A constellation represents a designated segment of the night sky, an imaginary boundary encompassing specific groupings of stars. These celestial formations are primarily organized around asterisms—distinctive patterns made by eye-catching stars that seem to cluster closely when observed from Earth. While the term "constellation" is often colloquially applied to these patterns, true constellations are broader areas of the celestial sphere, each home to one or more asterisms. Well-known examples include Orion's Belt within the constellation of Orion, the Big Dipper part of Ursa Major, and the Southern Cross within Crux. In total, the night sky is divided into 88 official constellations, each harboring stars that, while they might appear proximate to the naked eye, are often vast distances apart in space.
Among these, the 12 Zodiac constellations hold a special place in both astronomy and astrology. These constellations are situated along the ecliptic—the apparent path the Sun follows over the course of a year as viewed from Earth. This path outlines the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun, marking a celestial highway on which the Sun, Moon, and planets seem to travel as they move across the sky. The Zodiac constellations have historically played a significant role in the human understanding of the cosmos, serving as markers for tracking the movements of celestial bodies and as symbols in various cultural mythologies.