learn to identify at least 10 constellations

That would be:
- Ursa major
- Virgo
- Boötes (Bärenhüter)

Seen yesterday, pretty bad to see overall- had to go up Russenbichl..

`Is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Little Bear in Latin.
The constellation of Ursa Minor resembles a baby bear with an unusually long tail. In consequence, Ursa Minor and nearby Ursa Major, the Great Bear, formed the basis of the myth of Callisto and Arcas. The tail was said to have been lengthened from that usually expected for a bear, due to its being held by the tail and spun around the pole.

Previously, Ursa Minor was considered to be just seven close stars, mythologically regarded as sisters. In early Greek mythology, the seven stars of the Little Dipper were considered to be the Hesperides, daughters of Atlas.

In earliest times, Ursa Minor was named the Dragon’s wing, and was considered a part of Draco. The dragon’s wing as an asterism is now long forgotten.`

`Canis Major is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also in Ptolemy’s list of 48 constellations. It is said to represent one of the dogs following Orion the hunter. Canis Major contains Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, and that star is part of what is called the Winter Triangle in the Northern Hemisphere, or the Summer Triangle in the Southern.

Canis Major’s alpha star, Sirius, is the brightest star besides the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, and Venus as seen from Earth. It is also one of the nearest.`

`Lepus, the hare is a constellation, lying just south of the Celestial equator, below the constellation Orion, and possibly representing a hare being chased by Orion the hunter. Lepus was one of Ptolemy’s 48 constellations, and counts also among the 88 modern constellations.
There is one Messier Object in Lepus which is M79. This is a faint globular cluster.`

Small and not very `popular` but it somehow made me smile. Especially those two ears:)

`Ursa Major is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. Its name means Great Bear. The seven brightest stars, located in the Bear’s hindquarters and tail, form the well-known Big Dipper. In addition to the Big Dipper, another asterism comes from Arab culture – the “leaps of the gazelle”, a series of three pairs of stars.
- Alula Borealis and Australis, the “first leap”;
- Tania Borealis and Australis, the “second leap”;
- Talitha Borealis and Australis, the “third leap”.
These stars are found along the southwest border of the constellation, the bear’s toes.`
from Wikipedia.

I`m so surprised! Somehow I`ve always failed to realize that the Big Dipper IS NOT Ursa Major but its part. I also find the `leaps of the gazelle` interesting – never heard of that:)!

`Often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation, one of the largest and perhaps the best-known and most conspicuous in the sky. Its three prominent “belt” stars – three stars of medium brightness in the mid-section of this constellation – make this constellation easy to spot and globally recognized.
Its stars are:
Meissa – is Orion’s head.
Betelgeuse – at its right shoulder, is a red star.
Bellatrix – is at Orion’s left shoulder.
Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka make up the asterism known as Orion’s Belt: three bright stars in a row; from these alone one can recognize Orion.
Eta Orionis – between Delta Orionis and Rigel.
Saiph – is at Orion’s right knee.
Rigel – at the constellation’s left knee, is a large blue-white star, among the brightest in the sky. It has three companions, invisible to the naked eye.
Hatsya – is at the tip of Orion’s sword.`

from Wikipedia.

I never fail to find Orion but it`s nice to know more about it:)