The Big and Little Dipper: How to find them

How to find the Big and Little Dipper in the nighttime sky. From the Northern Hemisphere the Big Dipper is high in the sky on spring evenings.

Spring Triangle rises late at night, heralding the season

As the Northern Hemisphere enters spring, look for the spring triangle rising in the east, made up of bright beacons from three prominent constellations.

How to find the Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle

The brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere's winter sky form the shape of the Winter Hexagon or Circle, that will help you locate 6 constellations.

Great Square of Pegasus gallops into autumn sky

The Great Square of Pegasus consists of 4 stars of nearly equal brightness in a large square pattern. It's a great jumping-off point for star-hopping.

Teapot points to Milky Way center

As you gaze toward the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, you're looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

Summer Triangle: Signpost of the season

On June and July evenings, you’ll find the Summer Triangle in the east at nightfall. It swings high overhead after midnight and sits in the west at daybreak.

Pleiades – or 7 Sisters – known around the world

The Pleiades star cluster - aka the Seven Sisters or M45 - is visible from virtually every part of the globe. It looks like a tiny misty dipper of stars.

Northern Cross: Backbone of Milky Way

On summer evenings, look for this star pattern in the east, sideways to the horizon.

Coathanger cluster: Looks like its name

The Coathanger cluster resembles its namesake and is easy to spot through binoculars. Use the star Albireo - part of the Summer Triangle - to find it.

The Scorpion’s Crown and its stellar neighborhood

Bright red Antares, and the 3 stars of the Scorpion's Crown, belong to a young group of stars called the Scorpius-Centaurus Association.