Picture in the Sky

By: Kat Kendall

When you look up at the sky on a clear night, you can see

many, many pictures. At first, they seem to be all mixed up

together. But if you look through a telescope, you can see that

the sky is a work of art.

The Big Dipper The most important group of stars in the Northern sky is called the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is important because it helps us find the North Star.

The two end stars

on the

bowl of the

Dipper are

pointers. They

point straight to

the North Star.

The Big Dipper is not always in the same position. It goes around the North Star every day. It also

changes positions with the seasons.

Polaris. The North Star makes the tip of the Little Dipper

Big Bear and Little Bear The Little Dipper is also called the Little Bear. The Big Dipper and surrounding stars make the Big Bear.

This image shows how people may imagine the Big Bear and Little Bear to look.

In an ancient tale, there was a wicked mother and son that were so mean they were punished for their wickedness. They were turned into bears and flung so far into the heavens that their tails grew long and they roam round and round the North Star.

Orion, the Hunter If you look up at the southern sky on a winters night, you can see Orion.

There are many stories told about Orion. In one of the oldest tales, Orion is a hunter that no one could out do. But because he began to brag about how good he was, he was stung to death by a scorpion and placed in the sky to warn all those one uppers to not boast.

In an ancient Greek story, Orion was

the son of Poseidon, a hero,

and champion hunter.

Orion is often pictured holding a lion in one hand

while being attacked by a scorpion and Taurus, the Bull.

The Scorpion

Orion goes down in the Western sky, as the Scorpion becomes visible in the Eastern sky. So, it looks as if the Scorpion has stung Orion on the heel and he is running away.

Below is a picture of how the Scorpius Constellation is imagined.

Leo the Lion The Leo Constellation can be seen high in the Southern sky in the springtime.

Leo, the lion is imagined to be the lion that Hercules slew in ancient times. The lion was said to have skin so tough that no sword, spear, or arrow could penetrate it. But Hercules killed the lion with his bare hands.

This is a drawing of how Leo, the lion is imagined. The Moon is the heart of Leo.

Regulus, meaning “Little King” is the brightest star in the constellation.

A Picture of Leo

Other Pictures in the Milky Way Galaxy

Draco Draco Imagined

Hydra

Lepus

Canis Major

Canis Minor

Monoceros

Star Traveler

Since ancient times, the stars have been used by travelers to find their way. The Bible tells the story of the wise men, who followed a star in the East to the Christ child born in Bethlehem. In the desert, people travel at night because the temperatures are cooler. Even today, they use the stars to help them find their way. Sailors traveling at sea can steer their ships at night with the help of the stars.

Modern technology has made traveling a bit easier, but aviators are still trained to use the same stars to guide them that travelers have used throughout history