Recognizing the Stars [411 



Constellations in the Night Sky 



With their vivid imagination and quick flair for fanciful pat- 

 terns, children seize eagerly on the constellations, those pictorial 

 star-groups that hark back to the childhood of civilization. At the 

 time of Christ, more than forty of these sky pictures had become 

 generally accepted; over the succeeding centuries more were 

 worked out, and today astronomers officially recognize eighty-eight 

 constellations. (The word "constellation" is taken from two Latin 

 words meaning "stars together.") 



The stars in a constellation may differ in brightness, distance 

 from us, and in size; their only relationship is created as our eyes 

 move from one to another and we draw our imaginary picture 

 bringing a group into focus. Some constellations, such as Sagitta 

 (the Arrow) , have few bright stars and the area they cover is 

 small. Ursa Major (the Great Bear), Hydra (the Water Monster) 

 and Hercules are among the very large constellations. 



The constellations near the North Star go around the pole (in 

 terms of apparent motion) every twenty-four hours and are visible 

 throughout the year. How many constellations you can see con- 

 stantly, depends on your location between the pole and the 

 equator. From the greater part of the United States we can ob- 

 serve six that never set: the Great Bear, the Little Bear, the Dragon, 

 Cepheus (se fus) , Cassiopeia (kas io-pe yah) , and Camelopardalis 

 (kah-mel o-par-dah-lis). From Canada and the northernmost 

 United States about ten others can be seen, wholly or in part, 

 through all seasons. 



THE GREAT BEAR AND THE BIG DIPPER 



The Great Bear is usually the first constellation with which 

 children become familiar. "Great Bear" is the translation of the 

 Latin name Ursa Major; in the United States a part of the constel- 

 lation is famous as the Big Dipper. This is the most easily recog- 

 nized of constellations, and of further importance as the guidepost 

 to the North Star. 



If you imagine a line joining the two stars that form the side, 

 of the Dipper's bowl farthest from the handle, and then extend 



