Constellations are among the most overlooked features of the night sky, with even many amateur astronomers only ever identifying the 12 major constellations in the northern hemisphere such as Orion and Cassiopeia. However, there are hundreds of constellations that you can spot using just your eyes or a pair of binoculars, with some being visible to observers in both hemispheres! Here’s five lesser known constellations that everyone misses out on.
1) Sagitta
Sagitta is a small constellation in the northern sky. It is bordered by Aquila to the west and Hercules to the east. This constellation is often overlooked because it is so small. However, it contains some interesting stars, including the double star Albireo. Larger than most constellations, this one is mostly visible during fall months when you are facing south. Its name comes from the Latin word for arrow, which might make sense if you look at its shape. The brightest star of the constellation is Alpha Sagittae. It has an apparent magnitude of 2.1. You can also find Gamma Sagittae with an apparent magnitude of 3.2 as well as Pi Sagittae with an apparent magnitude of 4.2, which makes them much brighter than Alpha Sagittae. Gamma and Pi form the center point of the constellation. A few other notable stars include Epsilon Sagittae (a binary system) and Nu Sagittae (which is another binary system). All three systems have a similar distance from Earth but they have different masses so they move around each other differently.
2) Corona Australis
Corona Australis is one of the lesser known constellations, but it’s actually quite easy to find. It’s located in the southern sky, just below Scorpius. The best time to see it is in late summer or early fall. Corona Australis is a small constellation, but it contains some interesting stars. One of the brightest stars in Corona Australis is Alpha Coronae Australis, also known as Southern Crown. Southern Crown is a white star that’s about twice as massive as our Sun. It emits an orange-red light and shines with magnitude 3.3 on average. It’s believed to be around 1 billion years old and has a diameter 4 times larger than the Sun’s. It will eventually evolve into a red giant and then become a white dwarf when its nuclear fuel runs out. There are two binary systems in this constellation as well: Sigma1 Coronae Australis which consists of 2 yellow stars orbiting each other, and Epsilon1 Coronae Australis which consists of 2 blue-white stars orbiting each other. The whole system rotates once every 5 days and 16 hours, leading astronomers to believe that both binaries were once a single star. Epsilon1 Coronae Australis rotates much faster than its sibling, making it an attractive candidate for studying evolution through rotation rates. Both binary systems lie at a distance of 1600 light years from Earth.
3) Volans
This constellation is located in the southern sky and is one of the faintest constellations. It was created in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Volans represents a flying fish and is best seen in November. The four stars that make up this constellation represent its head, body, tail, and anal fin.
Volans is found on the celestial equator and can be found near the three stars of Grus, which form a triangular shape that points to Volans.
Volans has been officially recognized as a part of the International Astronomical Union’s list since 1930. Volans has also been known to be considered as a symbol for speed, agility, and change.
It’s not well-known but it’s still an important constellation worth knowing about! To spot it, find the three stars that form a triangle pointing to Volans and then you’ll see Volans next to them. It may be hard to spot so look with binoculars or start at Grus and follow the pointed line outwards towards where these two different lines intersect!
4) Sculptor
Sculptor is a constellation that is often missed because it is not as bright as some of the others. It is located in the southern sky and was first catalogued by Ptolemy in the 2nd century. It is made up of stars that are not as bright as those in other constellations, but it is still a beautiful sight. It contains only one star brighter than third magnitude and does not have any double or multiple stars. Its name comes from the Ancient Greek word for ‘sculptor’ and its five brightest stars form an almost perfect pentagon around a single star which represents sculpting tools. Sculptor also has two more stars visible to the naked eye – Xi-1 and Xi-2 – making it six in total. The four fainter ones were originally named Alpha (A), Beta (B), Gamma (G) and Delta (D). However, they were given new names by Lacaille in 1756. He gave them the names Pi (P), Rho (R), Sigma (S) and Tau (T). Tau represents a square while Pi forms an X on top of it. Sigma is a triangle with another triangle on top of it forming what looks like an upside down V. Rho has a long tail with three parts attached to it – these represent broken tablets at the foot of Mt Sinai where Moses received his law from God.
5) Crater
Crater is one of the lesser known constellations, but it’s actually quite easy to find. It’s located in the southern sky and is best seen in the Northern Hemisphere during the months of April and May. Crater is a small constellation, but it contains several interesting stars. One of the most notable is Algol, which is actually a binary star system. Algol consists of two stars that orbit each other every 2.87 days. Every time the brighter star crosses in front of the dimmer star, we can see a noticeable drop in brightness. In addition to being an awesome sight through telescopes, this helps scientists measure how far away from Earth these stars are as well as their distance from each other! There are only around 30 different constellations in total, so keep your eyes peeled for more than just Orion and Leo the Lion. Sagitta, Ophiuchus, Corona Australis, Draco – they’re all out there waiting to be discovered.
