1) The Plough
Hopefully you will be able to find the distinctive seven-star asterism known as the Plough. It is right overhead. It lies in the constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. It will be upside down.
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 you can see the Little Bear. It is a similar shape to the Plough but not as big. The Pole star is the end of it’s tail.
5) 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.
6) 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.
7) 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.
8) The Pentagon and the Kid
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.
9) 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. That 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.
10) 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.
11) 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.
12) 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.
13) Sirius the Dog Star
Now face south. Below and to the left of the Hourglass of Orion is the brightest star in the night sky, as seen from Earth. This is Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. It is in the constellation Canis Major. Canis Major is one of Orion’s hunting dogs. It is chasing Lepus the Hare which is just below Orion’s foot.
14) Procyon and the Winter Triangle
Draw a line between Betelgeuse, the brilliant red star at the upper left of the Hourglass and Sirius the Dog Star. Now look for the third point of the equilateral triangle north east of Sirius. This is the star Procyon in the constellation Canis Minor the Little Dog.
15) 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.
16) The Beehive and the Crab
Move east from Pollux about 25 degrees (the distance between your outstretched thumb and little finger at arm’s length) and look for a fuzzy patch. This is the famous Beehive, a star cluster in the constellation Cancer the Crab. It is also known as Messier 44.
During Hercules’ battle with the multi headed Hydra, Hera sent a crab, Karkinos to distract him and put him at a disadvantage. However Hercules quickly dispatched the crab by kicking it with such force that it was propelled into the sky. Hera, grateful for Karkinos’s effort, gave it a permanent place up there.
17) The Sickle and the Lion
Continuing east from the Beehive, look for an asterism shaped like a backwards question mark. This is the Sickle, or the head of Leo the Lion. The bright star at the bottom of the question mark is Regulus, the star that marks the Lion’s heart.
In Greek mythology, Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion which was killed by Hercules during the first of his twelve labours.
The Nemean Lion would take women as hostages to its lair in a cave. Warriors from a nearby town would perish in the attempt to rescue them because the lion was impervious to all weapons. Realizing that he must defeat the Lion with his bare hands, Hercules slipped into the Lion’s cave and engaged it at close quarters. When the Lion pounced, Hercules caught it in mid air, one hand grasping the Lion’s forelegs and the other its hind legs. Bending it backwards he broke its back and freed the trapped maidens. Zeus commemorated this labour by placing the Lion in the sky.
18) Arcturus and The Kite
Return to the Plough. Follow the it’s curving handle eastwards to the next bright star. This is orange Arcturus. It name means “guardian of the bear”, as it appears to follow Ursa Major around the sky. Look north east of Arcturus to spot the rest of the Kite asterism flying high in the sky. This is part of the constellation of Bootes. In one story the herdsman Bootes is said to drive the oxen in the constellations of Ursa Major through the sky.
19) Berenice’s Hair
To the right of Arcturus, look for a large spangly patch. This is the star cluster known as Berenice’s Hair or the Coma Star Cluster. It has also been known since antiquity and is sometimes called Melotte 111.