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The night sky is filled with wonder and
intrigue. You too, can enjoy exploring the
universe simply by following a few pointers
on a roadmap to the stars.

First, find the Big Dipper which is part of the
constellation Ursa Major. The Big Dipper is
usually easy to locate year round in North
America.

Extending directly out from the far side of
the Big Dipper’s cup is the constellation
Orion. One of the most exquisite areas of
the winter sky, Orion is distinguished by
Orion’s belt, which is marked by three stars
in a row. The Orion Nebula is located South
of the belt and is one of the most observed
deep-sky objects by amateur astronomers.

Extending from the “pointer stars” of the Big
Dipper’s cup is Polaris, the North Star.
Extending from Polaris is the Great Square
shared by the constellations Pegasus and
Andromeda. .

The Summer Triangle is a notable region in the sky to the left of the handle of the Big Dipper.
The triangle is made up of three very bright stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

By drawing an imaginary line outward from the handle of the Big Dipper, you reach the south-
ern constellation “Scorpius.” Scorpius curves to the left like the tail of a scorpion in the sky, or
like letter “J.”

Amateur astronomers commonly use the phrase “Arc to Arcturus and spike to Spica” to refer to
the area directly off the arc in the handle of the Big Dipper. Follow the arc to Arcturus, the sec-
ond brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere, then spike down to Spica, the 16th brightest star
in the sky. 

The chart below lists bright stars with their R.A. and Dec coordinates, along with the Northern
Hemisphere season when these stars are prominent in the night sky. This list aids the observ-
er to find alignment stars at various times of the year. For example, if it is a midsummer evening
in the Northern Hemisphere, Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, would be an excellent align-
ment star, while Betelgeuse could not be used because it is in the winter constellation Orion
and thus, below the horizon.

Spring

Arcturus

Bootes

14h16m

19° 11"

Spring

Regulus

Leo

10h09m

11° 58"

Spring

Spica

Virgo

13h25m

-11° 10"

Summer

Vega

Lyra

18h37m

38° 47"

Summer

Deneb

Cygnus

20h41m

45° 17"

Summer

Altair

Aquila

19h51m

08° 52"

Summer

Antares

Scorpius

16h30m

-26° 26"

Fall

Markab

Pegasus

23h05m

15° 12"

Fall

Fomalhaut

Pisces Austrinus

s22h58m

-29° 38"

Fall

Mira

Cetus

02h19m

-02° 58"

Winter

Rigel

Orion

05h15m

-08° 12"

Winter

Betelgeuse

Orion

05h55m

07° 25"

Winter

Sirius

Canis Major

06h45m

-16° 43"

Winter

Aldebaran

Taurus

04h35m

16° 31"

Fig. 36: Road Map to the Stars.