"Tim923" wrote in message
...
I assumed that stars in a constellation weren't actually close to each
other in space, that they only appeared close in our 2D viewing of
them, but I have a galaxy picture that would suggest otherwise.
Clarification?

Some will be closer to each other than others, but there is no rule that
they have to be close. Some are very close, such as the Pleiades, because
that constellation is also a star cluster.
http://www.ras.ucalgary.ca/~gibson/pleiades/
In others, such as Orion, the distance of the individual stars varies a
great deal.

Naturally, the stars of all constellations will be within a certain distance
from earth (but that distance is very large). The constallations were
defined long ago by viewing the stars with the naked eye, and none of the
really distant and faint ones can be seen that way.

What does your galaxy picture suggest?