Cool Constellations

When to see it:
Fall, winter, and spring evenings

Main stars:
Rigel: Bluish star that is the 7th brightest in the sky
Betelgeuse: Giant, reddish star that is 800 times larger than the sun

Myth:
In Egyptian mythology, Sahu, father of the gods, is represented by Orion and a nearby constellation called Lepus. The main Egyptian gods are said to descend from the three stars of Orion’s belt. Some historians believe that the pyramids of Giza were built to line up with these stars.

When to see it:
Fall, winter, and spring evenings

Main stars:
Rigel: Blue-colored star that is the 7th brightest in the sky
Betelgeuse: Giant, red-colored star that is 800 times larger than the sun

Myth:
In Egyptian mythology, Sahu is the father of the gods. He is represented by Orion and a nearby constellation called Lepus. The main Egyptian gods are said to descend from the three stars of Orion’s belt. Some historians believe that the pyramids of Giza were built to line up with these stars.

When to see it:
Summer evenings

Main stars:
Vega: One of our closest neighbors and 5th brightest star
Epsilon Lyrae: It’s actually four stars that orbit each other. But they look like a single star from Earth!

Myth:
Some cultures see Lyra as a stringed instrument called a lyre. In Chinese mythology, the star Vega is particularly important. It represents a heavenly girl who fell in love with a human boy. When the goddess of heaven forced the girl to return to the sky, the boy followed her. But the angry goddess created the Milky Way galaxy and set it between them, so the two lovers could never meet.

When to see it:
Summer evenings

Main stars:
Vega:One of our closest neighbors and 5th brightest star
Epsilon Lyrae: It’s actually four stars that orbit each other. But they look like a single star from Earth!

Myth:
Some cultures see Lyra as a stringed instrument called a lyre. In Chinese mythology, the star Vega is very important. It represents a heavenly girl. She fell in love with a human boy. But the goddess of heaven forced the girl to return to the sky. The boy followed her. This angered the goddess. So the goddess created the Milky Way galaxy. She set it between the two lovers so they could never meet.

When to see it:
Fall, summer, and spring evenings

Main star:
Aldebaran: Red-colored star that is 14thbrightest in the sky

Myth:
In many cultures, Taurus represents a bull. Ancient Mesopotamians mentioned the constellation in a famous story about a powerful king. The king’s name was Gilgamesh. Once, he insulted a goddess named Ishtar. She sent the Bull of Heaven to cause drought and earthquakes. Gilgamesh defeated the Bull and saved his people.

When to see it:
Year-round and all night, highest in the sky during spring evenings

Main star:
Alioth: The brightest star in Ursa Major. Sailors once used it to find their way across the ocean.

Myth:
Many cultures see Ursa Major as a Great Bear. In an Iroquois myth, a party of hunters tracked a giant bear to the end of the world. But the bear leapt into the sky! The hunters followed and continue to chase him to this day. They are represented by the three leftmost stars that look like the bear’s “tail.”

The Big Dipper
This is an asterism, a famous pattern of stars that is part of a constellation.

When to see it:
Year-round and all night, highest in the sky during spring evenings

Main star:
Alioth:
The brightest star in Ursa Major. Sailors once used it to find their way across the ocean.

Myth:
Many cultures see Ursa Major as a Great Bear. In an Iroquois myth, three hunters once tracked a giant bear. They followed the animal to the end of the world. But then the bear leaped into the sky! The hunters followed. It is said that they continue to chase the bear to this day. The hunters are represented by the three leftmost stars in Ursa Major. To some people, these three stars look like the bear’s “tail.”

The Big Dipper
This is an asterism. It is a famous pattern of stars that is part of a constellation.