Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Constellations

What are the constellations supposed to look like? On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice gaze up at the constellations that surround our world. Who made the constellations?
We break down the mythologies and methods used to paint these shapes in the sky. Are some constellations more accurate than others? Neil gives his take on which constellations are the most accurate and why Pegasus is anatomically incorrect. Discover Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille and his mission to map the sky of the southern hemisphere for the north. What constellations did he invent? All that, plus, we roast the constellations for their inaccuracy and ask: why is there no reverse centaur?
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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[@AZChrisK]

Chuck is so brilliant, which is why he's so funny. Ever notice he can answer almost every question Neil throws at him?

[@CarayMcKenzie]

The best comedians are quite intelligent, and very witty.

[@theinterruptedlife1783]

His intelligence surprises me too!

[@stevenswapp4768]

The one that blew me away: the subject was stars and how eccentric their orbits can be. Chuck says "of course they're eccentric, they spend so much time alone!" Slayed me dead, but everyone just brushed it off! 🤣🤣🤣

[@ritacampbell3979]

Chuck brings the perfect balance for science and humor😅 I am laughing ... gotta catch my breath ❤

[@theElrin]

It’s called “time in”

[@Nanoytgaming]

Chuck is probably one of the funniest people alive, im crying rn

[@jarvisshaver638]

No he’s not.

[@Nanoytgaming]

@@jarvisshaver638 I disagree with you but I respect your opinion.

[@dominickdouglas5108]

Yea he's cool for this show. But def not one of the funniest alive. Lol

[@commonwin9980]

Petty how this devolved so fast

[@adamJKpunk]

Really? I kind of feel like he’s super grating and annoying. But hey.

[@skinwalker3953]

Chuck doing the Hercules clap is exactly how Hercules needs to be said every time.

[@tickets23]

Chuck needs to just open with this for every explainer video

[@chrisfranks9108]

This episode is the perfect example of how funny and cool this channel is. Pure love, pure jokes and pure enlightenment! Big fan of Star Talk. If you ever need music it’s on the house. X

[@fazian_music3185]

And you also learn many interesting things... You can learn with a big smile...

[@calummoncrieff6224]

@@fazian_music3185 ddcxx

[@joshcandelario5548]

Would you call it "House Music" lol

[@MikeLinPA]

Neil doesn't look like he is reading notes constantly, so he is remembering and recalling all this stuff on the fly. I couldn't do that! Very impressive!

[@seasickviking]

Neil: "What Does The First Three Letters Of Zodiac Spell?" Chuck: "Zoo!" Neil: "That's Right!" General Zod: "That Is Not My Name!"

[@ke_r1m]

Haha

[@WasabiSniffer]

Glad someone else noticed that

[@krisographystudios]

Had me scrolling comments for 15 mins to see if I was wrong 🤣🤣 thats a schoolboy error zoodiac 🤣

[@crontemisto8994]

Neil, before Zod. It all makes sense now!

[@LeeSpelledL-i]

I posted a - similar, response. When I saw your response, I deleted what I posted (unaware of General Zod), an hour after your post. Thank you.

[@joealine77]

Neil: How many keys on a piano? Me: I have know idea. Neil: How fast did the DeLorean have to go?

[@gregolejniczak5631]

Thank you 😎

[@EmpyreanLightASMR]

I'll be honest, I thought that's what he was gonna say; 88 mph baby (btw quick trivia, Bob Gale chose that number because it sounded good lol)

[@marcoromero8715]

Neil & Chuck's really my heroes. Thanks Neil for making me love science. Thanks Chuck for always finding humor out of it. I love you guys!

[@aaronseet2738]

Even as a kid I was already, "seriously? how did they manage to imagine that shape/object out of those constellations??"

