# Constellation

One of 88 official regions of the sky, most named after ancient star patterns.

Constellations began as star pictures — Orion the hunter, Scorpius the scorpion — but in 1930 astronomers fixed 88 precise regions covering the whole sky, so every object lies in exactly one. A pattern that isn't a constellation is an [asterism](https://astropilot.space/glossary/asterism).

**In AstroPilot:** AstroPilot names the constellation for every object, and the sky chart draws their figures and boundaries.

**Related:** [Asterism](https://astropilot.space/glossary/asterism.md), [Star hopping](https://astropilot.space/glossary/star-hopping.md), [Star names & designations](https://astropilot.space/glossary/bayer-designation.md)

From the AstroPilot astronomy glossary: https://astropilot.space/glossary/constellation