How to find constellations, stars and galaxies

Step-by-step star-hopping guides for the 33 most searched sights of the night sky. Each guide starts from an easy pattern such as the Big Dipper or Orion's Belt and leads you, star by star, to the target. Follow the arrows on each chart from star 1 to the circled target.

Constellations

How to find OrionStart with the three stars of the beltHow to find Ursa MajorThe Big Dipper is the back and tail of the Great BearHow to find CassiopeiaOpposite the Big Dipper, on the other side of PolarisHow to find ScorpiusThe red heart and the curved tail low in the southHow to find LeoLet the Big Dipper "leak" onto the lionHow to find CygnusThe Northern Cross in the Summer TriangleHow to find LyraVega and a small parallelogramHow to find TaurusFollow Orion's Belt to the Bull's eyeHow to find GeminiFrom Rigel through Betelgeuse to the TwinsHow to find SagittariusThe Teapot east of the ScorpionHow to find the Southern CrossFollow the Pointers (Southern Hemisphere)How to find Ursa MinorFrom the Big Dipper pointers to PolarisHow to find DracoThe dragon winds between the two DippersHow to find Canis MajorFollow Orion's Belt down to SiriusHow to find Virgo"Arc to Arcturus, then speed on to Spica"How to find CancerThe faint crab between Gemini and LeoHow to find LibraThe scales between Spica and AntaresHow to find CapricornusFollow Vega through AltairHow to find AquariusFrom the Great Square of PegasusHow to find PiscesThe Circlet below the Great SquareHow to find AriesBetween the Pleiades and the Great SquareHow to find AndromedaA chain of stars from the Great Square

Asterisms

How to find the Big DipperSeven bright stars, always above the northern horizonHow to find the Little DipperThe pointer stars lead to PolarisHow to find Orion's BeltThree stars in a row, and where they pointHow to find the Summer TriangleVega, Deneb and Altair

Stars

How to find PolarisFollow the pointer stars of the Big DipperHow to find BetelgeuseThe orange shoulder of OrionHow to find SiriusFollow Orion's Belt to the leftHow to find VegaThe brightest corner of the Summer Triangle

Deep-sky objects

How to find the Andromeda GalaxyHop from the Great Square through MirachHow to find the Orion NebulaBelow Orion's Belt, in the swordHow to find the PleiadesOrion's Belt, Aldebaran, then the Seven Sisters