1constellations

Constellations are named patterns of stars. All societies created them. The classical -- "ancient" -- constellations that populate our sky began in the lands of the middle east thousands of years ago, their origins largely lost to time. They passed through the hands of the ancient Greeks, who overlaid them with their legends and codified them in story and verse. During Roman times they were assigned Latin names.The closest star to earth is proxima centauri which is part of the constellation centaurus. It is proximately 4.5 lys away from earth. Constellations can used for many things navigating your way around earth without a map and if you know them well enough you can keep track of what month it is.