[@bigdindeed1328]

With the help from some really good red wine! Lol

[@ryanbaker7404]

@@bigdindeed1328 And mushrooms 🍄🤣

[@PatR2243]

Really good wine helps people do SO many things. @@bigdindeed1328

[@LadyNikitaShark]

The big advantage of growing up rural was being able to see the sky at night. It's just so beautiful

[@EmpyreanLightASMR]

Yesss. Can't do that where I reside though. Every night for the last several months I go outside and look at Venus, Jupiter, and sometimes Saturn peeks through (they're all in a line). But impossible to see the Milky Way or many stars.

[@thestealth2448]

I live in London and I literally can’t see a single star.fml

[@BURDYMAN777]

I really enjoy this format. Neil asking questions to test knowledge and letting someone else have the floor to make their own comments instead of one sided conversations about things. I guess it's because he has background info on what Chuck knows about.

[@TheMangakid1995]

Neil: "What do the first three letters of the Zodiac spell?" Me: ". . . Zod?" Neil (in full costume doing doing an amazing Terence Stamp impression) "Neil before Zod!"

[@theduder2617]

The English word zodiac derives from zōdiacus, the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek zōidiakòs kýklos (ζῳδιακός κύκλος), meaning "cycle or circle of little animals". Zōidion (ζῴδιον) is the diminutive of zōion (ζῷον, "animal"). The name reflects the prominence of ANIMALS (and mythological hybrids) among the twelve signs.

[@TheMangakid1995]

@@theduder2617 Genuinely very interesting etymology that I was not aware of. All the same Neil still incorrectly implied that the word was spelled a certain way in modern english which it is not for the sake of a silly pun. So I think my silly joke stands lol

[@theduder2617]

@@TheMangakid1995 Well, "zoo" technically does not need two O's since the word "zoo" was derived from the word "zodiac". Look again at the word in the above definition. Notice the line above the "o" in the word zodiakos? It dictates a long "o" sound. Well, that same line exists over both O's in the word "zoo". It is us who actually pronounce "zoo" incorrectly, for it originally came from the word "zodiac" which also has the line above its "o". Over time, the sound was softened to the "ooo" sound which we use today. In the end, Neil is 100% correct. Our current pronunciation is the result of MANY decades of use by several different generations of people. To be honest, there are many words which are taught to be pronounced incorrectly all throughout grade school. I can not say "trust me" because we are in a youtube comment section. But I can say that I was straight "A's" in all English classes and further mastered my vocabulary in high school. Neil is correct.

[@Suswaleh]

@@theduder2617 he asked "what do the three letters of the word "zodiac" spell?" it's Zod not Zoo. simple as that regardless of etymology.

[@theduder2617]

@@Suswaleh Him mistakenly saying last "3" letters does nothing to disregard the etymology at all. Had he caught his mistake and corrected, my previous response would remain as accurate as it currently is. He messed up because he had the actual word zoo in mind before he spoke. But anyone with so much as 1 thread of critical thought knows what was meant. I am certain that you too knew what was meant. Twisting of what was meant does not mean he was incorrect. All that did was expose those who do not possess critical thought or comprehension of intention. It is not enough to hear or read. One must also COMPREHEND. Simple as that. Otherwise they risk being incorrect regarding what they heard or read.

[@derekseven1647]

Great dialogue between you Neil and Chuck. It's really cool something intelligent to listen to whenever you guys do StarTalk

[@MarcoPolo-je5ej]

Even after a rough day at work, you guys put a smile on my face and give me something to think about, too. Thank you.

[@cathrynalpaugh3072]

You guys always seem to be having a lot of fun doing these videos. Love it!!💚

[@suesharp5985]

I absolutely love STARTALK! I always walk away with something new!🧡🧡

[@mr.j2415]

"Mmhmm or drugs" Chuck is hilarious. 😂😂

[@timan2039]

One of the phrases that puts a smile on my face, “Chuck we’re back.”

[@orazmyratrejepgeldiyev1478]

this phrase puts a smile almost all of startalk funs face😊😊

[@orazmyratrejepgeldiyev1478]

chuck always good to have u❤️

[@frogz]

im disappointed every episode i hear WITHOUT chuck, i mean i love the other hosts too but they should be in ADDITION to chuck, not replacing!!

