constellation

American  

[kon-stuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌkɒn stəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

constellations plural

1. Astronomy.

   1. any of various groups of stars to which definite names have been given, as Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Boötes, Cancer, Orion.

   2. the section of the heavens occupied by such a group.

2. Astrology.

   1. the grouping or relative position of the stars as supposed to influence events, especially at a person's birth.

   2. Obsolete. character as presumed to be determined by the stars.

3. a group or configuration of ideas, feelings, characteristics, objects, etc., that are related in some way.

   a constellation of qualities that made her particularly suited to the job.

4. any brilliant, outstanding group or assemblage.

   a constellation of great scientists.

   Synonyms:

   circle, company, gathering

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constellation British  

/ ˌkɒnstɪˈleɪʃən, -trɪ, kənˈstɛlətərɪ /

noun

1. 1. any of the 88 groups of stars as seen from the earth and the solar system, many of which were named by the ancient Greeks after animals, objects, or mythological persons

   2. an area on the celestial sphere containing such a group

2. a gathering of brilliant or famous people or things

3. psychoanal a group of ideas felt to be related

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constellation Scientific  

/ kŏn′stə-lā′shən /

1. A group of stars seen as forming a figure or design in the sky, especially one of 88 officially recognized groups, many of which are based on mythological traditions from ancient Greek and Middle Eastern civilizations.

2. An area of the sky occupied by one of the 88 recognized constellations. These irregularly defined areas completely fill the celestial sphere and divide it into nonoverlapping sections used in describing the location of celestial objects.

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constellation Cultural  

1. An easily recognized group of stars that appear to be located close together in the sky and that form a picture if lines connecting them are imagined. Constellations are usually named after an animal, a character from mythology, or a common object. (See Big Dipper, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor.)

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Usage

What else does constellation mean? A constellation is a way of thinking about sexuality by considering sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender expression as separate components (like stars) that together make up one's gender and sexual identity (constellation). What are some other words related to constellation?

• nonbinary
• cis
• gender-fluid
• queer

Closer Look

Various cultures throughout history have chosen different groups of stars in the night sky to form different constellations. While it was once thought that the Greeks were responsible for determining many of the constellations known today, it is now believed that the mythological origins of the 48 ancient constellations predate the Greeks and originate instead from ancient Middle Eastern civilizations. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries another 40 constellations were invented by Europeans for navigational purposes. The boundaries of the 88 constellations currently recognized were defined in the 1920s by the International Astronomical Union. There is no scientific reason why there are exactly 88; the modern constellations are only a convenient way to break up the sky to locate the position of celestial objects or track satellites. Although the stars in any given constellation may look like they're neighbors, they can actually be many light-years apart, and if seen from another part of the galaxy they would form different groups and shapes altogether. Constellation names are usually given in Latin, such as Ursa Major (Great Bear) or Centaurus (Centaur), and individual stars in constellations are named in order of brightness, using the Greek alphabet, with the genitive case of the constellation following. Therefore, Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the constellation Centaurus, Beta Centauri is the second brightest star, and so on. The stars within our galaxy are rushing through space in various directions, and as the millennia pass, the arrangements of the star groups as seen from Earth will change, inevitably altering the constellations as we know them.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subconstellation
  noun
• constellational
  adjective
• constellatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• constellations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of constellation

1275–1325; Middle English constellacioun (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin constellātiōn- (stem of constellātiō ). See constellate, -ion

Explanation

When you spot the Big Dipper in the night sky, you're looking at part of the constellation called "Ursa Major." A constellation is a group of stars that forms a pattern and has been given a name based on its shape. The visible night sky is divided into 88 constellations by astronomers. Organizing the stars into specific shapes and patterns helps when people study them, since they're broken down into manageable sections. A constellation can also be a cluster of things, like a constellation of freckles on your friend's nose. The stella in the middle of the word constellation means "star" in Latin, while the entire word means "set with stars."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

constellation constellations

Pyongyang has placed just one spy satellite into orbit, leaving it a long way from the constellation needed for meaningful reconnaissance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The planet lies about 124 light years away in the constellation Leo and orbits within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

At the end of 2025, China had more than 1,353 satellites in orbit, far fewer than SpaceX’s constellation alone, according to the U.S.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

The number of satellites orbiting Earth has now reached 14,000 after surging in recent years, many of them part of trillionaire Elon Musk's Starlink internet constellation.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Part 2, entitled “The Rise and Spread of Food Production” and consisting of Chapters 4—10, is devoted to what I believe to be the most important constellation of ultimate causes.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Satellite constellations operated separately from GPS such as Europe’s Galileo, terrestrial timing systems such as enhanced LORAN, and organizations maintaining their own resilient timing system would reduce dependence on a single vulnerable source.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The light pollution created by constellations of very bright satellites is not just a problem for astronomers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

Although satellite constellations such as Starlink and Amazon Leo have demonstrated that doing this is possible, the amount of data sent to and from space would balloon.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Satellites could be connected to one another through laser links, or to SpaceX’s Starlink constellations, Musk said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026

One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out—single stars, constellations, and planets, brighter and bigger than any in our world.

From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis

Related Words

• kind
• method
• sequence
• shape
• sort
• style
• system
• type
• variety