Have you ever stopped and stared at the stars? Thousands of years ago, people would look at the stars and use their imaginations to see shapes and patterns created by the points of light. These shapes and patterns—called constellations—often represented gods, men and women from…
We can use the dipper to find other stars and constellations. For example, by drawing an invisible line through Merak and Dubhe, we come to Polaris, the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. Polaris is special because it appears directly above…
Starting at Merak, draw a line through Megrez, Alioth and Mizar and you’ll come to the constellation Hercules. It’s not especially bright and it may take you a few tries to see it. If you come to a bright, white star, that’s Vega, the brightest…
By now, the Big Dipper is low on the northern horizon, but if you draw a line through Merak and Dubhe to Polaris and continue on, you’ll come to Cassiopeia. It’s high over Polaris, and looks like a large, crooked W in the sky. Draw…
By now, the Big Dipper has moved around to the east of Polaris. Draw a line through Megrez and Merak and you’ll come to two bright stars. Known as Castor and Pollux, these are the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, the Twins. Yet we…