[@frogz]

although chuck liu is a close second as far as chucks go, he could actually pull a neutron star's weight in charisma, chuck nice can pull that+1

[@cjaay4359]

Absolutely man

[@tickets23]

Can't wait for part 2!! Hope it comes soon

[@peterbenjamin9180]

Chuck is the friend I need in my life all the time

[@nirlevi1425]

neil was mine :))

[@dearcath]

@@nirlevi1425 tell us about that

[@nirlevi1425]

I Ment neil would be my choice, nit chuck

[@patrickbateman3326]

I can't wait for part TWO!!

[@mennobot3884]

I’m looking forward to the next one on constellations!

[@ivanesquilin4265]

Watching this just helped me understand politics and culture more. And, by that I mean that people don't always see things the way you see them. I'm a 33 year old American so I already knew that. However, this gives me a new perspective on how and why other people view things differently. Growing up, I thought all the constellations were recognized globally. It now makes sense that different peoples would put their own spin on them.

[@twinton65]

Chuck makes the most insightful comment at 13:55 "that there is, indeed, a psychological and cultural influence on observation". We connect these observations to make patterns when, in fact, those patterns usually don't really exist. It's only a pattern from our physical, cultural and psychological perspective. I don't mean to overstate the obvious, but the three stars in what we call Orion's Belt really are not in a straight line; Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are all different distances (by hundreds of light years) from Earth and in reality form a triangular plane. It's just that the plane is flat from our viewpoint, so we interpret it as a line with three equidistant similarly-bright points. From most any other vantage point in the Milky Way (or outside of it), we might call them Orion's Loincloth or Orion's Kerchief or some other cultural name. And such is true for all the constellations; they are patterns from our current Earth-centric perspective.

[@nikitagloukhovtchenko6857]

What is an earth-centric perspective? A perspective of the stars and galaxies from the earth when you watch the night sky?

[@kojoabiam7688]

This channel is not only educational but make me laugh a lot. Awesome 👍! However I would like to see infusion of pictures mostly or short videos of concepts talked about. Thanks!

[@botein]

Anxious for the part 2!!

[@jGRite]

Looking forward... up to part two.

[@julieinthedesert420]

Man, I just love this podcast. Thank you guys so much for bringing funny and smart, from both of you! ❤❤ Also, is there a part 2? Lol

[@mr702s]

Awesome video, love it. Really deep about mentioning bias in observation based on culture and era.

[@chrisheringer905]

Chuck is firing on all cylinders this episode. LOVE IT!!!

[@luawana8364]

I love just the 2 of you guys together. Fantastic chemistry!

[@fizyknaut8108]

"We have never talked about constellations." "Never." The... the show's name is "Startalk."

[@Noodlekdoodle]

They’ve talked about stars, but not constellations. Unless they have in a video I haven’t watched yet.

[@fizyknaut8108]

@@Noodlekdoodle yeah but one would have thought they'd have talked about constellations at one point 😂

[@Noodlekdoodle]

@@fizyknaut8108 Yeah, now that you mention it, I’m shocked they haven’t done it before…

[@AsobiMedio]

@@Noodlekdoodle I mean, they touched on them every now and then, but never in detail.

[@maggnar]

They did, many times, but not about the constelations into the superstiscious context.

[@louisanimals6135]

I love the episodes with Chuck and Neil

[@jimarmstrong1458]

I, on the other hand, would like to see a Chuck free version of the show. Current format consists of 5 minutes of information, 15 minutes of Chuck’s nonsense. I suspect this is Neil’s attempt to reach a broader, non science literate community. I commend the effort, but it comes at a cost.

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Yeah I love Chuck.

[@ashokkumar-zw8vi]

​@@jimarmstrong1458many will disagree with you on this. There is a reason he is the startalk fan favourite.

[@MiningMyBusiness]

Best Talk so far , dynamic duo Carry on !

