What is an Asterism?

An asterism is a group of stars or a star pattern not classified as a constellation, though asterisms can be found within a constellation (or among several). The Big Dipper is considered an asterism, it’s located within Ursa Major, and so is part of something larger than itself. A group of stars called the Great Square of Pegasus is an asterism of the constellation Pegasus, the winged horse. The Sagittarius constellation has an asterism called The Teapot, and Leo has an asterism called The Sickle

Asterisms are handy for locating the star your friend or family named for you with an astronomy star gift. For example, if your star is in the constellation Orion, begin by looking for the prominent asterism known as “Orion’s Belt,” which consists of a line of three bright stars. Once you locate Orion’s Belt, you can narrow down the searchable area of the constellation to find your star.

You can use astronomy software to help pinpoint the area, but until you actually search with the naked eye or a telescope, you won’t have an idea of how challenging some parts of the sky can be to navigate.