To draw a constellation, you need at least a superficial understanding of astronomy and mythology. Astronomy is needed in order to designate the so-called asterism in the depicted constellation - an established group of the brightest stars, which has a historically established name. Mythology will come in handy when you are choosing an image for a future drawing, because the image of the constellations, to a greater or lesser extent, has been established for a long time.
It is necessary
pastels / colored pencils
Instructions
Step 1
Most of the constellations consist of small stars, which are not included in asterism, respectively. Usually they do not even have their own names, and they are designated only by the letters of the Greek alphabet. This means that they do not give any contour or meaning to the image of the constellation. Nevertheless, if you are drawing a constellation, and not just a mythical character with some points or lines, these small stars should also be noted in the drawing or near it.
Step 2
At the beginning, exactly those stars that make up the asterism are indicated. But even this may not give the artist anything in the sense of the idea of drawing: for example, the asterism of the constellation Dogs Hounds, near the Big Dipper, is represented by only two stars, which does not give the draftsman an image or even a hint. But there are several galaxies and globular star clusters here, which will give your fantasy more choice - you will be less bound by the mythological plot.
Step 3
For example, the easiest way is to take the constellation Ursa Major, familiar from childhood and visible in the sky almost constantly. Although his drawing is not as straightforward as it might seem. "Big Dipper" is familiar to many from the moment a person begins to get acquainted with the starry sky. To the older generation, it is better known as a landmark to the Pole Star. Its asterism is always distinguishable in a clear sky, and all the names of the stars that make it up are known.
Step 4
Please note that the names of the stars are most often Arabic, and the mythology used to depict the constellations is usually European. But this will not prevent you from creating your own, unique drawing of the constellation: you can choose the myth you like and follow its plot, or, perhaps, the constellation brings you a completely different, different from the famous mythological, image - the main thing is that exactly those stars are reflected in your drawing, which are traditionally taken to be attributed to a particular constellation.
Step 5
The bucket, also known as the Big Dipper asterism, is composed of the stars Dubhe (alpha), Merak (beta, etc.), Fekda, Megrets, Aliot, Mizar (and Alkor (a)) and Benetnash from the tip of the bucket. In addition, about two dozen more stars belong to the constellation Ursa Major. In the figure, you must reflect the exact location of the asterism stars, the rest is at your discretion: will you connect the stars with lines, reflect the magnitudes, show in the figure stellar systems (such as Mizar and Alcor), draw dust clouds, nebulae, galaxies, etc. Actually, even those stars that will be “inside” are also your personal choice. However, if you decide to indicate other stars that are outside of the asterism, you must indicate their exact location, and possibly other characteristics, if you used them when drawing the main stars.
Step 6
In the end, you should include the constellation asterism in the drawing, but this does not mean that the drawing must necessarily be tied to the contour of the main stars. In Ursa Major, you can choose from at least two options: where the tip of the bear's nose is represented by Dubhe or the Benetnash star. Oddly enough, it is customary to depict the "handle of the dipper" of the Bear with a long tail, and meanwhile, another half dozen stars turn out to be "unaccounted for".
Step 7
However, they are approximately equal in size to the Sun, and therefore are visible with the naked eye on the territory of the Russian Federation only occasionally and in certain geographical points. But this does not mean that they cannot be included in the drawing of the constellation! You just need to stock up on a map of the starry sky, which shows many more stars than can be seen in the northern hemisphere.
Step 8
As for the image of the constellation itself, it is customary to draw only a slightly blurred contour of the figure, so that the meaning of the image is clear. Painting a figure, drawing details, even a clear outline of a constellation is not accepted today: this kind of image of constellations is a tribute to the tradition of the Middle Ages.
