Along with Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, and Pegasus, Andromeda is involved in one of the oldest stories in history and is one of the most ancient constellations. Andromeda was an ancient princess who was saved from being sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus by the hero Perseus. Cassiopeia and Cepheus are her parents, who are forced to sacrifice their daughter as punishment for insulting the ancient gods. Within the constellation of Andromeda is located M31, the Andromeda Galaxy. M31 is a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way, and is the most distant object a person can observe without the use of a telescope. The constellation is located to the east of Pegasus and just below Cassiopeia.

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This constellation was created between 1750 and 1754 by the French astronomer Nicholas Louis de La Caille. Originally called Antlia Pneumatica, it was one of several constellations created to represent newly invented machines of the era.

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This constellation first appeared on the star maps of astronomer Johann Bayer in 1603. It is a constellation of the Southern Hemisphere, created to honor the new types of birds discovered by European explorers in the Americas. It is sometimes also called Apus Indica.

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One of the twelve ancient constellations that make up the zodiac, Aquarius is located in a part of the sky known as "the Water" that is full of water-related constellations. Aquarius represents the youthful shepherd boy Ganymede who was abducted by the Greek god Zeus and brought to Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods. His job was to keep the wine cups of the gods full. The constellation itself is one of the most difficult to find. None of the stars are particularly bright. Aquarius can be found underneath the Great Square of Pegasus.

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An ancient constellation whose bright star Altair marks one third of the asterism known as the "Summer Triangle". Aquila is the eagle that was the symbol of the ancient god Zeus. Aquila was known to carry Zeus's thunderbolts, and was sent to bring the youth Ganymede to Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods (see Aquarius). The stars of Aquila are very bright and easy to spot throughout the summer and well into the fall.

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This constellation has been recognized since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. It represents the altar created by the Olympian gods after they defeated the Titans. It can be found below Scorpius, located near the constellations of Lupus and Centaraus. Because of its southerly position it is nearly impossible to see from most of the United States.

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An ancient constellation of the zodiac. Aries is one of the smallest and most inconspicuous of the zodiac constellations. Aries represents the golden ram whose fleece Jason and Argonauts sought. The constellation is comprised of only a few stars, with Hamal being the brightest and easiest to locate. Aries can be found west of Taurus and southeast of Pegasus.

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One of the earliest constellations to be recognized. Auriga may represent the lame Greek god Hephaestus or his son, each one is credited with inventing the chariot. The constellation is also associated with shepherds. The star Capella (the sixth brightest in the night sky) means "she-goat" and the three stars immediately below it are known as "the kids". Auriga is easily spotted just above the horns of Taurus, the bull. The two constellations share the star Alnath.

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Bootes is an ancient constellation with many stories attached to it. The word Bootes means "ox driver" and the constellation is said to be a farmer using the the plough (the Big Dipper) to plough his fields. In other stories Bootes is known as the bear-driver as he is following the two bears of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor around the sky. Bootes is easily found by following the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to the bright star Arcturus (the third brightest star in the night sky).

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Created between 1750 and 1754 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de La Caille. It is meant to represent the tool used by engravers. Visible primarily from the Southern Hemisphere, it rises just above the horizon for viewers in the southern United States.

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Created in 1614 by the German astronomer Jakob Bartsch. It was created to fill a region of the sky devoid of constellations. It is surrounded by the Ursa Major, Auriga, Perseus, Ursa Minor, and others. It contains no bright stars, and is a challenge to find from any area that does not have a totally darkened sky.

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An extremely ancient yet difficult to spot constellation. Cancer represents the crab that Hera sent to distract the hero Hercules as he was fighting the sea serpent Hydra. The constellation of Cancer contains no bright stars so it is one of the hardest of the zodiac constellations to find. Look for the constellation just to the west of Leo. Within Cancer can be found M44, also known as the Beehive Cluster, or the Praesepe. This is an open cluster of stars, that under a dark sky looks like a small, fuzzy cloud.

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Created in 1687 by the German-Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. This constellation is said to represent the two hunting dogs of the nearby constellation, Bootes. The dogs are named Chara and Asterion. Asterion is another name for the star Cor Caroli.

