What is an Asterism?
Asterisms are merely collections of stars given name. Anyone can make them and anyone can name them, which can be quite engaging activity for amateur astronomers. While there are plenty of asterisms that are widely known and accepted, such as the Big and Little Dippers, there are others I have heard of such as Fish Vega and the Dorito in Leo that are plainly new creations of my freinds. Creating new asterisms brings a sort of whimsy and dynamicism to astronomy that allows everyone to have their own interpretation of the night sky and allows our collective understanding of it to evolve.
If you would like to add an asterism to the website, please email me.
Asterisms
| Name | Constellation |
|---|---|
| Lozenge | Draco |
| Big Dipper (Americas), Plough (British Isles) | Ursa Major |
| Pointers | Ursa Major |
| Three Leaps of the Gazelle | Ursa Major |
| Little Dipper | Ursa Minor |
| Guardians of the Pole | Ursa Minor |