IAU designated constellations by geographical visibility

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is a group of scientists who study the stars and the universe. They have officially named 88 special areas in the sky, called constellations, which help us organize the stars into patterns. These constellations have been used for thousands of years by people all around the world to tell stories, navigate, and understand the night sky.

In this article, these 88 constellations are listed based on where you can see them from on Earth. This depends on your latitude, which is your position north or south on the planet. For example, some constellations are easier to see if you live near the North Pole, while others are best viewed from closer to the equator.

Each constellation also has a special time of year when it shines the brightest in the night sky. The table below shows the best months to look for each constellation when the sky is dark, usually around 9 p.m. Learning about these constellations helps us appreciate the beauty of the stars and understand how ancient cultures saw the world around them.

List

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has officially designated 88 constellations in the night sky. These constellations can be seen from different parts of the world depending on where you are and what time of year it is. The table below shows which constellations are best viewed from various latitudes and during which months they are most visible at 9 p.m.

This list helps stargazers know when and where to look for these ancient patterns in the sky. Each constellation has a special set of stars that form its shape, making the night sky a beautiful and fascinating place to explore.

Main article: List of modern constellations

		Geographical visibility			Celestial coordinates
Abbrev.	Constellation	Northern- most latitude	Southern- most latitude	Month for best visibility at 21:00 (9 p.m.)	Right ascension (hours & mins)	Declination (degs & mins)	Quad
UMi	Ursa Minor	90	-10	June	+15 00.00	+77 41.99	NQ3
Cep	Cepheus	90	-10	November	+02 32.64	+71 00.51	NQ4
Cam	Camelopardalis	90	-10	February	+08 51.37	+69 22.89	NQ2
Dra	Draco	90	-15	July	+15 08.64	+67 00.40	NQ3
Cas	Cassiopeia	90	-20	November	+01 19.16	+62 11.04	NQ1
UMa	Ursa Major	90	-30	April	+11 18.76	+50 43.27	NQ2
Lyn	Lynx	90	-55	February	+07 59.53	+47 28.00	NQ2
Lac	Lacerta	90	-40	October	+22 27.68	+46 02.51	NQ4
Per	Perseus	90	-35	December	+03 10.50	+45 00.79	NQ1
Cyg	Cygnus	90	-40	September	+20 35.28	+44 32.70	NQ4
Aur	Auriga	90	-40	February	+06 04.42	+42 01.68	NQ2
CVn	Canes Venatici	90	-40	May	+13 06.96	+40 06.11	NQ3
And	Andromeda	90	-40	November	+00 48.46	+37 25.91	NQ1
Lyr	Lyra	90	-40	August	+18 51.17	+36 41.36	NQ4
CrB	Corona Borealis	90	-50	June	+15 50.59	+32 37.49	NQ3
LMi	Leo Minor	90	-45	April	+10 14.72	+32 08.08	NQ2
Tri	Triangulum	90	-60	December	+02 11.07	+31 28.56	NQ1
Boo	Boötes	90	-50	June	+14 42.64	+31 12.16	NQ3
Her	Hercules	90	-50	July	+17 23.16	+27 29.93	NQ3
Vul	Vulpecula	90	-55	September	+20 13.88	+24 26.56	NQ4
Com	Coma Berenices	90	-70	May	+12 47.27	+23 18.34	NQ3
Gem	Gemini	90	-60	February	+07 04.24	+22 36.01	NQ2
Ari	Aries	90	-60	December	+02 38.16	+20 47.54	NQ1
Cnc	Cancer	90	-60	March	+08 38.96	+19 48.35	NQ2
