Figures in the Sky: Constellations Around the World

Figures in the Sky: Cultures across the World have seen their myths and legends in the stars is an interactive infographic created by Nadieh Bremer on Visual Cinnamon. The infographic compares 28 different “sky cultures” to see differences and similarities in the shapes they’ve seen in the night sky. Above is an example of the star Betelgeuse, one of the brightest stars in the sky, and how it has been used by 17 of the 28 cultures.

No matter where you are on Earth, we all look up to the same sky during the dark nights. You might see a different section of it depending on your exact location, time & season, nevertheless the stars have fascinated humans across time and continents.

Our own creativity combined with stories about local legends and myths have created a diverse set of different constellations. And even though the stars don't change, people have found many different shapes in the same sky. From humans, to animals, to objects, and even abstract concepts.

Brightness doesn’t determine all!

Let's look at all 2168 unique stars that are included in at least one constellation across all sky cultures. The chart below shows the stars according to their brightness from left to right, and the number of constellations the star appears in from top to bottom. A general trend is visible: The brighter the star, the more constellations it's included in. This makes sense, since brighter stars just stand out more.

Visit the original post at Figures in the Sky (visualcinnamon.com) to interact with the full design!