[@cyb3rang3l_b8be]

Thanks for StarTalk.

[@ZigZagKid_AZ]

I've been looking at the stars since I was a little kid and as time and events pass and change the stars always stay the same and give me peace of mind.

[@LonnieHeadley]

Chuck Nice sure has a great show on his hands. Very gracious host as well giving Neil so much time

[@corydjajich3819]

Bro, not sure if u were serious or not but star talk is Neil's show, Chuck is his co-host

[@trippy-.-panda5864]

Does anyone else love the way Neil laughs?

[@afterdefect]

he said his name in high school was "chuckles"

[@beetlejuice4357]

No, everything he says is a lie and he is lauphing at you for believing the earth is pear shaped because the ball earth doesn't make sense and the earth is flat. Check out Eric Dubay Santos Benacci and DIRTH.

[@princehamza890]

Hehehehe

[@mercedesgrimaldo6711]

It crazy how I'm not the only one who trips on his laughs

[@Dj_Nizzo]

Some photos to go along with this would have been really helpful

[@thechosenone8523]

Chuck and Neil are the person I need in my life for fun and knowledge.

[@buddy.abc123]

This episode would be next level if there were photos accompanying the talk

[@nongcebomchunu3894]

Ngvumelana nawe

[@denisenj7648]

Stars were vital for navigation and finding your way in the world. So they named them as points of reference and the names and stories helped you remember them and where they are. Picking a few stars that point the way home and naming them and telling stories makes perfect sense.

[@donald4c2023]

I still remember how many constellations are in the night sky from Neil’s verbiage. He once said in a podcast “88 keys on a piano/88 constellations in the night sky.” It’s small, but it shows he takes the time to make it relatable to the common man. Just like Galileo did. Which I also learned from his first podcasts.

[@njones420]

Galileo's podcasts were awesome...I miss him.

[@drewiliousmaximus2753]

@@njones420 this

[@davidl.4888]

Coming soon......part....2...🥸 looking forward 2 it!! 💯😎

[@bryannelson8852]

On the note of the Greeks getting all high, just remembered I'm due for a trip to the dispensary 🤣

[@aishatuauta1321]

Please give an in-depth talk on the zodiac and how they've changed. The teaser was so interesting.

[@skybeard3113]

I love this podcast so much

[@user-of5lw4oy3c]

Absolutely enjoyed watching.

[@orazmyratrejepgeldiyev1478]

keep looking up😊

[@derekseven1647]

This episode of Star Talk just made me a subscriber.

[@gyozakeynsianism]

Welcome aboard! These guys are lots of fun.

[@jeffnaslund]

The Greek Islands are loaded with psilocybin mushrooms. Especially the isle of Patmos, where the book of revelation was written. No wonder he saw dragons rising out of the sea

[@maXImaL199518]

i find it not fuuny that they mock the Greeks for what they smokin' when they gave us the entire human thought ; they can barely count how many centuries of history Greece has

[@trupyrodice4462]

@@maXImaL199518 take it easy brother, no harm intended. It’s all in jest and not to be taken literally. If they were up here just spewing boring facts few would be entertained and many would lose interest. Maybe you should try some of what the Greeks may (or may not) have been smoking or eating to get an “enlightened” point of view?

[@siroku8179]

@@maXImaL199518 did they ? Really?

[@spiralscratch7823]

@@maXImaL199518 Didn't they steal everything from the Persians?

[@Neverender6]

*Ancient astronomers* : "This constellation is Perseus, legendary demigod son of Zeus, the hero who donned Hades' Helm of Darkness and slayed the deadly Gorgon Medusa with his adamantine sword, who flew on the winged sandals of Hermes and rescued the fair maiden Andromeda from the clutches of a terrible sea monster, who was immortalized by the Gods for his many heroic deeds by being placed among the very stars that we gaze upon tonight". *18th Century astronomers* : "This one's a guy sitting at a drafting table."

