15 Constellations Every Man Should Know (And How to Find Them)

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.”― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

I was recently on a camping trip in the mountains of Colorado, and one of the highlights was definitely being able to lay on a picnic table and try to find constellations without the intrusive lights of my home in Denver. While I could easily pick out a few of the better known constellations, I was disappointed that I couldn’t point out more, and that I couldn’t remember a darn thing from elementary school about the myths behind the stars.

My ancient forbearers knew the night sky like the back of their hand. The constellations oriented them in a literal sense – as vital navigation tools – but in a spiritual one as well, serving as vivid reminders of their mythologies and place in the universe. Still today, knowing the constellations can be a source of both satisfying knowledge and humbling awe.[amazon asin=B00GMR1978&template=*lrc ad (right)]

So in this post, I’m going to give you a crash course in the Greek mythology of the most prominent constellations, as well as some tips for finding and identifying them. I use Greek mythology because it was Ptolemy in the 2nd century who identified and listed 48 constellations. This was the first written and scientific account of the constellations, and although his notes only covered the sky that he could see, it was used for centuries as the benchmark for astronomy. It should be noted that many of the constellations listed also have Babylonian, Egyptian, Roman mythologies, and more. What’s interesting is that while the specific characters in the stories may change, the rough outlines and shapes of the constellations remained fairly similar.

The International Astronomical Union lists 88 constellations — a list that has been in use since 1922 and encompasses all the night sky around the world. I chose the 15 below based on a combination of size, visibility, importance of stars within them, ease of recognition, and place in folklore through history.

How to Find Constellations in the Night Sky

Screenshot 2014-07-16 10.15.12

This is what a star map looks like (this is from Starmap). You orient it just like a map, and then look up to find those constellations!

Using a star map will be your best bet for assisting in finding where to look for constellations, depending on your location and time of year. It’s different depending on where you live and on the seasons, so use something like [amazon asin=1461401364&template=*lrc ad (right)]AstroViewer that lets you enter your location and gives you a customized star map. Another good one is Starmap, which also has an iOS app, and you can download them in PDF and print them so you can take the maps outside with you. Something like Google Sky can also help you to practice identifying the shapes of the constellations.

Other than a star map, all you need is a dark sky (as far away from cities as possible), and for extra visual aide, a pair of binoculars or a telescope. With the naked eye, you’ll see basic outlines, but with binoculars or a telescope you’ll see fainter stars and other features like nebulae and star clusters. When you’re out observing, you’ll want to generally orient yourself towards the North Star (directions on how to find the North Star are found at the bottom of the article).

While below I note a “best viewed” month for each constellation, many are visible for at least 6 months of the year – just not quite as vividly. The constellations below are the most famous and most visible to the naked eye in the Northern Hemisphere.[amazon asin=B001592LFC&template=*lrc ad (right)]

Aquarius

Latin for “water carrier” or “cup carrier”

Best viewed in: October

While one of the biggest, most famous, and oldest named constellations, Aquarius is faint and often hard to find/see. In Greek mythology, Aquarius represented Ganymede, a very handsome young man. Zeus recognized the lad’s good looks, and invited Ganymede to Mt. Olympus to be the cupbearer of the gods. For his service he was granted eternal youth, as well as a place in the night sky.

Constellation Aquarius

[amazon asin=B00008Y0VN&template=*lrc ad (right)]Despite its prominent position and large size, you can see that Aquarius doesn’t really have defining features, nor does it contain any bright stars. The protruding line to the right is Aquarius’s right arm, with the large downward shape being a combination of the water flowing down out of the vase and his right leg. While not the entire constellation, what’s drawn above is what you’re most likely to see in the night sky. You won’t see this one in the city; you’ll need a dark sky to find the cupbearer.

Aquila

Latin for “eagle”

Best viewed in: late summer, September

Aquila was the eagle that in Greek mythology actually bore Ganymede (Aquarius) up to Mt. Olympus. The eagle was also the thunderbolt carrier for Zeus.

Scutum, Aquila, Capricornus

This constellation lies in the Milky Way band, and its most prominent star is Altair, which is actually one of the closest naked eye stars to the earth. The top portion of Aquila forms a shallow inverted “V,” with Altair nearly the point. This represents the head and wings of the eagle. A line then descends from Altair, which forms the body of the eagle.

Look towards the southern sky in the late summer, near the Milky Way band, for Aquila.

Read the rest of the article