Finding constellations using the North Star

Illustrations by Jordan McDowell

 

You probably know about constellations, but do you know how to find them? As the earth moves around the sun, we can see some new constellations throughout the year. Some constellations we can see in the sky all year, though. These stars always stay in view of the Northern Hemisphere, which is the top part of earth where we are!

Over thousands of years, humans have learned to identify different stars. We often think of stars in little groups that make shapes and pictures. We call these groups of stars constellations. They’re like a dot-to-dot puzzle. When we connect each star to the next, a picture forms! You can find these pictures if you learn to think of the stars as a map. Once you have a starting point, you can find most constellations from there.

 

The Big Dipper & Ursa Major

Finding the Big Dipper is one of the easiest ways to find other constellations. The Big Dipper gets its name from its shape: it looks like a ladle or a “dipper” you might use to scoop water out of a pot. If you look toward the northern horizon, this shape can be easy to find, and it gives you a starting place to find other constellations. Ursa Major is Latin for “big bear.” The stars in Ursa Major look just like a bear lumbering through the forest. The Big Dipper can help you find Ursa Major, because the Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major! Six of the Big Dipper’s seven stars are part of Ursa Major’s big bear body. When a smaller constellation is part of a larger constellation, we call it an “asterism.”

 

 

The Little Dipper

Once you’ve found the Big Dipper, you can find the Little Dipper (also called Ursa Minor or “little bear”). The Little Dipper looks just like the Big Dipper but smaller. To find the Little Dipper, find the two stars that make the front of the Big Dipper’s ladle. Together, these stars make a line that point to the first star in the Little Dipper’s handle. The first star in the Little Dipper’s handle is called Polaris, or the North Star. You can find the North Star all year, which is why humans have used it to help us navigate for hundreds of years.

 

 

 

Cassiopeia

Once you find the North Star, you can find Cassiopeia. The Cassiopeia constellation is named after Queen Cassiopeia, a queen from Greek mythology who was very proud of her beauty. Five bright stars form Cassiopeia in an “M” or “W” shape. You can find Cassiopeia by continuing the line you made with the Big Dipper past the North Star. Cassiopeia is on the other side of the Little Dipper, about the same distance from the North Star as the Big Dipper.

 

 

 

Perseus

Perseus is also named after Greek mythology. In mythology, Perseus is a famous hero who overcame the Gorgons — monsters with snakes for hair. To find the Perseus constellation, locate the middle star in Cassiopeia. This is the top of the “W.” Then find the star making the downward slant in the W pointing southeast. Draw a line in the sky using those stars, just like you did with the Big Dipper. The line from Cassiopeia will point directly to Perseus

 

 

There’s a lot more constellations in the sky. You can even see different constellations at different times of the year. There are also other ways to find constellations in the sky — it isn’t all about the North Star! But these instructions will help you find your first constellations and hopefully, you’ll learn to find even more. Happy stargazing!