[@JillKnapp]

This might be my favorite episode so far. Between "Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!" and BoJack Horseman being a reverse centaur, and and and and... Good lordy, I love and appreciate you guys so much.

[@SentinelGhost]

Sean Connery did voice the dragon Draco in the movie dragonheart.

[@cajunqueen5125]

great episode. in this great series

[@mrtheman548]

My day is complete knowing that Neil is a fan of BoJack Horseman

[@BlakeGibbons]

Show sucks

[@StaticFPV]

Dont think hes a fan, just had a part. Cuz the show sucks

[@carultch]

BoJack Horseman walks in to a bar. The bartender says, "why the long face?". BoJack replies: "Can we PLEASE...get some ALCOHOL...in to my MOUTH?"

[@StaticFPV]

@@carultch my point exactly

[@markmakabuhay2009]

Sucks

[@bunneyvibes]

I really want these two to just explain anything in my life 😭🔥

[@kdocdreamer2930]

Missed Orion, if u do another please spend some time on Orion, love to know more

[@vykintasmorkvenas6839]

Never knew how many keys there are in a piano. Now I will never forget - as many as there are constellations in the sky ;) To complete the list of Northern constellations that to some degree look like their names say: Corona Borealis, Crater, Cygnus, Delphinus, Draco, Gemini, Lepus, Sagitta.

[@simsimg264]

Chuck was on top form! 😂

[@omarlors]

7:48 Perseus did use Medusa's head to turn a sea monster into stone, but it was not the Kraken, it was Cetus, the Kraken is not a Greek myth

[@liheliheliheli]

waiting for part two

[@b.j.7837]

You guys are hilarious! 😂😂 Love it!

[@habesha6883]

I’ve learned a lot from you..Thank you

[@lesliecolonello9320]

I know this is off topic Mr. Tyson but can you explain the graphic associated with StarTalk. BTW, I loved your latest book. I read it in one day.

[@youropinionmeansnothing2825]

Nothing beats the chemistry between Chuck and Neil

[@Outsideville]

This was my favorite episode of Chuck and My Uncle Mark.

[@bongsesh]

Neil in the 80's: "'ey girl what's your zoo-diac sign?"

[@nsideoutn8439]

That was way funnier than any of Chuck’s jokes!

[@carultch]

Newton, Pascal, and Bernoulli were playing hide-and-seek. It is Bernoulli's turn to seek, and Newton and Pascal's turn to hide. In the middle of an open room, Newton draws a square meter on the floor and stands out in the open. Bernoulli finds him right away, and says, "I found you, Newton!". Newton says, "no, you found a Newton over a square meter; you found Pascal".

[@thebigdogstephenleeruiz9962]

Keep looking up

[@thebigdogstephenleeruiz9962]

Tunnel

[@christianolivera8019]

Great video!

[@Gh0stsInTh3Machin3]

Yeahhh they are back. Greets from Switzerland🇨🇭

[@margaretgeorge3903]

This never occurred to me 🙃, something new to learn yah!😍

[@IfYouKnowYouKnow.]

I was reading about Triangulum when Nel brought it up 🤯

[@ritacampbell3979]

When Meil is laughingly ... we all join in 😂 ❤ love these two brilliant men.

[@xx4fingasxx385]

In the D&D world, Dragons who give up their front legs for wings are Wyverns. There, that's a thing you know now. 👍

[@twkolejofil]

I think the sky was far more darker when people named the constellations so they could see more faint stars. Nowadays we connect the dots very differently. Just look at Ursa Major or Camelopardalis. If you connect the dots differently than in the most star charts, you'll see the big sitting bear raising its head (instead of unrealisticly long tail) and if you look at the official boundaries of constellations you'll quickly deduce where the long neck of giraffe should be drawn (but it is not on your star chart)!