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A very ancient constellation, Canis Major is the larger of the the two hunting dogs used by Orion. Within the constellation can be found the brightest star in the night sky Sirius, also known as the "Dog Star". The name Sirius is derived from the Greek word seirios which means "scorcher". It was thought that during the hot months of summer when this star is above the horizon during the day time its heat was added to the sun. This is the origin of the term "the dog days of summer". Canis Major can be easily found by following a path leading east from the belt stars of Orion.

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A very ancient constellation, Canis Minor is the smaller of the the two hunting dogs used by Orion. The constellation is one of the smallest in the sky and is composed primarily by only two bright stars. Canis Minor can be found by looking above the constellation of Canis Major. The star Procyon, along with Sirius in Canis Major and Betelgeuse in Orion create the asterism known as the "Winter Triangle".

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Capricornus is one of the ancient constellations of the zodiac. Although it is a fairly large constellation, its stars are dim and it is difficult to see unless the sky is completely dark. Capricornus represents the Greek god Pan who was often represented as partially being a goat. In order to escape the monster Typhon, Pan dived into a river and attempted to change himself into a fish. Only part of him transformed so he had the head and body of a goat and the rear section of a fish. Zeus being amused by this put the image among the stars as the constellation Capricornus. The constellation is located between Aquarius and Sagittarius, southeast of the Summer Triangle.

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Carina is one part of the constellation formerly known as Argo Navis (along with Vela and Puppis). Argo Navis was the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts as they sought to recover the Golden Fleece. Carina represents the keel of the ship. The constellation is difficult to see from most of the United States. Only those living south of 38 degrees latitude will be able to spot the brightest star of the constellation, Canopus.

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An ancient constellation that is part of the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Cassiopeia was the mother of Andromeda, and because of her boasting that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids, she was forced by the god Poseidon to sacrifice her daughter to the sea monster Cetus. Also as punishment the image of Cassiopeia was placed in the sky in such a way that during part of the year the queen appears upside down. The constellation is more easily recognized as the letter m or w and can be found in the northern sky all year round.

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Centaurus is an ancient constellation, and one of two centaurs in the night sky. Centaurs are creatures that are half-man and half-horse. According to legend Centaurus is supposed to represent, Chiron a gentle and intellectual centaur. He was the teacher of many of the heroes of ancient legends, including Hercules, Achilles, and Jason. The constellation lies low in the sky and is impossible to see from most of the United States. It contains within it the closest star, other than the sun, to the solar system, Proxima Centauri. This is a companion star to Rigel Kentaurus, also known as Alpha Centauri.

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An ancient constellation that is part of the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Cepheus is the father of Andromeda and the husband to Cassiopeia. He was forced to stand back and watch as his wife's boasting resulted in misfortune and almost the death of their daughter. The constellation is not extremely bright, but can easily be found as a house shaped group of stars next to the m or w shape of Cassiopeia.

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Another small, ancient constellation, yet very easy to recognize. Corvus was a bird of the god Apollo, who in different stories upset the god so much that he transformed the crows feathers from silver to black and placed his image in the sky. Corvus can be found sitting on the tail of Hydra, the sea serpent. Another way to find Corvus is to look just below the constellation of Virgo, the maiden.

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Crux is a modern constellation. During ancient times the stars that made up this constellation were part of Centaurus. The first mention of the constellation was in 1592 by Emerie Mollineux. The French astronomer Augustin Royer is credited with defining it as a separate constellation in 1679. Crux is the smallest constellation in the night sky, and is not visible from latitudes north of 25 degrees (Key West, Florida).

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Cygnus is one of the largest and easiest to find constellations in the night sky. It is also one of the few constellations that actually resembles its namesake. The constellation represents the youth Cygnus who was a friend to Phaethon, the son of Apollo. Phaethon attempted to drive Apollo's chariot (the Sun) across the sky one day. He lost control of the horses and was shot out of the sky by one of Zeus's thunderbolts before he could do anymore damage to the earth. Phaethon landed in a river, and Cygnus kept diving into the river like a swan in order to find his friend. Zeus was so impressed by Cygnus's loyalty and friendship that he turned the youth into a swan and placed his image into the night sky. The bright star Deneb is one of the three stars (along with Altair and Vega) that comprise the asterism known as the "Summer Triangle". Cygnus is visible throughout the summer and well into the fall.

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