Which term describes a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern in the night sky?

Which term describes a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern in the night sky?

• A. Nebula
• B. Galaxy
• C. Constellation
• D. Cluster

Answer: (C)

Constellations are patterns of stars in the night sky that people recognize as shapes. The pattern comes from our perspective on Earth, and the stars involved are usually at very different distances, so they aren’t physically connected—the sky’s shapes are like a map we draw to navigate the heavens. Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust where stars may form, not fixed sky shapes. A galaxy is a vast collection of stars, gas, and dark matter, and when we observe the night sky we see only a tiny part of it, not a defined silhouette. A star cluster is a group of stars bound by gravity that often appears as a fuzzy patch, not a familiar outline. The term that best describes a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern in the night sky is constellation.

Constellations are patterns of stars in the night sky that people recognize as shapes. The pattern comes from our perspective on Earth, and the stars involved are usually at very different distances, so they aren’t physically connected—the sky’s shapes are like a map we draw to navigate the heavens. Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust where stars may form, not fixed sky shapes. A galaxy is a vast collection of stars, gas, and dark matter, and when we observe the night sky we see only a tiny part of it, not a defined silhouette. A star cluster is a group of stars bound by gravity that often appears as a fuzzy patch, not a familiar outline. The term that best describes a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern in the night sky is constellation.