[@KesselRunner606]

Since we're talking dragons, and Smaug and Tolkien references: Tolkien put his stories into the stars. The greatest hero of Middle Earth wasn't Aragon, or Isildur. It was Turin, the son of Hurin. The mightiest warrior who ever lived. Turin's life was cursed by Morgoth, the master of Sauron, and the root God of all darkness; basically, Middle Earth's Satan (Sauron, for all his power, was merely a servant, which gives you an idea of just how powerful Morgoth was). In Turin's story, he slays the Father of Dragons, Glaurung, whom Smaug is a descendant. But, in a story too long to tell here, Glaurung had his revenge, as Turin is beset with grief at the death of his sister (which Glauring caused), and kills himself soon after. Now, Turin was a mortal man. But the Gods across the Western Sea in Valinor took pity on his soul, and instead of the unknown fate of Men after death, Turin's soul was held in a kind of limbo. Then at the end of the First Age, in essentially a Ragnarok End Times war, he was returned at the head of a great army of the Gods, and it was Turin who brought down Morgoth and cast him from all realms, beyond the void. And he remains in the night sky to this day, as an eternal guardian against evil. Only we call it the constellation of Orion.

[@glentorn5362]

Neil, you are always welcome to Australia. A lot of your fans live here.

[@isaiahromero1951]

Love the vids Neil

[@didiervenegasporras8449]

Loved it !!

[@ChicagoBornPilsenBred21]

Neil makes things interesting💯

[@MADVESSEL]

The argonauts ship is the argo, good episode

[@GrimRawr]

I have been watching Cosmos on Hulu. It has been very educational.

[@blackbird163]

Loved this! :)

[@haychlo]

Not too many movies!!😠😂 LOL. I love your channel!! Thank you so much for creating & sharing 🙏🤍🌌🦄🧐📝🤓

[@Metalhorse_]

Tumour's gone. God bless you Chuck!

[@dziczku]

I think Ursa Major is the best example (at least here in the northern hemisphere) of a constellation with many names that depend on tradition, culture and history. As we can hear it's called the Big Dipper in the U.S. Here in Europe the most common name, in my opinion, is the Great Wagon, together with the Great Bear (a literal translation from Latin). I don't know about other European languages, but in Polish the bear is in feminine. In the U.K. and in Ireland they call it a Plough. And there are many, many more.

[@samrey1803]

I totally, totally agree, whenever I'm told to see a constellation above in animal form... I'm like "what?!, Can you see that?" LoL 😂

[@paulosfajardo]

2:38 In the Philippines, there's a folklore (?) creature with a head and lower body of a horse and torso of a man called tikbalang. Though I guess that's closer to minotaur than a centaur.

[@gpancac]

Best channel in the Galaxy!!

[@smokenstein]

How do we know for sure?

[@gpancac]

@@smokenstein At least in one parallel universe it is...

[@Chalepastel]

I want a whole episode where Chuck is explaining something

[@bongsesh]

i didnt know how much i need this until now

[@Rhekon]

As a pianist I immediately thought about the number of keys. I think that was my first time making that connection.

[@nikorigaming7022]

I hope Neil explains what asterisms are in the "Part 2" video, if there will be one... Because so many people confuse constellations with what are actually asterisms! :3

[@andrewah15]

Very informative and very funny! 😂😂

[@jeremyblakeney1518]

Just wanted to say that Sean Connery did voice a dragon in the movie Dragon Heart back in like the early 90s, so Chuck actually wasn't far off when he guessed his name lol love the show, keep up the good work and keep lookin up 😉 😆

[@hogbodyusmc9987]

Man you guy's are really great 👍 together... or One of you is a Outstanding actor 👏???

[@coreymcconnell2329]

All of the best shows ever

[@nataliepapolis]

Chuck, love your shirt , it matches you brilliant personality

[@scarletletter4900]

Watching this, I'm reminded just how many kids in the early 90s got their first test of astronomy be finding the star sign at a astronomical exhibit.

[@user-qx4yn9xb2j]

True this combo is mind blowing. I tune in and I listen and then I can to bed peacefully. Chuck is hilarious and you can see this the way Neil laughs