Most widely spread belief is that a constellation made out of celestial bodies that are gathered in a group which resembles some kind of an arrangement. The most common constellations are made out of stars that have an obvious figure or even form a picture. The most well- known constellations form clear patterns out of very bright stars, like Orion which looks like an hunter, Leo that looks like a lion, Scorpius representing a scorpion and Crux that resembles a cross.
However, in astronomy constellations are used to refer to an area in the sky and there are 88 official constellations with clearly defined borders covering the whole are of the sky according to the astronomers. The collection of stars that look like a picture or a figure is called an asterism by the astronomers. Constellations also refer to the satellite system which is used by the GPS system for navigation.
Constellations also differ according to cultures. Chinese constellations are not the same as Western ones as the Chinese astronomy developed differently and according to them the sky is divided in another way. Nevertheless, also the Chinese constellations have the 12 western zodiac constellations, but they are known as the 28 Xiu. Hindu astronomy has the 12 constellations as the western one, but they are called rashi which in turn are divided into 27 nakshatra. Nakshatras are identified by specific stars that they are made out of and the moon passes through each of the nakshatras during a monthly cycle.
