The Universe
Yours to Discover
The asterism called the Little Dipper is located to the right. The blue lines that connect these stars together form the basis of an image, which in this case is that of a Little Spoon.
The exact same image appears below, but this time it is referred to as Ursa Minor, which is a constellation, and there is also a red boundary line all around. All constellations have a boundary around them. That's what makes them different from asterisms. The boundary lines make it easier for astronomers to share information with each other because they have all agreed where exactly one constellation ends and the next one begins. So, if a comet were passing through this region of the sky, an astronomer would say that the comet was currently located "in the constellation" of Ursa Minor. By doing so, astronomers from around the world would then know what part of the sky to search in order to see the comet for themselves. Before these constellation boundaries were officially designated, many astronomers were frustrated when trying to spot a newly discovered object in the sky because the existing boundaries were usually rather vague. |