-tanz ock-TAN-tiss 18th century |
Oph | Ophiuchus Ophiuchi the Serpent Bearer |
OFF-ee-YOO-kus, OAF-ee-YOO-kus OFF-ee-YOO-kye, OAF-ee-YOO-kye ancient4 |
Ori | Orion Orionis the Hunter |
oh-RYE-un, uh-RYE-un or-eye-OH-niss ancient, a mythological hunter |
Pav | Pavo Pavonis the Peacock |
PAY-vo puh-VOE-niss 16th century |
Peg | Pegasus Pegasi the Winged Horse |
PEG-us-us PEG-us-eye ancient |
Per | Perseus Persei the Hero |
PER-see-us, PER-syoos PER-see-eye ancient, Andromeda's rescuer |
Phe | Phoenix Phoenicis the Phoenix |
FEE-nix fuh-NICE-iss 16th century |
Pic | Pictor Pictoris the Painter |
PICK-ter pick-TOR-iss 18th century, from Painter's Easel |
Psc | Pisces Piscium the Fishes |
PICE-eez, PISS-eez PICE-ee-um, PISH-ee-um ancient, in zodiac |
PsA | Piscis Austrinus Piscis Austrini the Southern Fish |
PICE-iss (PISS-iss) aw-STRY-nus PICE-iss (PISS-iss) aw-STRY-nye ancient |
Pup | Puppis Puppis the Stern |
PUP-iss PUP-iss of the ship Argo1 |
Pyx | Pyxis Pyxidis the Magnetic Compass |
PIX-iss PIX-ih-diss of the ship Argo1 |
Ret | Reticulum Reticulii the Reticle |
rih-TICK-yuh-lum rih-TICK-yuh-lye 18th century |
Sge | Sagitta Sagittae the Arrow |
suh-JIT-uh suh-JIT-ee ancient |
Sgr | Sagittarius Sagittarii the Archer |
SAJ-ih-TARE-ee-us SAJ-ih-TARE-ee-eye ancient, in zodiac |
Sco | Scorpius5 Scorpii the Scorpion |
SCOR-pee-us SCOR-pee-eye ancient, in zodiac |
Scl | Sculptor Sculptoris the Sculptor |
SCULP-ter sculp-TOR-iss 18th century, from Sculptor's Studio |
Sct | Scutum Scuti the Shield |
SCOOT-um, SCYOOT-um SCOOT-eye, SCYOOT-eye 17th century |
Ser | Serpens Serpentis the Serpent |
SER-punz ser-PEN-tiss ancient4 |
Sex | Sextans Sextantis the Sextant |
SEX-tunz sex-TAN-tiss 18th century |
Tau | Taurus Tauri the Bull |
TOR-us TOR-eye ancient, in zodiac |
Tel | Telescopium Telescopii the Telescope |
tel-ih-SCOPE-ee-um tel-ih-SCOPE-ee-eye 18th century |
Tri | Triangulum Trianguli the Triangle |
try-ANG-gyuh-lum try-ANG-gyuh-lye ancient |
TrA | Triangulum Australe Trianguli Australis the Southern Triangle |
try-ANG-gyuh-lum aw-STRAL-ee3 try-ANG-gyuh-lye aw-STRAL-iss3 16th century |
Tuc | Tucana Tucanae the Toucan |
too-KAY-nuh, too-KAH-nuh6 too-KAY-nee, too-KAH-nee6 16th century |
UMa | Ursa Major Ursae Majoris the Great Bear |
ER-suh MAY-jur ER-suh muh-JOR-iss ancient, also called Wagon |
UMi | Ursa Minor Ursae Minoris the Lesser Bear |
ER-suh MY-ner ER-suh mih-NOR-iss ancient |
Vel | Vela Velorum the Sails |
VEE-luh, VAY-luh vee-LOR-um, vuh-LOR-um of the ship Argo1 |
Vir | Virgo Virginis the Maiden |
VER-go VER-jin-iss ancient, in zodiac |
Vol | Volans Volantis the Flying Fish |
VOH-lanz vo-LAN-tiss 16th century |
Vul | Vulpecula Vulpeculae the Fox |
vul-PECK-yuh-luh vul-PECK-yuh-lee 17th century |
1The ancient constellation Argo Navis was split into Carina, Puppis, Pyxis, and Vela in the 18th century.
2In 1932 the IAU officially changed this constellation's name from Corona Australis to Corona Austrina (genitive Coronae Austrinae), but the revised name never really caught on. The original name is used far more often, and even the IAU website implicitly endorses it as an alternative.
3Australe, Australis, and Borealis are sometimes prounced aw-STRAIL-ee, aw-STRAIL-iss, and bor-ee-AIL-iss, respectively.
4Ophiuchus and Serpens used to share several stars. The IAU reforms assigned the shared stars to Ophiuchus, leaving Serpens in two disjoint pieces: Serpens Caput (the Serpent's Head) and Serpens Cauda (the Serpent's Tail).
5Before the IAU reforms, astronomers used the names Scorpius and Scorpio interchangeably. Scorpio is now used primarily by astrologers.
6Tucana and Tucanae are sometimes pronounced tyoo-KAY-nuh and tyoo-KAY-nee, respectively.
Constellation Origins
Star constellations are human inventions, not things that really exist "out there" in the sky. Different cultures have divided and organized the stars and deep sky objects in very different ways, though a few patterns (notably true physical clusters like the Pleiades) are so eye-catching that they're nearly universal. The constellations recognized by scientists today are the ones that arose out of the European tradition.
