Constellation Myths For Kids

Constellation Myths For Kids A Night Sky Storybook Constellations for Curious Kids Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what those twinkling dots are Theyre not just little lights theyre stars And these stars when grouped together tell amazing stories about heroes monsters and magical creatures These groupings of stars are called constellations Lets explore some of the most famous constellations and their stories 1 Orion The Mighty Hunter Orion is one of the easiest constellations to spot It looks like a giant hourglass with three stars forming Orions belt Myth Orion was a skilled hunter loved by the goddess Artemis But Orions boasts angered the god Apollo who sent a scorpion to kill Orion Artemis heartbroken placed Orion in the sky as a constellation The scorpion also a constellation is forever chasing him across the sky 2 Ursa Major The Great Bear This constellation looks like a big dipper hence its nickname Its also called the Great Bear because ancient Greeks believed it represented a bear Myth The story tells of Callisto a nymph who was loved by Zeus the king of the gods Zeus jealous wife Hera transformed Callisto into a bear Zeus then placed her in the sky as the constellation Ursa Major to be eternally protected 3 Cassiopeia The Queen This constellation is shaped like a W or an M It represents Cassiopeia a vain queen who boasted about her beauty Myth Cassiopeias bragging angered the sea nymphs who caused a great flood To punish Cassiopeia the gods chained her to a chair and placed her in the sky eternally turning upside down to remind her of her arrogance 4 Ursa Minor The Little Bear This constellation is much smaller than Ursa Major and sits near its tail It looks like a smaller 2 dipper Myth This constellation is believed to represent Arcas the son of Callisto who was transformed into a bear by Hera Zeus placed him in the sky as Ursa Minor to forever be near his mother Ursa Major 5 Gemini The Twins This constellation looks like two stars close together representing the twins Castor and Pollux Myth Castor and Pollux were sons of Zeus and were inseparable Castor died in a battle but Pollux begged Zeus to bring him back to life Zeus agreed but only as a god Castor and Pollux were then placed in the sky as the constellation Gemini forever together 6 Leo The Lion This constellation looks like a backwards question mark representing the Nemean lion a fierce beast that terrorized the ancient world Myth The Nemean lion was slain by Hercules the famous Greek hero As a reward for his bravery Zeus placed the lion in the sky as the constellation Leo 7 Taurus The Bull This constellation is shaped like a bulls head and is represented by a red giant star called Aldebaran which means the follower in Arabic Myth Taurus represents the White Bull a shapeshifting god who seduced Europa a beautiful princess Zeus in the form of a bull abducted Europa and took her away to Crete Europa was later placed in the sky as the constellation Europa 8 Cygnus The Swan This constellation looks like a cross representing Cygnus the swan Myth Cygnus was a beautiful prince who was transformed into a swan by the gods He was placed in the sky to forever be near his beloved the princess Lyra who was also transformed into a swan and placed in the sky as the constellation Lyra 9 Pegasus The Winged Horse This constellation is shaped like a square representing Pegasus a winged horse Myth Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa a monstrous creature with snakes for hair Pegasus is often depicted as the muse of poets bringing inspiration to those who seek it 3 10 Draco The Dragon This constellation looks like a winding serpent representing Draco the dragon Myth Draco was a giant dragon that guarded the golden apples of Hesperides a magical garden Hercules in one of his twelve labors was tasked with stealing the apples Hercules defeated Draco and placed him in the sky as the constellation Draco Stargazing Tips Find a dark spot Light pollution from cities can make it difficult to see stars Head to a park or open field away from city lights for the best viewing Use a star chart Star charts can help you identify constellations and learn their stories You can find them online or at your local library Be patient It takes time for your eyes to adjust to the dark Dont expect to see everything right away Now that you know some of the stories behind the constellations you can look up at the night sky with new eyes See if you can spot these constellations on your next stargazing adventure