Constellations quiz: Can you name all the animals, objects and mythological figures hiding in the night sky?

Space sky celestial seamless pattern of stars map.
(Image credit: seamartini/Getty Images)

When you look up on a clear night, the stars shining overhead appear sprawled randomly across the sky. But for thousands of years, people from all over the globe have tried to make sense of this chaos by organizing the seemingly countless points of light into groups — or constellations — that represent animals, objects or mythological figures.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) currently recognizes 88 official constellations, which were named throughout the ages by astronomers from Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, China, Persia and more.

In this constellations quiz, you have 10 minutes to name as many of the star groups as you can, using either their Latin names or their common names: For example, "Simia" or "Monkey" are both considered correct answers (not the name of a real constellation). Make sure you login to add your name to the leaderboard, and if you need a clue, hit the hint button.

Harry Baker
Senior Staff Writer

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won "best space submission" at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science's weekly Earth from space series.