The major European constellation names are very old. A few, notably the Great Bear, are widely believed to predate the invention of writing some 5,000 years ago. And there's compelling evidence that many, including the zodiacal constellations, originated in Mesopotamia sometime before 1,000 BC. Somehow, the Mesopotamian constellations were imported into ancient Greece, but there's no record of how or why this occurred. As for timing, the Mesopotamian constellations were not mentioned in the works of Homer and Hesiod (about 700 BC), but they were firmly entrenched in the earliest comprehensive Greek constellation lists, which appeared around 350 BC.
The Greeks seem to have invented some constellations of their own, notably the Perseus family, around the same time that they adopted the Mesopotomian constellations, and a few more were added after 350 BC. The comprehensive list of ancient constellations appeared in a book written around AD 150 by the Greco-Egyptian astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. This book, which summarized all of classical astronomy, is now known by its (entirely appropriate) Arabic name: Almagest, meaning "the Greatest."
Astronomy was neglected in Europe for more than a millennium following the Almagest, but it revived in the 15th century, when European navigators started to explore unknown waters. When these sailors ventured south of the equator, they saw stars that were not in Ptolemy's catalog and organized them into new constellations. Later, in the telescopic era, astronomers invented additional constellations to fill the gaps between the traditional ones — areas that were uninteresting to Ptolemy and the early European navigators because they contain no bright stars.
Rome conquered the entire Greek-speaking world by 30 BC, and the Greek constellation names were translated or transliterated into Latin, the primary language of the Roman Empire. Latin has remained the standard language for scientific nomenclature ever since. That's why all constellations invented since classical times have Latin names, as do all species of plants and animals.
Names and Nicknames
Most constellation names are simple common nouns with obvious English equivalents. For instance, Leo is Latin for "the lion" or "a lion." The Greeks sometimes tried to associate the constellation Leo with some particular lion from their mythology, but there's every reason to believe that when they inherited this constellation from Mesopotamia, it was just a generic lion. Or, more precisely, the great celestial Lion — the Lion that Lives in the Sky.
Other constellations are named after specific people or things. For instance, Eridanus is one particular mythological river, not the Latin equivalent of "a river" or "the river." The constellation Perseus is often nicknamed the Hero in English, but this is a little misleading, as that nickname could apply equally well to Hercules.
Not surprisingly, there are plenty of intermediate cases. Thus, Cetus means just a sea monster, whale, or large fish, but it's very likely that the constellation's inventor was thinking of the particular monster that tried to eat Andromeda. And Gemini is the common Latin word for "twins" but also the special epithet of the mythological twins Castor and Pollux.
Some sky atlas guides will use one variation of a constellations name while others may use another so be keep this in mind when using this reference guide.
Pronunciations
Our pronunciations of constellation names are drawn from four sources:
- The article Pronouncing Astronomical Names by George A. Davis, Samuel G. Barton, and I. McHugh, Popular Astronomy. August 1942.
- The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th edition.
- Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes by Michael A. Covington, pages 80–84.
- Usage polls of Sky & Telescope editors.
Pronouncing Astronomical Names was the report of a committee of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) charged with standardizing the pronunciation of constellations and stars. Sky & Telescope republished the constellation pronunciations several times, first in the June 1943 issue and most recently (with minor modifications) in the article Designated Authority by E. C. Krupp, May 1997, page 66. The AAS pronunciations were the S&T standard until 2004, when the desire to include pronunciation guides in Night Sky magazine forced us to reexamine the entire subject.
In fact, the AAS report is deeply flawed. It was inspired by the IAU's standardization of constellation definitions, but that was a very different situation. The IAU reforms were successful because they addressed an urgent need. Newly discovered variable stars are named after the constellation that contains them, and this only works if everyone agrees on the constellation boundaries. There's no comparable reason to standardize pronunciation. Experienced astronomers, both professional and amateur, pronounce constellation names in many different ways but have no trouble understanding each other. Moreover, the pronunciations chosen for the AAS report were somewhat arbitrary. There are several well-defined systems for pronouncing Latin, and the AAS pronunciations don't conform with any of them.
What's worse, the AAS report clashes with common usage in several important cases. Even at Sky & Telescope, which has been eager to promote the AAS standard, not a single editor pronounces Pisces as piss-ease, in accordance with the AAS recommendations. Nonetheless, having told people for generations that they can't go wrong with the AAS pronunciations, we've made sure that they're all included in the table above, though not necessarily as the first choice.
The American Heritage Dictionary (AHD) lists all but two of the constellations, with one or more pronunciations specified for each. It's much more faithful to actual American usage than the AAS report. We've included all of the AHD pronunciations of constellation names except for a few minor variants.
Michael Covington is a professional linguist with a solid grounding in Greek and Latin. He has also written several books on amateur astronomy. Celestial Objects for Modern Telescopes specifies constellation pronunciations, most of them based on the English system, as explained on Covington's website Latin Pronunciation Demystified. Covington's pronunciations have served as a cross-check on the other authorities.
The editors of Sky & Telescope have served as a handy sample of the American amateur-astronomy community. Several pronunciations of constellation names were included because they were the most popular choice at S&T, even if they don't appear in any of the other sources.
Finally, it must be emphasized that these are suggestions, not rules. Nobody has the right to complain if you use one of the pronunciations listed here, but there are many equally legitimate ways to pronounce constellation names. For instance, many people rhyme all genitives ending in "i" and "ae" with "be" and "by," respectively. This is exactly backward from what's specified in the constellation names table above, but it's how these endings were pronounced in classical antiquity — and how they still are pronounced by many choral groups and by almost everyone outside the English-speaking world.
The bottom line is that if you're happy with the way you say something, and other people understand you, then there's no reason to change.
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