In message , Paul Schlyter
writes
In article ,
Tim923 wrote:

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?

Your first assumption is correct: stars in the same constellation
merely happen to be positioned in approximately the same direction
from us. They can be at any distance from us. And their distances
do vary widely -- consider for instance the Summer Triangle, where
Deneb is approx. 100 times farther away than Vega or Altair. OK
the Summer Triangle is not a constellation, it is a large asterism,
but we use it frequently to orient ourselves in the sky, so the
same principle applies.

There are exceptions, of course. For instance, all but two of the stars
in the Plough are part of a cluster (it's not a modern constellation,
but it used to be. I was amused to read that the Arabs originally
described the region as a bier but later adopted the bear interpretation
of many other cultures !)
--
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