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Another interest of mine is the stars. On this page you will find a few famous star constellations and how to find them.

 

 

Ursa Major

One of the easiest constellations to find is Ursa Major (the plough or Big Dipper). It is visible all year and is a useful guide to the rest of the sky.

Ursa Major can be used to find the North Star (Polaris)

 

More info on Ursa Major

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leo

Leo is only visible between February and June. The easiest way to find it is to pretend that the saucepan that makes up the Big Dipper has a leak in the bottom. If it did, the contents would leak down on to Leo. Be aware that depending on the time of observation (and position), the image may be upside down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orion

Orion is visible in the early morning hours beginning on the August through early December. Orion will start rising in the East before dawn the first part of August and, over the next several months, rise earlier and earlier until, by December, it rises around 9:00pm and sets in the West just before sunrise.
This means that, beginning in December, Orion is visible during the evening hours. It can still be seen right until the end of May. The great constellation is at its most impressive during the crisp cold evenings of winter when it is high and easy to spot in the night sky. Orion remains visible in the evening until around the first of May, when in drops out of our sight until the cycle starts over again the following August.
The easiest way to find Orion is to look for the three stars in his "belt". There isn't another group of three stars in the sky that are spaced so evenly and so easy to find. Once you have found his belt, the rest of the giant constellation is easy to spot.

Link to a detailed star chart

An interactive guide to the night sky