They named the constellations after mythological creatures and animals. Later, in the 1400s through 1700s, explorers saw new constellations in the southernmost third of the sky. They named these new constellations after scientific instruments, as well as animals. The Zodiac is made of the original 12 constellations. Some of them are Scorpio, Leo, Capricorn, Virgo, and Gemini.
Constellations tell many stories.
The ancient Greeks believed that constellations were put in the sky by the gods. They thought that Artemis changed Callisto into a bear, which later became the Great Bear. Orion the hunter was thought to have been stung and killed by a scorpion. The monster Hydra from the second labor of Hercules is also a constellation. Eighty-eight constellations have been discovered.