The twelve zodiac constellations in our sky and the stars associated with them

Updated on July 22, 2022 14:47 PM by Anthony Christian

There are many zodiacs worldwide, including the Chinese and Greek Zodiac. Although the Chinese Zodiac follows the animals, the Greek Zodiac is widely accepted as the Western Zodiac sign, a combination of animals and mythological characters.

The arrangement of the stars

The Zodiac is an arrangement of 'twelve-constellations' in the Sun's path. Now, the Sun rotates on its axis, and Earth revolves around the Sun, so when the Sun rotates, it passes through these twelve constellations. Now, scientifically, the Sun can pass through these twelve constellations because we are the ones who are moving.

The Zodiac world

The word Zodiac came from the Greek work Zodiakos Kyklos, a circle of animals. All the constellations in western astrology represent one animal or the other. Now there are twelve constellations and twelve months in a year, so each month is dedicated to one Constellation.

The first Constellation

Aries represents the animal Ram, and the stars that come together to form the Constellation would be Hamal, Sheratan, 41 Ari, Botein, and HD 20644, € Ari, 35 Ari, ɣ2 Ari. Aries is the first Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and the Sun passes through this Constellation from April 19 to May 13 every year. The brightest star Hamal is 66 light years away from Earth. But, it is bright enough for us to see the stars from Earth itself.

The second Constellation

Taurus is the second Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Solar gas giant passes through this Constellation from May 14 till June 19 every year. Taurus represents Bull, and the stars that come together to form the Constellation would be Aldebaran, Beta Tauri, Gamma Tauri, Alcyone, Epsilon Tauri, Zeta Tauri, Lambda Tauri, Theta Tauri, and XI Tauri. These constellations are almost 400 light years away from Earth.

The third Constellation

Gemini is the third Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Solar gas giant passes through this Constellation; now, there are a total of 85 stars that make up the Constellation. However, the prominent ones are Pollux, Castor, Gamma Geminorum, Delta Geminorum, Mu Geminorum, Eta Geminorum, Epsilon Geminorum, and Xi Geminorum.

The closest star’s distance

These are the only stars that could be seen through the telescope. Nevertheless, the Tejat Posterior is the closest star to the Earth and is 230 light years from Earth. The Sun passes through the Constellation every year from May 21 to June 21.

The fourth Constellation

Cancer represents crab and is one of astrology's most talked about zodiac signs. Cancer is the fourth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Sun passes through this Constellation from June 22 to July 22 every year. Now, the prominent stars in the constellation include Delta Cancri, Beta Cancri, Zeta Cancri, Lambda Cancri, Xi Cancri, Iota Cancri, 80 Cancri, 8 Cancri, 55 Cancri A. The closest star from Earth is around 131 light years away.

The fifth Constellation

Leo is the fifth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Sun passes through this Constellation from July 23 to August 22 every year. It has many stars, but the most prominent ones include Denebola, Delta Leonis, Gamma Leonis, Epsilon Leonis, Zeta Leonis, Mu Leonis, Iota Leonis, Eta Leonis, Regulus A, Theta Leonis, and Eta Leonis. The closest star is 247 Light years from Earth. Leo represents Lion and is the sign of power and strength in astrology.

The sixth Constellation

Virgo is the sixth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Sun passes through this Constellation from August 23 to September 22 every year. The prominent stars under the Constellation include the Spica A, Epsilon Virginis, Beta Virginis, Eta Virginis, Delta Virginis, Zeta Virginis, Iota Virginis, Chi Virginis, Zeta Virginis, Lambda Virginis, Theta Virginis, and Omicron Virginis. The closest star from the Constellation is 260 light years away.

The seventh Constellation

Libra is the seventh Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Solar gas giant passes through the Constellation from September 23 to October 23 every year. The prominent stars under the Constellation include Beta Librae, Alpha Librae, Gamma Librae, Sigma Librae, Gliese Librae, HD 140283, Theta Librae, Theta Librae, Tau Librae, 23 Librae, 2 Librae, 4 Librae, 16 Librae, 26 Librae, and 12 Librae. It is altogether 185 light years away from Earth. The Zodiac represents the weighing scale and the balance.

The eighth Constellation

Scorpio is the eighth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our giant star passes through the Constellation from October 23 to November 22 every year. The Scorpio represents the arachnids Scorpion and has been previously thought to be part of the Libra constellation.

The closest star to Earth

The prominent stars under the constellation include Antares, Theta Scorpii, Epsilon Scorpii, Upsilon Scorpii, Tau Scorpii, Pi Scorpii, Eta Scorpii, Xi Scorpii, 11 Scorpii, G Scorpii, Zeta1 Scorpii, Rho Scorpii, 18 Scorpii, 16n Scorpii and Mu2 Scorpii. However, the closest set of stars is 5500 light years away.

The ninth Constellation

Sagittarius is the ninth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our only solar star passes through the Constellation from November 22 and December 21 every year. Sagittarius represents the Centaur with an archer.

The stars associated with it

The stars under the constellation include Epsilon Sagittarii, Sigma Sagittarii, Zeta Sagittarii, Delta Sagittarii, Lambda Sagittarii, Gamma2 Sagittarii, Pi Sagittarii, Alpha Sagittarii, Phi Sagittarii, Tau Sagittarii, 59 Sagittarii, Eta Sagittarii and Ross 154. The constellation’s closest stars are 5000 light-years away.

The tenth Constellation

Capricorn is the tenth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our only giant star passes through the Constellation from December 21 to January 20 every year. Capricorn represents the sea goat or the horned goat.

The stars under the Constellation

The prominent stars under the constellation include Gamma Capricorni, Alpha Capricorni, Alpha1 Capricorni, Zeta Capricorni, Omega Capricorni, Nu Capricorni, Psi Capricorni, Theta Capricorni, Kappa Capricorni, Alpha2 Capricorni, Rho Capricorni, Epsilon Capricorni, and Chi Capricorni. One of the stars of this Constellation is 39 light years away.

The eleventh Constellation

Aquarius represents the water-bearer, and it has gained popularity in recent centuries. Aquarius is the eleventh Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Sun passes through the Constellation from January 20 to February 18 every year. The prominent stars under the constellation include Beta Aquarii, Alpha Aquarii, Delta Aquarii, Gamma Aquarii, Epsilon Aquarii, Zeta Aquarii, Lambda Aquarii, R Aquarii, and Eta Aquarii. The closest star in the Constellation is 760 light years away from Earth.

The twelfth Constellation

Pisces represent two golden fishes connected by a single cord. Pisces is the twelfth Constellation in the ecliptic path of the Earth, and our Sun passes through the Constellation from February 18 to March 20 every year. The prominent stars under the constellation include Eta Piscium, Alpha Piscium, Gamma Piscium, Omega Piscium, Omicron Piscium, Epsilon Piscium, Delta Piscium, Nu Piscium, 54 Piscium and Iota Piscium. The closest star is 294 light years away from Earth.