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In astronomy, an asterism is a recognized pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky. Asterisms are considered to be distinct from constellations, although the origin of most constellations is also a recognizable pattern of stars.

Examples of asterisms include:

• the Big Dipper in Ursa Major;
• the Little Dipper in Ursa Minor;
• the Teapot in Sagittarius,
• Orion's belt;
• the Summer Triangle ( Deneb, Altair, and Vega, or α Cygni, Aquilae, and LyraLyra Abbreviation Lyr Genitive Lyrae Meaning in English the Lyre Right ascension 19 h Declination 40° Visible to latitude Between +90° and -40° Best visible August Area Total Ranked 52nd286 sq. Number of stars with apparent magnitude 1 Brightest star Appae);
• the Great Square of PegasusPegasus (the winged horse) is a northern constellation, named after the mythological Pegasus. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy. Notable features Pegasus' three brightest stars together (which includes α AndromedaAndromeda Abbreviation And Genitive Andromedae Meaning in English the princess Andromeda Right ascension 1 h Declination 40° Visible to latitude Between 90° and −40° Best visible November Area Total Ranked 19th722 sq. Number of stars with apparent me);
• the Urn in AquariusThis article is about the constellation. For other meanings see Aquarius (disambiguation Aquarius the water bearer, is one of the oldest recognized constellations along the zodiac, the sun's apparent path. It is found in a region often called the Sea due;
• the Sickle in LeoNote This article is about the constellation Leo''. For other meanings, see leo (disambiguation). Leo (the lion) is a constellation of the zodiac. Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east. Notable features This constellation contains.