The shape of the constellation, does the shape of the constellation change?

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It has long been believed that the positions of the stars that make up the constellation do not change. It wasn't until 1718 that the British astronomer Edmund Halley discovered that in the long run, the position of stars would change.

Halley, the second director of the Greenwich Observatory, compared the positions of stars measured at the observatory with those measured by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus in 150 B.C. and found that some of the stars had changed. Compared to the past, Sirius (Canis Major) has moved about a degree south (almost the size of the Sun or Moon), Arcturus (Pastorius) has moved about 1 degree south, and Aldebaran (Taurus) has moved slightly southeast. This discovery makes it clear that the relative positions of stars are not fixed.

The phenomenon in which stars all move in a certain direction is called self-motion. (Translator's note: Self-motion refers to movement perpendicular to the direction of the line of sight, not the actual motion of the celestial bodies themselves.)

Although all stars move on their own, their positions barely change over years or decades because they are so far apart. But after tens or hundreds of thousands of years, the position of the star will change dramatically, and the shape of the constellation will also change completely.

Figure 2: It can be seen that the relative positions of several stars are almost constant.

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Astronomical wet engraving produced by Shepherd.

The 88 constellations in the sky are divided into 3 celestial regions, 29 in the Northern Hemisphere, 47 in the Southern Hemisphere, and 12 near the celestial equator and ecliptic.

Approximate shape: Cygnus.

One of the northern celestial constellations, located in the Milky Way. The brightest star in the constellation is a white 1st magnitude star "Tianjin IV". The constellation Cygnus is like a swan with its neck stretched out and its wings spread over the Milky Way.

The main bright star of the constellation Cygnus is arranged in the shape of a cross, also known as the "Northern Cross". There are 22 stars brighter than the 4th magnitude in the constellation Cygnus. Constellation 61 is one of the closest stars to us.

Lyra is one of the northern celestial constellations, located on the north side of the Silver River. Among them, Vega is a white magnitude 0 star, and it is also the brightest star in the northern sky; It is arranged in a triangle and a diamond with some small stars nearby. There are 8 stars brighter than 4th magnitude in the constellation Lyra.

Aquila is one of the equatorial constellations, located on the southeastern side of the Milky Way. The star Cowherd in the constellation is a white 1st magnitude star. The Cowherd Star is arranged in a straight line with two small stars evenly spaced on both sides, commonly known as "Cowherd Three Stars" or "Flat Dan Star". There are 13 stars in the constellation Aquila that shine brighter than the 4th magnitude.

Scorpio is the southernmost of the zodiac signs, with a vast range and many stars, and is the most striking constellation in the summer sky in the Northern Hemisphere. It appears in the southern sky and is shaped like a scorpion with its tail pointing southeast. The "Antares" in the constellation is a first-magnitude star, the starlight is red, and our country called it "fire" in ancient times.

There are 22 stars in Scorpio that shine brighter than the 4th magnitude.

Leo is the tail, the lion's tail! Nothing else is clear, I'm a Leo.

The zodiac signs like the shape of the biscuit, and the Aquarius bear pattern is the cutest.