The first thing we see, when we look up at the sky, is lots of shinning points of light. These points of light seem to make up patterns, and these patterns are what we call constellations.



There are 88 in total that are visible from the Earth. These constellations have such an old meaning to us, that we still have birth signs. Your birth sign is one of those 88 constellations.

Constellations are made up of a group of objects in space. This makes looking at constellations, one of the greatest things to do. Imagine, knowing where these 88 constellations are. You could literally take any rough coordinate for a star or object in the sky, and manage to navigate to it, much more easily. And all this because you learned about the constellations.

Many myths have been conjured up with the constellations. From the great hunter, to the story of the scorpion, looking at the constellations teaches us much more than simply knowing the layout of space!

Many early astronomers started with no tools at all, apart from using what they had - their own kind of telescope, their eyes! And still managed to invest a lifetime into astronomy.

A telescope still does help, and once you do have a telescope, you likely will prefer the telescope than simply looking up at constellations. However, there is always that fascination with constellations.

A group of astronomers all put in their life research into space to find those constellations which many today take for granted. These constellations have helped countless navigators at sea, be able to do their voyages.

Now you can partake in the same essence, by learning about the constellations. There is a lot to learn about the constellations. Such information that can be learned from constellations and backyard astronomy is the shape, the size, the amount of stars or objects that make up the constellation.

You could also look at when these objects appear in the sky, and when they are no longer there. It is easy to look up this information in a book, but when you start doing proper backyard astronomy, and find out these truths for yourself. Suddenly you have a strong sense of satisfaction, as you now know that you are really taking part in science.

A good idea is to keep a notebook. Draw pictures, write down your findings. Over time this can be a great way to see your progress in backyard astronomy.