Northern Hemisphere Constellations: The Complete List

On clear nights the northern sky reads like a map of stories and seasonal guides, with familiar groupings of stars helping you orient yourself and pick targets for a telescope or a casual backyard view. Whether you’re near a city or far from lights, knowing which patterns to look for cuts down search time and makes stargazing more rewarding.

There are 34 Northern Hemisphere Constellations, ranging from Andromeda to Vulpecula. For each entry you’ll find Abbreviation (IAU),Brightest star (V mag),Best months in the table you’ll find below. This layout makes it easy to scan abbreviations for charts, compare apparent brightness, and pick the right months for observation — you’ll find below.

When are most of these constellations visible from mid-northern latitudes?

Visibility depends on season: winter brings Orion and Taurus, spring highlights Leo and Virgo, summer favors Cygnus and Lyra, and autumn shows Pegasus and Andromeda; check the “Best months” column for each constellation and remember time of night and your latitude shift exact visibility.

How do I use the Abbreviation (IAU), Brightest star (V mag), Best months columns for planning?

Use the IAU abbreviation to match star charts and apps, the brightest-star V magnitude to judge whether a constellation will be visible under your sky conditions (higher numbers = fainter), and the best months to schedule outings; pair that info with local rise/set times and a star app for quick, practical planning.

Northern Hemisphere Constellations

Images and Descriptions

Andromeda

Home to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the closest major galaxy to our own. In mythology, Andromeda was a princess chained to a rock as a sacrifice, saved by the hero Perseus. It’s best seen in autumn skies.

Aquila

The Eagle, flying along the Milky Way. Its brightest star, Altair, forms one corner of the Summer Triangle. Aquila carried Zeus’s thunderbolts in Roman mythology and is a highlight of the summer sky.

Aries

The Ram, a small zodiac constellation. In ancient times, the Sun’s position during the spring equinox was in Aries, marking the “First Point of Aries.” It’s a modest constellation best viewed in the late autumn and winter.

Auriga

The Charioteer, a prominent pentagon-shaped winter constellation. Its brightest star, Capella, is one of the brightest in the night sky. Auriga lies along the Milky Way and hosts several bright star clusters.

Boötes

The Herdsman, often pictured chasing the Great Bear (Ursa Major). Its bright, orange star Arcturus is easily found by following the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle. Boötes is a large, kite-shaped constellation.

Camelopardalis

The Giraffe, a very large but faint constellation in the northern circumpolar region. It contains no bright stars, making it a “dark sky” challenge. It represents a region of the sky that was empty to early cartographers.

Cancer

The Crab, a faint zodiac constellation between Gemini and Leo. It is best known for the Beehive Cluster (M44), a beautiful open cluster visible to the naked eye under dark skies as a faint, fuzzy patch.

Canes Venatici

The Hunting Dogs, a small constellation created in the 17th century. It lies below the handle of the Big Dipper and is home to the stunning Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), a favorite target for amateur astronomers.

Canis Minor

The Lesser Dog, companion to Orion’s bigger dog, Canis Major. Its main star, Procyon, is the eighth-brightest star in the sky and forms one corner of the Winter Triangle with Betelgeuse and Sirius.

Cassiopeia

The Queen, easily recognizable by its distinct “W” or “M” shape. As a circumpolar constellation, it’s visible year-round from mid-northern latitudes, circling the North Star. It sits within a rich star field of the Milky Way.

Cepheus

The King, a circumpolar constellation shaped like a house. It sits near his wife, Cassiopeia, and daughter, Andromeda. The star Delta Cephei is the prototype for a class of pulsating stars used to measure cosmic distances.

Coma Berenices

Berenice’s Hair, a faint but lovely constellation representing the sacrificed hair of an Egyptian queen. It contains the North Galactic Pole and a rich collection of distant galaxies, including the Coma Cluster of galaxies.

Corona Borealis

The Northern Crown, a beautiful small semicircle of stars between Boötes and Hercules. It represents the crown given by the god Dionysus to Princess Ariadne. A small but very distinctive and memorable pattern.

