Originally Posted by DarkHorsePyro

Yet the constellations have stayed the exact same for around 3,000 years.

Are the constellations permanent?

Ancient astronomers often spoke of the "fixed stars," which maintained permanent positions in the sky. And, indeed, the stars do seem almost fixed in place; the patterns they form look much the same today as they did when the constellations were first named nearly 3000 years ago. But the stars are all moving relative to the Sun, most with speeds of many kilometers per second. Because they are so very far away, it will take thousands of lifetimes to see significant changes in the star patterns. But, over time, they will change. Because of the motions of the stars within it, for example, the handle of the Big Dipper will, in about 50,000 years, appear significantly more bent than it is today (see figure at left). We will, no doubt, keep the same names for the constellations, even if the stars change their positions. Constellations are, after all, products of human imagination, not nature.