CynosuraSPACE FACT:
'Constellation' means something different to the public and to astronomers!
A constellation, in formal astronomy usage, is a specific area of sky delimited by right ascension and declination. (analogous to latitude and longitude). There are 88 modern constellations.
A recognizable pattern of stars is called an 'asterism'. An asterism can be contained within a constellation, or across multiple ones.
Example: the Big Dipper is an asterism, but the constellation is Ursa Major.
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