Constellation Finder: Identifying Patterns in the Night Sky (Nature Study Guides)

Miller, Dorcas S.

ISBN 10: 0912550546 ISBN 13: 9780912550541

Publisher: Nature Study Guild, 2025

Synopsis

Identify constellations in the night sky with this pocket-size guide.

You can appreciate stars and enjoy stargazing! If you’re curious about the night sky, then Constellation Finder by Dorcas S. Miller is just what you need. With the handy, easy-to-use booklet, you can identify constellations of the Northern Hemisphere.

Perfect for camping trips, the cabin, and the backyard, this booklet introduces 30 of the most important constellations to know. It begins by showing you how to locate constellations by working outward from the Big Dipper and Orion. Next, Dorcas offers tips for watching stars. Seasonal sky maps show which constellations are visible at different times of the year. Information about each featured constellation includes best viewing time, Greek mythology, constellations from many cultures—including Native American, African, and Asian—and star stories from around the world. Along the way, Dorcas’s professional illustrations guide you to a positive identification of the various star patterns.

This guide is most useful for stargazing between the 30th and 50th parallels in the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, this includes the contiguous United States (except the Florida peninsula and southernmost Texas) and southern Canada.

Book Features:

• Step-by-step guide to identifying 30 constellations
• North, south, east, and west sky maps for every season
• Professional line illustrations with key markings for identification
• Small format that fits into a pocket or pack

About this title

About the Author

Dorcas S. Miller, founding president of the Maine Master Naturalist Program, has written more than a dozen books, including Berry Finder, Constellation Finder, Scat Finder, Track Finder, and Winter Weed Finder. Her Finder books have sold more than half a million copies.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Scorpius / Scorpion
(SKOR-pee-us)
Best viewing: July–August

In summer, look for bright red (1) Antares just below the pincer legs. Only in southern regions does the entire constellation rise above the horizon.

Scorpion: Babylonian, Egyptian, Arabian, Persian, Jaina of India, Maya, Aztec; Greek: This scorpion killed Orion. (2) Lesath and (3) Shaula form the stinger.

Great Serpent: Tribes in Brazil

Serpent Changing to Condor: Quechua in Peru

Caterpillar Jaguar: Andes

Bee’s Nest in Coconut Tree: Landak Dyak in Borneo. The nest is (1) Antares.

Tamarereti’s Canoe: Maori. Arrival of canoe (tail stars) in sky commemorates completion of voyage to New Zealand.

Boy in Palm Tree: Berber in N Africa. The boy (1) is watching girls.

Maui’s Fish Hook: Maori and other Polynesian groups. Maui, a demi-god and trickster who stole fire from the sun, used the hook to bring New Zealand and other islands to the surface of the sea.

Stag Beetle and Two Children: Tahitian. Two children (2, 3) ran away from their miserly stepmother. A stag beetle (1) carried them to the sky.

Names for (1) Antares:
Rival of Mars: Greek
General from the West and Lord of Light: Persian
Star of Fire: Chinese

Edition details

• Publisher: Nature Study Guild
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0912550546
• ISBN 13: 9780912550541
• Binding: Staple Bound
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 64