Cygnus

The Swan, flying down the summer Milky Way. It’s also known as the Northern Cross. Its brightest star, Deneb, is one of the most luminous stars known and forms a corner of the Summer Triangle with Vega and Altair.

Delphinus

The Dolphin, a small but charming constellation that really looks like a dolphin leaping from the water. It’s easily found in the summer and autumn sky near the bright star Altair. A delightful pattern to spot.

Draco

The Dragon, a long, winding constellation that snakes around the Little Dipper. In mythology, Draco was the dragon that guarded the golden apples. It is a circumpolar constellation for many northern observers.

Equuleus

The Little Horse or Foal, the second-smallest of all modern constellations. It is a faint pattern located just next to the head of Pegasus, the winged horse. It is one of the original 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy.

Gemini

The Twins, a prominent zodiac constellation of the winter sky. Its two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux, represent the twin brothers from Greek mythology. The constellation is rich in star clusters and planetary nebulae.

Hercules

The hero, a large but faint summer constellation. It is best known for hosting the Great Globular Cluster (M13), one of the most spectacular deep-sky objects visible in the Northern Hemisphere, containing hundreds of thousands of stars.

Lacerta

The Lizard, a small, faint constellation named in the 17th century. It has a zigzag shape similar to Cassiopeia’s “W” and is sometimes called the “Little Cassiopeia.” It lies between the more prominent Cygnus and Andromeda.

Leo

The Lion, one of the most recognizable constellations of the spring sky. Its head is marked by a distinctive backward question mark or sickle shape, with the bright star Regulus as its heart. It is a member of the zodiac.

Leo Minor

The Little Lion, a small and faint constellation located between the much larger Ursa Major and Leo. It was created in the 17th century to fill a gap in the sky and has no associated mythology.

Lynx

The Lynx, a very faint constellation named because it supposedly takes the sharp eyes of a lynx to see it. It is a large, dark region of the sky with few bright stars, located between Auriga and Ursa Major.

Lyra

The Lyre or Harp, a small but brilliant constellation. Its brightest star, Vega, is one of the brightest in the sky and part of the Summer Triangle. Lyra is also home to the famous Ring Nebula (M57).

Pegasus

The Winged Horse from Greek mythology. It is dominated by the Great Square of Pegasus, a large asterism that forms the horse’s body. The square is a prominent landmark in the autumn sky and helps locate other constellations.

Perseus

The Hero who saved Andromeda. This winter constellation is rich with deep-sky objects, including the famous variable star Algol (the Demon Star) and the beautiful Double Cluster. The Perseid meteor shower radiates from this constellation.

Pisces

The Fishes, a large but faint zodiac constellation. It’s represented by two fish tied together by a cord. The vernal equinox point, where the Sun crosses the celestial equator into the northern sky, currently lies in Pisces.

Sagitta

The Arrow, the third-smallest constellation in the sky. Despite its size, this small arrow shape is quite distinctive. It’s located in the middle of the Summer Triangle and flies through the Milky Way.

Serpens

The Serpent, unique for being split into two parts: Serpens Caput (the head) and Serpens Cauda (the tail), separated by Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. The Eagle Nebula (M16) is located in Serpens Cauda.

Taurus

The Bull, a large and prominent zodiac constellation. It’s easily identified by the V-shaped Hyades star cluster that forms the bull’s face, with the bright red star Aldebaran as its eye. It also contains the Pleiades (M45) cluster.

Triangulum

The Triangle, a small constellation whose three brightest stars form an elongated triangle. It is home to the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), a member of our Local Group of galaxies and a popular target for astronomers.

Ursa Major

The Great Bear, one of the most famous constellations. It contains the well-known Big Dipper asterism, which is a key guide to finding other stars and constellations, including Polaris, the North Star.

Ursa Minor

The Little Bear, famous for containing Polaris, the North Star, at the tip of its tail. Because Polaris is very close to the north celestial pole, the entire constellation appears to rotate around it throughout the night.

Vulpecula

The Little Fox, a faint constellation located in the middle of the Summer Triangle. It is most famous for containing the Dumbbell Nebula (M27), the first planetary nebula ever discovered and a bright, popular target for telescopes.