Peg	Pegasus	90	-60	October	+22 41.84	+19 27.98	NQ4
Sge	Sagitta	90	-70	August	+19 39.05	+18 51.68	NQ4
Tau	Taurus	90	-65	January	+04 42.13	+14 52.63	NQ1
Psc	Pisces	90	-65	November	+00 28.97	+13 41.23	NQ1
Leo	Leo	90	-65	April	+10 40.03	+13 08.32	NQ2
Del	Delphinus	90	-69	September	+20 41.61	+11 40.26	NQ4
Equ	Equuleus	90	-80	September	+21 11.26	+07 45.49	NQ4
CMi	Canis Minor	90	-75	February	+07 39.17	+06 25.63	NQ2
Ser	Serpens	80	-80	July	+16 57.04	+06 07.32	NQ3
Ori	Orion	85	-75	January	+05 34.59	+05 56.94	NQ1
Aql	Aquila	90	-75	August	+19 40.02	+03 24.65	NQ4
Mon	Monoceros	75	-90	February	+07 03.63	+00 16.93	NQ2
Sex	Sextans	80	-90	April	+10 16.29	−02 36.88	SQ2
Vir	Virgo	80	-80	May	+13 24.39	−04 09.51	SQ3
Cet	Cetus	70	-90	November	+01 40.10	−07 10.76	SQ1
Oph	Ophiuchus	80	-80	July	+17 23.69	−07 54.74	SQ3
Sct	Scutum	80	-90	August	+18 40.39	−09 53.32	SQ4
Aqr	Aquarius	65	-90	October	+22 17.38	−10 47.35	SQ4
Hya	Hydra	54	-83	April	+11 36.73	−14 31.91	SQ2
Lib	Libra	65	-90	June	+15 11.96	−15 14.08	SQ3
Crt	Crater	65	-90	April	+11 23.75	−15 55.74	SQ2
Cap	Capricornus	60	-90	September	+21 02.93	−18 01.39	SQ4
Crv	Corvus	60	-90	May	+12 26.52	−18 26.20	SQ3
Lep	Lepus	63	-90	January	+05 33.95	−19 02.78	SQ1
CMa	Canis Major	60	-90	February	+06 49.74	−22 08.42	SQ2
Sco	Scorpius	40	-90	July	+16 53.24	−27 01.89	SQ3
Pyx	Pyxis	50	-90	March	+08 57.16	−27 21.10	SQ2
Sgr	Sagittarius	55	-90	August	+19 05.94	−28 28.61	SQ4
Eri	Eridanus	32	-90	December	+03 18.02	−28 45.37	SQ1
PsA	Piscis Austrinus	55	-90	October	+22 17.07	−30 38.53	SQ4
Pup	Puppis	40	-90	February	+07 15.48	−31 10.64	SQ2
For	Fornax	50	-90	December	+02 47.88	−31 38.07	SQ1
Scl	Sculptor	50	-90	November	+00 26.28	−32 05.30	SQ1
Ant	Antlia	45	-90	April	+10 16.43	−32 29.01	SQ2
Col	Columba	45	-90	January	+05 51.76	−35 05.67	SQ1
Mic	Microscopium	45	-90	September	+20 57.88	−36 16.49	SQ4
Cae	Caelum	40	-90	January	+04 42.27	−37 52.90	SQ1
CrA	Corona Australis	40	-90	August	+18 38.79	−41 08.85	SQ4
Lup	Lupus	35	-90	June	+15 13.21	−42 42.53	SQ3
Gru	Grus	34	-90	October	+22 27.39	−46 21.11	SQ4
Vel	Vela	30	-90	March	+09 34.64	−47 10.03	SQ2
Cen	Centaurus	25	-90	May	+13 04.27	−47 20.72	SQ3
Phe	Phoenix	32	-90	November	+00 55.91	−48 34.84	SQ1
Tel	Telescopium	40	-90	August	+19 19.54	−51 02.21	SQ4
Nor	Norma	30	-90	June	+15 54.18	−51 21.09	SQ3
Hor	Horologium	30	-90	December	+03 16.56	−53 20.18	SQ1
Pic	Pictor	26	-90	January	+05 42.46	−53 28.45	SQ1
Ara	Ara	25	-90	July	+17 22.49	−56 35.30	SQ3
Dor	Dorado	20	-90	January	+05 14.51	−59 23.22	SQ1
Ind	Indus	15	-90	September	+21 58.33	−59 42.40	SQ4
Ret	Reticulum	23	-90	December	+03 55.27	−59 59.85	SQ1
Cru	Crux	20	-90	May	+12 26.99	−60 11.19	SQ3
Cir	Circinus	30	-90	June	+14 34.54	−63 01.82	SQ3
Car	Carina	20	-90	March	+08 41.70	−63 13.16	SQ2
TrA	Triangulum Australe	25	-90	July	+16 04.95	−65 23.28	SQ3
Pav	Pavo	30	-90	August	+19 36.71	−65 46.89	SQ4
Tuc	Tucana	25	-90	October	+23 46.64	−65 49.80	SQ4
Vol	Volans	15	-90	February	+07 47.73	−69 48.07	SQ2
Hyi	Hydrus	8	-90	December	+02 20.65	−69 57.39	SQ1
Mus	Musca	10	-90	May	+12 35.28	−70 09.66	SQ3
Aps	Apus	5	-90	July	+16 08.65	−75 18.00	SQ3
Men	Mensa	4	-90	January	+05 24.90	−77 30.24	SQ1
Cha	Chamaeleon	5	-90	April	+10 41.53	−79 12.30	SQ2
Oct	Octans	0	-90	October	+23 00.00	−82 09.12	SQ4

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