1) The Plough
Hopefully you will be able to find the distinctive seven-star asterism known as the Plough. It is in the north east. It lies in the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear.
2) Horse and Rider
Look closely at the middle star in the three-star handle of the Plough. If you have good eyesight, you should see two stars. Bright Mizar and dim Alcor are reported to have been used by the Romans and the Arabs as a vision test. This pair is commonly known as the Horse and Rider.
3) North Star and true north
Draw an imaginary line between the two end stars in the Plough –the ones that are farthest from the handle end. These are known as the “Pointer Stars,“ because they point the way to the North Star. Extend that line about five times its length. The first fairly bright star you come to is Polaris, the Pole Star. It’s slightly dimmer than the end pointer star.
The Pole Star isn’t one of the brightest stars in the sky. Its importance to us is its location, not its brightness. Now that you’ve found Polaris, face it square and you will be facing geographic north, also known as true north.
4) The Little Bear
Now that you are facing north the little bear is standing on it’s tail. It is a similar shape to the Plough but not as big. The Pole star is at the end of it’s tail.
5) Deneb and the Swan
Return to the Plough. Draw a line through the two stars of the Plough’s body which are opposite the Pointers. Continue in a westerly direction until you come to the bright star Deneb in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. Deneb is the tail of the Swan which is flying towards the north western horizon.
Cygnus is really Zeus, who has transformed himself into a swan so that he can seduce Queen Leda. Leda subsequently gives birth to Pollux and Helen who are immortal. Leda’s mortal children by King Tyndareus were Castor and Clytemnestra. Castor and Pollux are immortalised in the constellation of Gemini.
6) Vega and the Harp
About 25 degrees (the distance between your outstretched thumb and little finger at arm’s length) north west of Deneb is the bright star Vega in the constellation of Lyra – the Harp. This harp was the property of the celebrated musician, Orpheus, whose journey into the underworld is one of the most famous Greek stories. Vega was the northern pole star around 12,000 BC and will be so again around the year 14,000.
7) Great Square of Pegasus
Look for the Great Square of Pegasus about two full outstretched hands widths to the east of Cygnus. Pegasus was the legendary flying horse of Greek mythology.
8) Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda is the constellation to the north east of the Great Square of Pegasus. Andromeda was the daughter of Cassiopiea and Cepheus who offered her as a sacrifice to a sea monster. She was rescued by Perseus.
Starting at the north eastern corner of the Square move three stars to the north east counting the corner of the Square as the first star. The star you have landed on is the first in a line of three pointing to the north west. Go to the third star in line. Just to the west of it is the faint glow of the core of the Andromeda galaxy, two and a half million light years away. It is also known as Messier 31.
9) Cassiopeia
Go back to the Horse and Rider in the Plough and draw a line through the Pole Star. Continue until you to reach the distinctive W-shaped asterism of Cassiopeia the Queen of Ethiopia. She has been condemned to to circle the Pole Star forever, chained to her throne. This is her punishment for attempting to sacrifice her daughter, Andromeda, to a sea monster.
10) Perseus
From Cassiopeia head west about 25 degrees ( the distance between your outstretched thumb and little finger at arm’s length) to find Perseus. Perseus was the Greek hero who rescued Andromeda from the sea monster. He was also famous for slaying the Gorgon Medusa. In the constellation he holds Medusa’s severed head in his left hand.
11) The Double Cluster
Just about halfway between Perseus and Cassiopeia you should just about be able to see a spangly patch of light. This is the famous double star cluster. Through binoculars this can be a really stunning object. It is also known as Caldwell 14.
12) The Pentagon and the Kids
Return to the Plough . Draw a line through the upper two stars of the Plough away from the handle to find the bright star Capella and the constellation of Auriga the Charioteer. Just under Capella, the brightest star in the Pentagon, is a small triangle of stars. This is the asterism known as the Kids.
13) Hourglass of Orion and Orion’s Belt
Continuing south, you come to the Hourglass asterism of Orion the Hunter. Look for the diagonal three-star pattern that cinches the hourglass. This is Orion’s Belt.
Orion the Hunter could walk on water because he was the son of the sea-god Poseidon. During a hunt on Crete with the goddess Artemis, he threatened to kill every beast on Earth. But Mother Earth objected and sent a giant scorpion to kill him. After Orion’s death, Zeus placed him among the constellations adding the Scorpion as well, to commemorate the hero’s death.
14) Orion’s Sword and the Orion Nebula
Dangling from Orion’s Belt is a three-star pattern called Orion’s Sword. Look at the middle “star” and you’ll actually be looking at a stellar nursery, a star-forming nebula 20,000 times the size of our solar system! It looks like a star with the naked eye because of its distance. It is also known as Messier 42.
15) Hyades and the Bull’s Eye
From Orion’s Belt, follow the line of the Belt in a westerly direction to the V-shaped star cluster of the Hyades and the brilliant reddish star Aldebaran, which marks the eye of Taurus the Bull.
16) Pleiades
Another 15 degrees to the north west (the distance between your outstretched index and little finger at arm’s length) is the fuzzy patch also known as the Seven Sisters. This star cluster has been known since antiquity. It is also known as Messier 45.
The Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and the sea-nymph Pleione. After Atlas was forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders, Orion began to pursue the Pleiades. To comfort their father, Zeus transformed them first into doves, and then into stars. The constellation of Orion is said to still pursue The Pleiades across the night sky.
17) The Twins
Return to the Plough. Draw a diagonal line across the body of the Plough starting at the handle. Continue until you come to two bright stars that are close together. These are Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins. Pollux is the brighter of the two.
The immortal Pollux was so overcome with sorrow when his mortal brother Castor died that Zeus reunited them both in the heavens, so that they could be together forever.
18) The Milky Way
Return to Cygnus and admire the star clouds. See how the Milky Way stretches down to the north western horizon. From Cygnus trace the Milky Way back to the east through Cassiopeia, Perseus and Taurus, past Orion then south east to the horizon.