Draco
The constellation Draco is located between the two Bears: the Great and the Little. As soon as you spot the Big Dipper, raise your gaze a little higher. There you will see a thread of stars – this is the Dragon's tail. Following this cluster of stars, you will reach the head – it is next to the Little Dipper. The constellation Draco is also circumpolar, meaning it can be seen all year round.
How did Draco appear in the sky? According to legend, the constellation symbolizes the dragon Ladon. Hera placed him in the Garden of the Hesperides, where the dragon was to guard the golden apples. In the process of obtaining the precious fruit, Heracles killed Ladon. And Hera, grateful to the dragon for its service, placed it in the sky.
Lyra
Below the Dragon's head lies the constellation Lyra – which in shape also resembles a dipper. The star Vega, which adorns the handle of the dipper, is the second-brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere. It is surpassed only by Arcturus – the fourth of the brightest stars in the sky. Lyra is best seen in summer, but it is also clearly visible in the period from May to October.
There are several legends about the appearance of the constellation in the sky. One of them holds that Lyra is the embodiment of Zeus's kite. The god placed the bird in the sky because it helped steal the body of a nymph from the captivity of an evil Titan. However, there is also a version that Lyra is the eponymous musical instrument that belonged to Orpheus or Apollo. The gods sent the golden lyre into the sky so that it would continue to delight people with its appearance and sound.
Orion
The constellation Orion is famous for its belt – three stars in a single row. To see all of Orion, you need to look from the belt up and down. The end markers will be two stars: Betelgeuse and Rigel, both of which are on the list of the brightest stars in the world. In Russia, Orion is best observed in autumn.
Many legends were told about Orion, and it is not exactly clear how its constellation appeared in the sky. According to one version, Orion fell in love with the seven Pleiades, the seven nymph sisters. Faced with unrequited love, the young man chased the girls, so Zeus hid them in the sky in the constellation Taurus. Thus the hunter Orion strives toward them to this day. According to another legend, Orion fought in the sky with a bull, that is, Taurus. However, during the battle it was a scorpion's sting that proved decisive for the hunter. It is believed that this is precisely why Orion sets in the West – as if hiding from Scorpius.
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia is located approximately in the same area as Draco. Only now you need to find the North Star – the end of the Little Bear's tail. In shape, Cassiopeia resembles the letters M or W, depending on how you look at it. Like Draco, Cassiopeia is visible all year, but this constellation is best observed in autumn.
Andromeda
Below Cassiopeia lies Andromeda. You need to find a large square in the sky. One upper and two lower stars of the square belong to the Pegasus group. But the upper left one – this is the head of Andromeda. From this star, to the left and upward, runs a chain of three stars. From the second star, counting from the head, chains of stars extend in different directions – these are the arms, and from the third star a chain also runs, but a shorter one – this is the girl's leg.
Perseus
The constellation Perseus neighbors Andromeda and Cassiopeia. It is located between them, but positioned lower than both. One of the brightest stars of the constellation is Mirach, from which chains of stars radiate in different directions. Mirach is the middle of Perseus's torso. The chain that is directed more upward – is the upper part of the torso and the hero's head. The chain directed to the side – is the arm in which Perseus holds the head of Medusa the Gorgon. Looking down from Mirach, you will again see two chains of stars, where the first – is the hero's leg, and the second (shorter) – is the shield given to Perseus.
Cepheus
To find Cepheus, you need to draw a straight line from the North Star to Cassiopeia and look upward. Or look above the bend in the Dragon's tail. In shape the constellation resembles a little house, and it is best seen in the period from August to September.
All four constellations – Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Perseus and Cepheus – are connected by a single legend:
According to Greek myths, Cassiopeia, the wife of King Cepheus, boasted that her beauty surpassed that of the sea nymphs. The nymphs grew angry and asked Poseidon, the god of seas and oceans, to punish the queen. Poseidon sent a terrible sea monster upon the people of Cepheus. The only way to escape it was to chain Andromeda – the beloved daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus – to a rock. Andromeda was saved by Perseus, and Poseidon sent Cepheus and his wife into the sky. However, as punishment for her pride and vanity, Cassiopeia is positioned in the firmament upside down. The lovers, Andromeda and Perseus, were placed in the sky by Athena, where to this day they remain together.
