A star map (or star chart) is basically a cheat sheet for the night sky. It helps you figure out where constellations and bright stars are at any given time. To use one, just hold it up so that ...

But the term constellation in modern astronomy actually refers to a particular region of the sky, like a country on a map. The star figures first noticed in antiquity lie within these regions.

However, there was no rule for what stars were included in a constellation. All star maps used wavy lines to encompass not only the classical images, but all the faint stars in any given ...