Constellations in the Sky

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ILLUSTRATION: H.A. REY
This chart, taken from H.A. Rey's book The Stars: A New Way to See Them, can help you more easily find constellations in the sky.

Imagine that it’s an invitingly crisp evening, with just a touch of warmth in the air to herald the arrival of spring. After the dinner dishes are done, you stroll outside to take in the fading glow of daylight. While dusk deepens, you watch the evening star growing brighter as it chases the sun westward. If it’s a clear night, you might also pick out the still-dim shape of the Big Dipper before retreating inside.

But wait a minute! If you retire early, you’ll miss the best part of the astral show. In fact, the opening act has only just begun when the first few stars pop into sight. Each night, season after season, those little points of light fill the firmament with constellations in the sky.

The “New” Way

Most constellations really do look like the persons, creatures, or objects that they’re named for … provided the stars that make up the pictures are connected properly. The problem is that most traditional astral charts connect the “dots” randomly, in a pattern that — more often than not — doesn’t even resemble what it’s supposed to be (according to its name).

There is, however, a happy exception to that rule: H.A. Rey’s book The Stars: A New Way to See Them (Houghton Mifflin, 1976). Rey’s “new” method actually helps the stargazer visualize the constellations as familiar figures or objects, much as the ancients must have seen them. The celestial charts in his book simply connect the stars in meaningful patterns, to produce recognizable shapes.

  • Published on Mar 1, 1981
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