ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Delphinus (Chinese astronomy)

Delphinus is a special group of stars that people in China used to look at long, long ago. They liked to connect the stars in the sky and imagine that they looked like different things, just like connect-the-dots pictures. Delphinus looks like a little fish swimming in the sky.

The Chinese people believed that when they saw Delphinus, it meant the rainy season was coming. Rain is important for the crops to grow and the farmers to have food to eat. So, when Delphinus appeared in the sky, the Chinese people knew it was time to prepare for the rain.

People in China also believed that Delphinus was a magical fish. They thought that the fish had the power to make rain come down from the clouds. They even had a story about a little boy and a magical fish that granted wishes. The boy's wish was for his village to have enough rain for their crops to grow, and the fish made it happen. So whenever people saw Delphinus in the sky, they remembered the story and hoped that it would make rain fall from the clouds.

Delphinus is a group of stars that form the shape of a fish in the sky. It is part of what is called a constellation, which is a group of stars that have been named and connected in a special way. There are actually many different constellations in the night sky, and they all have their own special shapes and stories.

Today, scientists study the stars and constellations to learn more about the universe and how it works. They use special telescopes to look closely at the stars and take pictures of them. They can tell us how far away the stars are, how big they are, and what they are made of.

So, the next time you look up at the night sky and see Delphinus, you can think about the ancient Chinese people who believed it was a magical fish that brought rain. And now, because of scientists studying the stars, we can learn more about the universe and how everything works together.