To reiterate what we covered Tuesday, we learned how to find 10 constellations
and 8 bright star names:
Orion (hunter) - easily find by 3 belt stars. Includes the stars
- Betelgeuse (left shoulder) - bright red star
- Bellatrix (right shoulder)
- Rigel (right knee)
Canis Major (big dog) - following Orion, Includes the star
- Sirius (brightest star in the sky - called the dog star)
Canis Minor (little dog) - following Orion bove Canis Major, Includes the star
- Procyon
Gemini (twins) - above Orion's left shoulder, Includes the stars
- Castor
- Pollox (the two heads of the twins)
Taurus (bull) - horns make a triangle above Orion's right shoulder
Cancer (crab) - no bright stars, but between Gemini and Leo
Leo (lion) - head looks like a backwards question mark. Includes the star
- Regulus - called the king star
Ursa Major (big bear) - its tail is the handle of the big dipper. Follow the stars in the end of the dipper to find
Ursa Minor (little bear) - its tail is the handle of the little dipper. The only bright star you'll see in ursa minor is
- Polaris - AKA the North star
Cassiopeia (queen on her throne) - looks like a "W" towards the north
Yes, that's 9 stars I named, but you only have to know 8.
Taurus, Gemini, Cancer and Leo are in the Zodiac. The zodiac is the name given to the area of the sky through which the planets and sun appear to move when seen from Earth.
