This document provides descriptions and illustrations of several constellations visible in the night sky, including the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion, Scorpius, Leo, and others. It explains how some constellations like the Big and Little Dipper were used to locate the North Star. Stories are also shared about how figures like Orion and Leo came to be represented by their respective constellations. The document notes that stars have long been used by travelers on land and sea to navigate at night.

1. Picture in the Sky
By: Kat Kendall

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. Other Pictures in the Milky Way Galaxy
Draco Draco Imagined

14. Hydra

15. Lepus

16. Canis Major

17. Canis Minor

18. Monoceros

19. 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.

20. 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